Business
Easter: Rivers, Kano, Enugu, Ogun passengers pay more for air tickets
Ahead of Easter celebration, passengers flying through Rivers, Kano, Enugu and Ogun states appear to be the worst hit by the increasing prices of domestic air tickets, Vanguard has gathered.
This is even as air travellers flying through Abia, Kogi, Abuja and Plateau states seem to be less affected by the spike in domestic airfares.
The National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, in its transport fare watch for February 2024, released last weekend, stated that travellers flying through Rivers, Kano, Enugu and Ogun paid between N95,000 and N100,000 on air tickets in February, just as travellers flying through Abia, Kogi, Abuja and Plateau paid between N80,700 and N70,000 in the same period.
NBS also said the average fare paid by air passengers for specified routes for a single journey in February 2024 was N88,000.00, showing a decrease of 2.20 per cent compared to the previous month (January 2024).
The report added that on a year-on-year basis, airfares rose by 18.03 per cent from N74,558.11 in February 2023, noting: “South-West recorded the highest fare of air transport in February 2024 with N90,666.67, followed by North-West with N90,500. North-Central had the least with N83,028.57.”
Commenting on the development, Aviation analyst and Consultant, Sindy Foster, said unless there was an emergency intervention, there may be no respite for air passengers. She said: “The link between costs, revenue and profitability of the airline industry from a commercial perspective needs to be fully understood by all who have an impact and a change of policy direction, systems or processes need to be put in place.”
Business
31m users exposed as Wayback Machine suffers data breach
The details of 31 million users have been exposed after Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine suffered a hack.
Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library that offers millions of free books, movies, audio files, and billions of saved web pages in the Wayback Machine that would have been lost or deleted.
An illicit pop-up on the Internet Archive on Wednesday announced that the site had suffered a major data breach.
“Have you ever felt like the Internet Archive runs on sticks and is constantly on the verge of suffering a catastrophic security breach? It just happened. See 31 million of you on HIBP!” users reported seeing on the landing page after the hack.
HIBP, an acronym for Have I Been Pwned, is a tool that confirms if email addresses previously suffered a data breach.
Troy Hunt, HIPB creator, confirmed that the breach was legitimate.
According to Brewster Kahle, Internet Archive founder, the organisation fended off a DDOS attack.
Kahle said the library also disabled the JS library after hackers defaced the website via the portal, scrubbed systems, and upgraded security.
“Will share more as we know it,” Kahle tweeted.
A pop-up on the Wayback Machine urged users to ask publishers to restore access.
Business
FG launches portal for vehicle owners to convert to CNG and pay later
The federal government has launched a website that allows users to convert their petrol-powered vehicles to compressed natural gas (CNG) and pay later.
The National Orientation Agency (NOA) announced the new initiative on its X handle in a statement on Tuesday.
“Switching to Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) is now more accessible than ever,” NOA said.
“With flexible payment plans tailored to fit your budget, transitioning from petrol to CNG has never been smoother or more affordable.
“These payment options allow you to convert your vehicle now and pay later with affordable monthly instalments at competitive rates.”
The agency said with an easy online application and quick approval process, beneficiaries would be supported every step of the way, to ensure a hassle-free experience.
“Visit: gocng.ng to get started,” NOA said.
According to the agency, the benefits of CNG include cost savings, environmental impact, enhanced engine life, safety and reliability, as well as proven technology with a track record of safety and dependable performance.
On October 7, the federal government launched a portal that would allow youths to access CNG-powered tricycles.
In his remarks, Michael Oluwagbemi, project director and chief executive officer (CEO) of the presidential CNG initiative (P-CNGi) said the initiative would enhance the economic well-being of Nigerians by reducing dependence on petrol.
Business
Nigerian Air Force direct short-service application opens October 14 (Apply Here)
The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) says applications for the direct short-service cadets (DSSC) programme will open on October 14.
In a post on X on Wednesday, NAF said online registration will end on November 26.
The NAF said the enlistment is for graduates and postgraduates, who must be of Nigerian origin by birth.
“Applicants must not be less than 1.66 and 1.63 metres tall for male and female candidates, respectively,” the post reads.
“Applicants must be medically, physically, and psychologically fit; applicants must be free of any criminal conviction by the court of law.
“Applicants must be between the ages of 20 and 30 — but the age requirement for medical consultants is between 25 and 40 years.
“All applicants must possess a minimum of second-class upper division with five credits in a related course of study: a discharge certificate/letter of exemption from the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) and a certificate of full registration with their respective statutory professional bodies in Nigeria.
“All candidates are expected to possess a LGA attestation, a passport photograph, and means of identification, such as a driver’s license, national identification number, or international passport.
“Applicants are advised to print out acknowledgement slips and LGA attestation forms after completing the application.”
NAF noted that the online registration is free of charge, adding that computer literacy will be an advantage.
It added that successful applicants will be invited for selection board interview exercises through the registration portal.
Interested applicants are to apply online at https://airforce.mil.ng/.
-
World1 week ago
Israel bans UN secretary-general from entering country
-
Celebrities1 week ago
Davido shuns Wizkid’s rants, unveils second Puma collection
-
Entertainment5 days ago
‘If you had powers, your two wives would still be alive’ — VeryDarkMan replies Lazarus Muoka
-
Sports1 week ago
Manchester City midfielder, Matheus Nunes, arrested for alleged phone theft
-
Celebrities1 week ago
Court dismisses N500m copyright infringement suit against Kcee, E-Money
-
Crime1 week ago
FBI seizes $6m from crypto scammers targeting US citizens
-
Sports1 week ago
Osimhen suffers muscle injury, doubtful for AFCON qualifiers
-
World1 week ago
Hurricane Helene hits US, kills 116, leaves 2m households without electricity