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Agency test runs technology to save airlines fuel costs  

Dominica Ijeoma Nwabufo
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Nigerian Airspace Management Agency NAMA has carried out a test-run of the Satellite Based Augmentation System (SBAS), which would reduce flight time for aircraft and save huge costs on fuel burn.

The agency carried out the demonstration flight to improve the accuracy, integrity, and availability of the signal through augmentation of the satellite systems with its $8.5 million Beechcraft King Air 350i aircraft.

The SBAS are used to enhance the accuracy and precision of an existing GPS.

GPS by itself is not sufficiently accurate to do things like help land airplanes or other applications where there is a need for high accuracy combined with high consequences for failure. Simply put, it means using satellite systems for air navigation.

The airlines are also able to save costs through fuel burns as the system has the capability of reducing flight time on some routes within Nigeria by up to seven minutes.

The Managing Director of NAMA, Mr. Lawrence Mathew Pwajok said, “When an airline tells you their fuel consumption, you will understand and you multiply that by five minutes you will know how much it is. We also have the calculation which we can make available to you for different airline categories in fuel savings, time savings, and CO2 emission savings which is very critical. Environmental sustainability is very key in this satellite navigation.”

“That is one of the driving forces when it reduces flight time, fuel consumption, and CO2 emission. We have the calculation of the CO2 emissions and when I calculated the number of flights that fly that route and the number of reductions in flight time and fuel consumption, they act to give a quantum per annum on the savings for that implementation. Multiple over the years, maybe 300 flights through that route, you can see an amazing reduction for an airline.”

On the SBAS, the NAMA boss explained that Nigeria implemented the Performance Based Navigation PBN, a satellite system for navigation, adding that the system allows aircraft to use satellites system and aircraft equipped with a global performance system to navigate or fly.

“What we have implemented at the moment that we have done in 32 airports including military airports and private and state government and federal airports is what we call performance-based navigation. It provides you with large guidance. For you to improve on the accuracy, integrity, and availability of the signal, we will now go into what we call an augmentation system. That is to augment what the satellite does”, he stated.

“For a satellite to have precision, you need an augmentation that can give improved accuracy, the integrity of the signal, availability, and continuity of the signal to collect information from several signals rather than an aircraft using just one signal from a GPS to fly.”

 “It improves on the accuracy and that improves safety and that also reduces what we call control flight into terrain, rather than going left or right, it puts you more precise on the approach for landing. It enhances safety, efficiency, and capacity; reduces the workload for the pilot and the air traffic controller and then of course efficiency for the airlines. It reduces flight time, reduces fuel consumption, holding time, and turn-around time. In the long run, it improves on affordability for the airline”.

The satellite air navigation system is relatively a new concept in Africa. In the United States and Europe, they are already using it.

In the US, they are using Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS). Nigeria has a satellite in space that has the payroll for aviation use, communication, agriculture, science and environment, and others.

He said,” What the agency did yesterday was to see how it could use the Nigerian Communications Satellite (NIGCOMSAT) by collaborating with other European partners that have implemented it and doing a demonstration flight to see how they would use the aircraft calibration by developing the procedure that the aircraft will fly.

“The aircraft has been given these procedures; we will be monitoring it on the radar to see how it is following it. The procedures have been imputed on the radar so the expected lateral and vertical movements are all inputted in the radar and we will be monitoring it.

”As the aircraft goes, if it deviates left or right, that will help us to know the level of deviation using the satellite. If it maintains precisely and accurately, that tells us the level of accuracy and integrity of the signal being received and how it can guide aircraft.”

 

NP/Dominica Nwabufo

TiKTok CEO to testify before US Congress in March

Dominica Ijeoma Nwabufo
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TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew will testify in March to US lawmakers in Washington where the Chinese social media app faces accusations that it is beholden to the Communist Party in Beijing. TikTok, whose parent company ByteDance is Chinese, is fighting for its survival in the United States with rising calls from mainly Republican lawmakers that the company should be outright banned for its links to Beijing.

Chew will give testimony before the House Energy and Commerce Committee on March 23 after Republicans recently took over as the majority in the US House of Representatives.

“TikTok has knowingly allowed the ability for the Chinese Communist Party to access American user data,” US Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers, who heads the committee, said in a statement on Monday.

“Americans deserve to know how these actions impact their privacy and data security, as well as what actions TikTok is taking to keep our kids safe from online and offline harms,” she added.

Democrats have increasingly joined the groundswell of criticism against TikTok, and last month US President Joe Biden signed a law that bans the use of TikTok on government-issued devices.

