Friends held a candlelight procession for him this evening in Akure, Ondo state. The late politician would have turned 43 today. He was born 9th of October, 1970. May his soul rest in peace...amen.
Thursday, 10 October 2013
Photos: Friends hold candlelight procession for Deji Falae in Akure
Friends held a candlelight procession for him this evening in Akure, Ondo state. The late politician would have turned 43 today. He was born 9th of October, 1970. May his soul rest in peace...amen.
Pop star Lola Rae loses dad, pays emotional tribute to him
Daddy yesterday you were taken away from us, but to a much better place. Only a few people knew how tough these three months of illness were for us all, but throughout it you comforted us & reassured us all that you will forever be with us. Finally the pain has left you and for that I remain grateful. You're now with your 'Don Dada upstairs' as you use to say. We will love you forever, I remain thankful to God for letting you see our achievements thus far & I still live to make you proud. Your most troublesome/ fav daughter, Rachel.May his soul rest in peace, amen.
Wednesday, 9 October 2013
Lamar spotted with estranged wife & father for the 1st time in months
Despite lashing out at his dad a few weeks ago after Joe Odom publicly blamed Lamar's downfall on the Kardashians, father and son were spotted a few days ago buying snacks in Venice, California, their first public outing in months. The embattled NBA player was also spotted with his estranged wife Khloe Kardashian yesterday for the first time in months as they made their way to Kris Jenner's home to provide some family support following the announcement of her split from husband Bruce.
Khloe has hinted that she plans to fight for her marriage in a series of tweets she posted yesterday but TMZ reported that she's still planning to divorce Lamar but is scared that taking the step may cause him to maybe commit suicide. Don't think he will do that tho...he has many other reasons to live!
The NETng's Most Influential People in Entertainment list
They are artistes, actors, thinkers, entrepreneurs, and captains of industry. Their ideas spark dialogue and dissent and sometimes even controversies; their works shape lives, habits and societies; their actions have led to some of the decisions that have stirred the industry in its current direction. These remarkable men and women, with lasting and laudable influence, do not necessarily make the most popular people in the industry, but their actions carry a lot of weight; with the hope of the future resting on their shoulders.
2face Idibia:
From his artistry to passion for change, the Pop king of Africa has
continued to use his music as a muse to influence all. Through his
foundation, ‘2face Idibia Reach-Out Foundation’,
Idibia, an icon by every definition, has dedicated a great amount of
time, effort and resources towards reaching out to fellow humans in
need.
Alex Okosi: As Senior Vice President and Managing Director of Viacom International, Africa, Okosi continues to showcase Africa to the world and vice versa with the MTV, BET, Nickelodeon and Comedy Central platforms. Okosi is one of the top dogs determining the present and future of entertainment on TV.
Ali Baba: Still at the top of the food chain when it concerns comedy in Nigeria, Ali Baba,
a pioneer stand-up comedian is not only responsible for making the
trade profitable, he continues to use his influence to hold up the
platform for others to shine.
Amaka Igwe: A strong pillar in Nollywood,
Igwe’s undying love for motion picture has helped her carve a niche for
herself whether with her famous soap operas or her annual BOBTV TV expo. Her Lagos-based radio station, Top Radio has also become a force to reckon with.
Audu Maikori: It’s been rocky times at Chocolate City
in the last seven months but Maikori, a lawyer and entrepreneur has
shown nothing but exemplary skills in stirring the entertainment label
through murky waters. With A-list acts like M.I. and Ice Prince, Chocolate City still remains one of the biggest music labels in Africa. Don’t be surprised if they announce an IPO soon.
Ayo Animashaun: Through his Smooth Promotions company, Animashaun, 43, has launched some of the most relevant entertainment platforms including ‘The Headies’ and the 24-hour channel ‘Hip TV’ which launches on DSTV this month.
Biola Alabi : Managing Director at M-NET
Africa over the last four years, Alabi has engineered the process of
bringing top African content to our doorsteps. This year, she birthed
the successful and well rated African Magic Viewer’s Choice Awards (AMVCAs).
