Festus Keyamo, minister of aviation and aerospace development, says some private jet owners use their aircraft for money laundering and drug trafficking.

Keyamo spoke on Thursday, during the inauguration of a ministerial task force committee on illegal private chartered operations and related matters in Abuja.

The minister said he had set a five-point agenda that would guide him and his team in discharging the mandate of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu when he assumed office.

He said the five-point agenda encapsulates safety, infrastructure, support for local operators, human capacity development and revenue generation.

Accordingly, he said the ministry has identified issues within the aviation industry “that we must tackle headlong”.

“It has come to my attention, through a series of disturbing reports, that the practice of illegal charter operations is thriving within the aviation industry, thereby undermining the efforts of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority and other regulatory bodies,” he said.

“These illicit activities have not only resulted in significant financial losses to the Federal Government but have also raised security and safety concerns as the operations of private aircraft owners have remained largely unchecked and unregulated.”

This, Keyamo said, has also resulted in using private aircraft for other illegal activities.

“Last week, the National Security Adviser wrote to us, alerting us of the spike in money laundering, drug trafficking and other illegal activities through the use of private aircraft in the country,” the minister said.

“It appears that Private Non-Commercial Flight (PNCF) operators have become increasingly emboldened, continuing their illegal operations with the assistance of Air Operator Certificate (AOC) holders who collect tolls and list these illegal charters under their AOCs.

“We have received alarming reports that some crew members have not attended mandatory simulator trainings for nearly three years and are flying with fraudulently-obtained renewed licenses.

“Many of these individuals are operating planes registered under PNCF but are conducting illegal charter operations with impunity.

KEYAMO CONSTITUTES COMMITTEE

To combat the illegal operators, the minister announced the immediate composition of a ministerial task force on illegal private charter operations and related matters.

He said some of the responsibilities of the task force include taking “inventory of all permit for non-commercial flights (PNCF) holders and air operator certificate (AOC) holders, to determine why the practice of illegal charters by PNCF holders persists in the country despite regulatory controls”.

The task force, according to the minister, was also created to “call in all professional licenses of pilots and crew in the country and determine their authenticity and validity, and to recommend to the Minister any additional measures to be taken by regulatory agencies to stem this ugly tide”.

He said the committee is expected to recommend appropriate penalties to be imposed by the regulatory agencies on defaulters and additional measures to monitor private aircraft operations in Nigeria.

The minister added that the members of the task force have been carefully selected from within the aviation industry and are people of high repute and integrity.

He named Ado Sanusi as chairman of the committee, Roland Iyayi, as vice-chairman, and acting director of air transport, aviation ministry as secretary.

Other members of the committee, he said, include Theresa Babayo, director of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA); Olayinka Oyesola, commander of the presidential air fleet; Daniel Quansah; Patrick Ogunlowo; and Obafemi Bajomo, Keyamo’s special assistant (SA).
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The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, has ordered the arrest of two operatives of the commission accused of assaulting a hotel staff in Lagos.

In a video that went viral on social media on Thursday, June 27, 2024, the plain-clothed operatives were seen breaking into one of the rooms of the Regional Hotel located in the Ojo area of Lagos State.

Upon entering the room, an officer of the anti-corruption agency attacked the bewildered hotel staff. He dished several slaps on the helpless lady while his colleagues didn’t make any attempt to stop him.

After the beating, the EFCC operatives asked the staff to exit the room as they continued their search operation.

The incident sparked angry reactions on social media as Nigerians condemned the commission’s commando style of operation.

EFCC boss orders operatives’ arrest
Reacting to the development in a statement by EFCC spokesman, Dayo Oyewale, Olukoyede ordered the arrest of the defaulting officer.

The EFCC Chairman disclosed that the incident happened during an early morning sting operation, adding that the operation led to the arrest of a sizable number of suspects who were still being profiled.

“The Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Mr. Ola Olukoyede has ordered the arrest of two officers of the Commission allegedly involved in the manhandling of a female staff of Regional Hotel, Ojo, Lagos.

“The officers were sighted in a viral video assaulting the staff of the hotel in an early morning sting operation in Lagos. The operation yielded a sizable number of suspects who are still being profiled.

“The EFCC’s boss has also ordered detailed investigations of the operation carried out at the hotel and assured that appropriate disciplinary measures would be taken against any of the officers found to be culpable,” the statement read.

Olukoyede assures the general public that the commission would continue to carry out its responsibilities professionally and with profound respect for the of law.

EFCC your men are now breaking doors and harassing people in hotels ?

pic.twitter.com/eQOvG2rt2N

— Nigeria Stories (@NigeriaStories) June 27, 2024

A General Physician, Dr Tunji Akintade, has called for a ban on the sale of ‘nylon water’ to reduce the transmission of cholera disease in the country.

Akintade, former Chairman of the Association of Nigerian Private Medical Practitioners (ANPMP), said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Lagos.

NAN reports that due to the biting economic situation and the increased price of sachet water, some street traders emerged with the sale of nylon water as a cost-cutting measure for the public.

Sachet water, popularly known as “pure water”, is being sold at ₦50 in most parts of Lagos, while nylon water is sold for ₦10 or ₦20, depending on the location.

Akintade appealed to the Federal Government to urgently restrict the sale of nylon water to reduce the transmission and deaths arising from cholera outbreaks nationwide. The physician warned the public against consuming nylon water, stressing that the source and purification of such water were in doubt, especially as they are unregistered.

He disclosed that past tests had confirmed the contamination of some boreholes and well water by pathogens, emphasising that nylon water was unsafe for consumption.

“People can get cholera by drinking unsafe water or eating food contaminated with cholera bacteria.

“It’s so sad that people neglect their health because of financial concerns and some unscrupulous traders are cashing on it,” he said.

Akintade appealed to the government to intensify surveillance across communities and attach punitive measures for traders of nylon water toward safeguarding the health of citizens.

The physician also called for effective monitoring and regulations of pure water and bottled water factories to ensure they adhere to safety standards in their production. He lamented the perennial cholera outbreak in the country, noting that cholera had ceased to be a public health concern in industrialised countries that deployed modern sewage and water treatment.

Akintade urged the Federal and state governments to move beyond alerting the public about the unsafe conditions of the water source to expediting actions to improve access to clean and safe water through functional water boards.

The physician stressed that doing that would mitigate the health risks associated with the consumption of unsafe water, especially as rain and flooding are causing waterborne diseases in communities.

He added that ingesting contaminated food could also cause cholera, advising the public to ensure vegetables and fruits are properly washed before eating and food produced in a hygienic environment.

Akintade stressed the equipping of environmental inspection officers with improved training and equipment required to effectively monitor and clean the environment.

“The issue of revenue generation through them should be downplayed for them to achieve their core mandates, focusing on ways to generate money has trivialised their role,” he told NAN.

Cholera is an acute diarrhoea infection caused by eating or drinking food or water that is contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholerae.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) on June 24 disclosed that 53 deaths and 1,528 suspected cholera cases were recorded across 31 states, since the beginning of 2024.

Lagos State is the epicentre of the cholera outbreak with 29 fatalities, 579 suspected cases and 43 laboratory-confirmed cases across multiple Local Government Areas in the state.