This followed dozens of similar bans by US state governments and has put TikTok’s ability to remain a dominant tech player in the United States into sudden doubt.

To strengthen its position, TikTok for months held confidential talks with the US government to find a long-term arrangement that would satisfy any national security concerns.

A tentative proposal struck in August included direct oversight of TikTok USA by government officials and third-party companies.

But this arrangement has been held up amid public criticism by FBI Director Christopher Wray who said he continues to see TikTok as a threat.

 

NP/Dominica Nwabufo

 

President Buhari Urges Effective Policing Of Borders Against Terrorism

Oluwasola Akintonde
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President Muhammadu Buhari has said Nigeria and her neighbors must place a higher premium on the effective policing of borders, as the fragile nature of entry points into various countries enhance terrorism, economic sabotage, and illicit flow of arms.

The President spoke at State House, Abuja, Nigeria’s capital while playing host to Dr. Kunio Mikuriya, Secretary General, World Customs Organization (WCO), who is in Nigeria for a Global Conference on Fragile Borders.

Commending Mikuriya for his 4th visit to the country, President Buhari said this current one was coming at a time Nigeria is preparing for general elections, and “I have made it a cardinal commitment to ensure each Nigerian is able to exercise their franchise by participating in a free and fair election, in true practice of our relatively nascent democracy.

“It is our objective to ensure this takes place in a peaceful and conducive atmosphere, despite all the usual excitement and gamesmanship that is known to occur during election campaigning.”

Theme of the conference is ‘Enabling Customs in Fragile and Conflict Affected Situations,’ which the President said is of “critical importance for us as a country as we go to the polls, but equally important to most countries on the continent, and dare I say the world. In fact, it is quite frankly the singular most concerning sub-issue in our national security agenda. The fragility of our borders has been a major Achilles heel in our fight against terrorism, economic sabotage and illicit flow of small and light weapons.”

President Buhari said it gladdens his heart, that the WCO has dedicated an entire conference to the subject and theme, “thus recognizing not only its importance, but dedicating working sessions and brainstorming around it and inviting great thought leadership to dissect the issues and explore how nations in Africa can address this problem given our unique set of circumstances while also pursuing our joint and collective idea of an interconnected continent via trade and movement of goods and services.”

Fragile borders

The Nigerian leader briefed the WCO Secretary General and his team on a number of efforts in combating the challenges of fragile borders, which include:

“Our National Security strategy 2019 which promotes close inter-agency cooperation and the National Counter-Terrorism strategy which mandates Nigeria Customs Service to support other Agencies of government on fighting terrorism;

“Support for the armed forces in launching operations to secure our borders;

“Demonstration of a strong political will to support Nigeria Customs Service, as a critical agency of state in the discharge of its security and revenue mandates;

“Approval of the Federal Executive Council for a new Customs Modernization Project that actively promotes the integration of technology into border operations;

And “the ongoing effort to review the Customs enabling law to strengthen the Nigeria Customs Service and provide stiffer sanctions against smuggling and other criminal acts.”

President Buhari hoped that the conference will seek to understand the operating environment that exists around countries that struggle with fragile borders, and see how comprehensive and exhaustive solutions can be proposed that deal with the multi-faceted nature of the issues.

Revenue generation

Dr. Mikuriya described WCO as a 184-member worldwide organization, in which Nigeria plays an active and vibrant role.

He said Customs services must now go beyond mere revenue generation, and delve into security, as “without security at the borders, we cannot effectively collect revenue.”

Mikuriya lamented that Customs officials are often targets of terrorists and armed groups, “and so we need to have collaboration with other security agencies, share intelligence, and deploy technology.”

He thanked Nigeria for hosting the three days conference.

 

 

Olusola Akintonde

ECOWAS Accuses France Of Frustrating Common Currency Adoption

Lateefat Ibrahim
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The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), has alleged that France has been frustrating its effort to adopt ECO as a common currency in the West African region.

The West Africa Economic bloc noted that French authority was fueling political inertia in the region to prevent ECO from gaining acceptance in Francophone West Africa, over its CFA franc.

The CFA franc is the common currency for the Franc Zone, created in the 1930s on the eve of the Second World War.

Monetary Imperialism

Critics see it as a neo-colonial device and a form of French monetary imperialism in Africa that has been destroying any prospect of economic development in user nations.

Aligning with the view of critics on the subject matter, a member of the Nigerian delegation to ECOWAS Parliament, Honourable Kolawole Taiwo said the single currency was not about technicalities, but about the political will to set it in motion.