Chika Nwobi: Nwobi is a serial entrepreneur. From MTech-
a leading mobile content company in Africa to Jobberman.com-West
Africa’s most popular jobs portal to Cheki.com.ng-Nigeria’s leading
cars/autos website to Kamdora.com a fast growing e-commerce fashion
retail business in Nigeria, Nwobi has successfully built mobile and
internet-related companies; using unusual techniques to link IT with
entertainment while delivering value for consumers and helping Telcos
excite a generation in love with music.
Chris Ubosi: He is the CEO of Megalectrics Limited, owners of Premium choice BEAT 99.9FM, retro-styled Classic FM 93.7 and pidgin-speaking Naija FM 102.7, which have all continued to dominate their respective fields. Ubosi, who seems to be warming up to the cameras nowadays has also launched a sister station in Ibadan and will be setting up a TV channel real soon.
Clarence Peters: Three of out every five videos seen on Nigerian TV is directed by Clarence Peters. As the CEO of a record label called Capital Hill Records and a multimedia content creation company called CAPital Dream Pictures,
he has shot a good number of videos, documentaries, TV commercials,
short films and TV features. Clarence is no doubt the most sought after
video director in the music industry so much that his name has become
synonymous with top quality musical videos.
D’banj:
In the last 12 months, the self-styled entertainer has brushed off any
kind of doubt about whether he can progress career-wise after his split with former Mo’Hits partner Don Jazzy. Whether it’s performing at the finale of African Cup of Nations, collaborating with US artistes, headlining Hennessy Artistry or becoming the face of the Bank of Industry, D’banj
has shown constant sheer determination and dominance. And there’s an
indefinitely long list of young cats praying day and night to have a
quarter of his blessings.
D’banj, Femi Kuti, Biola Alabi and Tunde Kelani
DJ Jimmy JATT: He
is rated as one of the biggest and most iconic deejays in Africa. An
innovator, teacher, speaker and performer, Jimmy Jatt has helped nurture
the careers and influenced many deejays in Nigeria. There’s hardly any
hiphop artiste in Nigeria that doesn’t pledge allegiance to the
legendary but unbelievably humble deejay.
Don Jazzy: From music production, Don Jazzy
remains one of the most relevant entertainment personalities in Africa
(a formula his colleagues have not been able to crack yet) with every
artiste out there asking for a beat or two from him. Little wonder he
keeps bagging multimillion Naira endorsement deals. An ambassador for Loya Milk and MTN,
IDJA is the producer every producer wants to be like, the pop star who
has no single to his name; the enigmatic music maker that’s giving an
entirely new definition to impresario.
Efe Omorogbe: The co-founder and HNIC of Nigeria’s leading talent management company, Now Muzik, Omorogbe
continues to be a major force in the development of entertainment in
Nigeria. He recently setup Now Muzik en.Core, a sister company which
handles events and campaigns.
Femi Ayeni: Ayeni, founder of Ultima, the company which owns two very big franchises in Nigeria might not have a popular name but his shows Project Fame West Africa and Who Wants to be a Millionaire. Though quiet and publicity shy, Ayeni has handed many successful entertainers their careers – that list will include Iyanya, Chidinma and Frank Edoho who rose to national fame on WWTBAM.
Femi Kuti:
The son of the late great Afrobeat legend has clearly carved a niche
for himself, warming up nicely into contemporary music (working with Wizkid, LNC, Jesse Jagz, Durella) and modern TV (Kuti is a judge on Nigerian Idol). These have however not shut him up from voicing out his opinion against bad governance.
Funke Akindele:
The Nollywood actress has bagged the highest number of endorsement
deals and produced more bestselling movies than anyone in her category.
Her hilarious character, Jenifa has now become one of the most popular
characters in Nollywood. And despite going through a well-publicized separation, Akindele’s image remains intact, her following unaffected; her endorsements intact.
Genevieve Nnaji: Hardly can you mention top actresses in Africa without placing her in the top 2. US talk show host, Oprah Winfrey described her as the Julia Roberts of Africa, while Elle magazine recently profiled her as one of the 7 international acts soon to cross over to international success.