Honourable Taiwo who represented Ajeromi/Ifelodun Federal Constituency of Lagos State at the National Assembly expressed this misgiving at the sideline of the ongoing 1st Extraordinary Session of ECOWAS Parliament in Guinea Bissau.

He said: “Our leaders are not ready to make it happen. There are too many external interferences that are delaying it. For instance, the Francophone countries still see France as their master, and the French don’t want to let go of them which was the reason why they came up with the CFA franc in order to block the achievements of a single currency which is known as Eco. The problem of Eco is not technical but it is a political reason. If our leaders want it to happen tomorrow, they will announce it“.

Another MP from Liberia, Mr Clarence Massaquoi said, achieving a 2027 single currency will need practicalities and political will to do it.

“We should be concerned about the economy of other smaller countries, which will speak well of the political will of our leaders of their countries. I think, in the ECOWAS region, we are reluctant to exercise our political will on several decisions,” the lawmaker explained.

He further argued that single currency forms part of the basis for saying that ECOWAS have to gamble with the realities by making decisions.

The lawmaker said Africa should not be afraid of political powers which to him, was the reasons why the continent is laggingg behind in decisions.

“I hope ECOWAS can take decisions; the political will is for the structure itself. As it stands, the parliament does not have full Parliamentary power, so most of the decisions are taken by the authority of Heads of State,” he said.

He added that the continent should let go of some of the political control that kept holding it back in he past.

Lateefah Ibrahim

Youth Corps Member Solicits Sustenance Of Allowance Beyond Service

Oluwasola Akintonde
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A Passing Out Corps Member Miss Opia Desire, of 2022 batch ‘A’, Stream ‘1’ from Delta State Southern, Nigeria, has called on Nigeria Government to sustain the payment of their monthly allowance after they pass out till they are gainfully employed.

Miss Opia made this request in Abakaliki Local Government Area of the State during their passing out parade.

She said “am pleading with my beloved Country to help us by sustaining the allowance been paid to us during the service year till when we get job, as sometimes it throws one off balance financially. Like you were used to allowance and after the service, there will be nothing for you. It will be interesting if my request would be granted”

Self discipline

The NYSC State Coordinator Mrs Mercy Bamai, represented by the Assistant Director Planning, Research and Statistics, Mr. Joseph Ugbobo appreciated the comportment and self discipline of the corps Members during their service to their father land.

Mr. Ugbobo urged them to continue with the good attitude they had exhibited in Ebonyi State during their service.

He warned the Corps Members never to involve themselves in any criminal activity even as they go back to their different States.

 

Olusola Akintonde

Firm Launches Card Payment for Lagos Rail

Dominica Ijeoma Nwabufo
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A fintech company, Touch and Pay Technologies, has announced that rail passengers across Lagos can access the newly launched Blue Rail Line using its contactless Cowry card.

According to the firm, its partnership with the Lagos State government would enable individuals to use the Cowry card across the 13 kilometres of track proposed for the project.

It stated that the first phase of the track from Marina to Mile-2 would support 200,000 daily passengers, who can now enter and exit stations through TAP’s state-of-the-art turnstiles.

In a statement, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Touch and Pay Technologies, Olamide Afolabi, said, “We are thrilled to be facilitating and digitising payment on behalf of the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority. We have deployed our NFC payment solutions on BRT buses, ferries, and now trains.

“Our contactless payment solutions have been a huge success. We have created a 21st-century solution for today’s passengers. Up until now, train fares typically worked on low-value cash transactions, whereas most electronic cards don’t allow for payment below $10, which was problematic for many passengers.

“Our Cowry card, which enables microtransactions between 10 cents and $10, bridges this gap. People can now use a digital and modern method to pay for their train journeys without carrying huge amounts of cash. We are optimistic that even more passengers will discover the benefits of this fast, yet reliable technology, which unifies transportation in Lagos – for the first time.”

The Co-Founder and Chief Growth Officer of Touch and Pay Technologies, Michael Oluwole, added, “Payment is a social issue, not a technological one, which is why solutions to solve transit payment issues are a priority for us.

“In the past, foreign companies were tasked with solving our local transportation problems. We are pleased that we are the first local company to deliver this unifying solution.”

 

NP/Dominica Nwabufo

CBN Issues Fresh Directive To Banks On New Naira Notes

Confidence Okwuchi
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The Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN has directed deposit money banks, DMBs to commence the payment of the redesigned naira notes over the counter, in the banking halls subject to a maximum daily payout limit of N20,000.

The directive is coming on the heels of business grinding to a halt over the scarcity of the redesigned notes, having deposited old notes with the commercial banks.

In a statement signed by the Director Corporate Communication, Osita Nwanisobi, the CBN observed with grave concern, the activities of persons who sell the newly redesigned banknotes and those who flagrantly abuse the legal tender by hurling wads of naira notes in the air and stamping on the currency at social functions.

The CBN reiterated its commitment to Nigerians to ensure the effective distribution of the newly introduced naira banknotes, urging them to exercise patience as the CBN was working assiduously to address the challenge of queues at ATMs.

“We have equally noticed the queues at Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) across the country and an upward trend in the cases of people stocking and aggregating the newly introduced banknotes they serially obtain from ATMs for reasons best known to them.

“Also worrisome are the reported cases of unregistered persons and non-bank officials swapping banknotes for members of the public, purportedly on behalf of the CBN.

“We wish to state unequivocally that, contrary to the practice of these unpatriotic persons, it is unlawful to sell the Naira, hurl (spray), or stamp on the currency under any circumstance whatsoever. “

The statement quoted Section 21(4) which states that “It shall also be an offence punishable under Sub-section (1) of this section for any person to hawk, sell or otherwise trade in the Naira notes, coins or any other note issued by the Bank.”

Nwanisobi said the CBN is collaborating with the Nigeria Police, Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC and the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit, NFIU to address the unpatriotic practice.

He warned Nigerians, particularly those at social functions such as birthdays, weddings and funerals, to desist from disrespecting the naira or risk being arrested by law enforcement agencies.

He also admonish members of the public to embrace and adopt other payment channels for their transactions.

 

Confidence Okwuchi

 Nigerian Government Appeals For Patience As Citizens Scramble For New Naira Notes

Dominica Ijeoma Nwabufo
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The Nigerian government says it is deeply worried over the difficulties citizens are facing over having access to the redesigned naira notes.

The Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed made this known on Thursday, at the weekly ministerial briefing organised by the Presidential Communications Team.

She called for calm and patience among citizens as the hitches they are facing are only temporary.

“Of course we are worried. We are not happy that citizens have to queue and struggle at bank automated teller machines (ATMs) to be able to get their cash but this is a temporary situation they are facing.

“Let me just give you an analogy; if you have a wound, for you to be able to heal that wound it needs to be dressed and sometimes when you go to the hospital, they put iodine on that wound, which is very painful but it’s necessary to do that for the injury to heal.

“So it’s not easy and the President is not happy that citizens are suffering but we are convinced that it is something that needs to be done at this time and also the Central Bank has been responsive in terms of providing some extension. Even after the closing date, it is not all over because people still have the opportunity as provided for in the Central bank’s Act, to take their old currencies to the Central bank for redemption,” she said.

The Finance Minister noted that the Central Bank’s redesigning policy has a positive side of mopping up a lot of currency within a short time, which was one of the objectives of the policy.

“The positive side of it is that a lot of currency has been mopped by this operation and it means it has achieved a good level of success. The only sore point is the pain it has caused the citizens, which is regrettable but is also very transient and temporary and the bank will continue to address it,” the Minister added.

She further disclosed that the Ministry of Finance has some level of supervisory role over the apex bank.

She said: “The Ministry of Finance is represented by the Permanent Secretary Finance on the Board of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) but the Board was not in place until about just a month ago when it was put back in place so that the Board is working now.

“So, the supervisory function allows us to be part of the CBN’s Board and the Monetary Policy Committee of the CBN. The CBN Act thus provides it with some level of independence but that independence is subject to the supervision of the Board of the bank so now there is a Board in place.”

Economy

Commenting on the performance of the Nigerian economy in general, the Minister noted that the challenges being faced are not peculiar to Nigeria; the entire global economy is in shock.

“The global economy is currently facing multiple shocks often described as a poly crisis. This has led to economic instability in many countries. The Russia-Ukraine War, economic slowdown in China, and the impact on global supply chains among others are causing currency depreciation and balance of payment pressures in emerging markets and developing economies,” she said.

Mrs. Ahmed said despite the challenges, the ministry has been able to achieve a lot from the 40 deliverables assigned to it by President Muhammadu Buhari.

She listed the achievements to include an increase in the non-oil revenue share of total federal government revenues from 30 to 73 percent; the introduction of the annual Finance Act and the launching of the Road Infrastructure Development and Refurbishment Investment Tax Credit Scheme.

“Revenues collected by the Federal Inland Revenue Service grew from N6 trillion in 2021 to N10.1 trillion in 2022,” she disclosed.

 

Dominica Nwabufo

Lawmakers Hold Public Hearing on Bills To Establish Road Safety Corps Institutions

Confidence Okwuchi
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The House of Representatives Committee on Road Safety has held a public hearing on Bills to reposition the Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC in Nigeria.

The Chairman of the Committee on Road Safety, Honourable Akinfolarin Samuel, said that the bills were important to the overall good of the Road Safety.

The Bills

The Bills are ‘A bill for an act to establish Federal Road Safety Commission Command and staff college Ibadan to serve as a high level centre for training of FRSC personnel, personnel of strategic sister agencies, relevant MDAs as a centre of research in road traffic administration and safety management and for related matters.

A bill for an act to establish FRSC inspectorate training school as a higher national diploma awarding institution to provide academic and professional training and for related matters

A bill for an act to establish FRSC academy as a degree awarding academy institution to provide academic and professional training and for related matters

A bill for an act to establish FRSC road marshal assistant training school and for related matters.

Motion on recurring blockade of highways by articulated trucks in Nigeria.

According to Honourable Samuel, the essence of the public hearing was to get the views of the public on how to move forward and make the dream of the founding fathers of road safety come to pass.

“The purpose is to commend the road safety for taking the lead in road traffic management administration and safety management in Nigeria and Africa as a whole. Two to see legal backing or recognition for institutions that’s are fully in operation at different levels,” Honourable Samuel said.

He also enjoined major stakeholders at the hearing to put up constructive suggestions.

He commended the FRSC for having the foresight to propose the establishment of the institutions for the building of personnel capacity.

“I just want to emphasize the importance of collaboration and synergy in office and among agencies of government. As you all know and the chairman of the Corps can attest to it, if not for the fact that we are up and doing, if we rely on budgetary allocation alone what we are doing here will not be possible and I am making this special appeal to other agencies to borrow what we are doing here, that it is important to form synergy, to collaborate with other institutions,” he said.

The Chairman explained that “The last leg of this public hearing is to let the outline know that the committee is working on a motion to curb recurring of obstruction caused by articulated vehicles on our highways. Let me reiterate that public hearings are crucial avenues for us to distil public opinions and set the course of the nation over policies and activities with the sole aim of providing our people with the needed space to participate in our lawmaking processes”.

Need for Training

In his presentation,  the Corps Marshall Mr. Dauda Ali Biu, pointed out that there was the need for training and retraining of road safety personnel in the interest of safety on Nigerian roads.

He also said that “After critical review of the bills, we came to the conclusion that the bills should be harmonized to avoid ambiguity”. 

He said that the essene of the institutions was to give staff the needed trainings.

Similarly, the Chairman Road Safety Board, Mr. Bukhari Bello, said that for Nigeria to achieve the objectives of the United Nations Conventions, other Laws and regulations, training and retraining of members of the Corps was of utmost importance.

“It is my firm belief that the establishment of the Institutions would avail Officers and Marshals of the Corps and interested members of the public opportunity for capacity building and development of positive policies that will eradicate the menace of road traffic crashes in the country. It will also enhance leadership qualities of such member of the Corps to be vibrant road traffic administrators and safety managers,”he  said.

A representative of the National Universities Commission, NUC, Paschal Iwuaga, said that the NUC did not get the bill for the establishment of the FRSC Staff College.

He also said that the NUC does not oppose the Road Safety Academy but that the Chairman of Council must be appointed by the Nigerian president.

Other stakeholders commended the FRSC for its foresight and the committee for ensuring that everyone was carried along.

They also appealed that other members of the public be allowed to attend the institutions when established.

 

Confidence Okwuchi

PDP Appoints Caretaker Committee In Ekiti State

Oluwasola Akintonde
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The National working Committee of the people’s Democratic Party, (PDP), has inaugurated a 14 man caretaker committee, that would pilot the affairs of the party in Ekiti state, southwest, Nigeria.

The PDP Deputy Chairman Taofeek Arapaja, Inaugurated the committee in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital.

He called on the committee to resolve dispute among aggrieved members of the party to enable it win election in the state.

‘’we are giving you that opportunity now. The responsibility is on you to make sure that you catch on this opportunity to reclaim your party back and rebuild this party in order to give you the desired victory. The caretaker committee should give the party a brand new inclusion for all members of the party’’. Arapaja said

The Chairman of the Ekiti State caretaker committee. Mr. Sadiq Obanoyen while delivering an acceptance speech promised to deliver the state to the PDP in the forth coming general election. “We believe by the grace of God with your support we have all that it will take to reconcile and unite our people ahead of the forth coming general election”.

Ekiti state, South west Nigeria, is one of the states that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), conducts off seasoned election in the country.

 

 

Olusola Akintonde

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