Nnaji’s profiling on the international scene has been a big boost to
her career, although she has slowed down on local appearances in recent
times.
Ibinabo Fiberesima: She became the first woman to lead the Actors’ Guild of Nigeria
when she was sworn in as President in November 2012. Ibinabo
Fiberesima, an actress and a former beauty queen now presides over one
of the most influential organisations in Nigeria’s entertainment
industry.
Jason Njoku: By creating the iROKO triad- iROKOtv, iROKING and IROKtv , he is credited for creating what the international media has described as the ‘Netflix of Africa,‘ Njoku has combined technology and creativity to satisfy the ever-growing needs of Nollywood fans across the world, ranking in the Forbes ‘African millionaires to watch’ list. His idea now caters for millions of Nigerians who chose to go online to source music and Nollywood movies.
Clarence Peters, Amaka Igwe, Audu Maikori and Ali Baba
King Sunny Ade: A perfect example of consistency, King Sunny Ade
boasts of a career that has spanned over five decades. KSA is an
important voice in the Nigerian entertainment industry particularly in
regards to music as he uses his influence, contacts and resources to
affect major decisions in many of the music organisations; while serving
as mentor and inspiration to many.
Kunle Afolayan: He is one of the most prolific film directors in Nigeria. From his debut production ‘Irapada‘ to the critically reviewed action-drama ‘Figurine‘, the accounting graduate has shown finesse in all his work. His recent project, October 1,
still in the making has generated the most publicity-ever for a yet to
be released flick. Afolayan is seen by many pundits as the face of ‘new
Nollywood’.
KWAM 1: A prolific recording artist, KWAM1
updated the Fuji style incorporating Western instruments to give it
that youth-oriented theme. That singular innovation opened up the genre
to a hitherto uninterested segment. With a career now spanning over
three decades, the self-acclaimed King of Fuji music continues to
influence and appeal both the old and young in fuji other genres.
Linda Ikeji: From gossip to breaking news stories, Linda Ikeji’s blog has become a hotspot for many online readers. From a business and career that has taken her seven years to build, Miss Ikeji’s blog has become a phenomenal success earning her millions in annual turnover;
building a profile as Nigeria’s most successful blogger. What that
means? The bachelorette now belongs to the elite group of opinion
moulders and news shapers.
M.I: They call him the Chairman. Jude Abaga aka M.I.
has set a standard for aspiring rappers, for being able to appeal both
to the so called hiphop heads and those with no idea in the world what
the art form is about. He is sometimes regarded as the best rapper in
Nigeria and has a lot in fan base to show for it.
Mo’ Abudu: Following the huge success of her talk show ‘Moments with Mo‘, Mosunmola Abudu
has built for herself a strong repertoire. Often referred to as the
Oprah Winfrey of Africa, her show for years enjoyed high ratings on DSTV. Recently she launched her own channel, EbonyLife TV, Africa’s first global black entertainment network.
Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde: As one of the most decorated actresses in Africa, Omotola’s scored a bygone when she made it to TIME magazine’s 2013 edition of the ‘100 Most Influential People in the World’. Her TV reality series, ‘Omotola: The Real Me’
generated a landmark viewership on M-NET’s Africa Magic when it
debuted, and the mother-of-four is now warming up for international
break.
Psquare: Sold out shows and tours in Africa, Europe and America,
earth shaking hit songs and videos. A multitude of fans stadiums cannot
contain. Psquare have been on the top 3 mark for so long it’s beginning
to look like their birth right.
Mo Abudu, Genevieve Nnaji, Alex Okosi and Funke Akindele
Peace Fiberesima: For 12 years she has been behind the African Movie Awards (AMAA), gathering movie stars from all over Africa. Fiberesima
has positioned the awards show as one of the most credible and
consistent honorary shows. Often described as the ‘African Oscars‘, AMAA
awards has now become a standard for actors to measure their
performance every year.
Rotimi Pedro: With Nigerian Idol, X-Factor and Nigeria’s Got Talent grabbing big market shares, Rotimi Pedro, the Optima Media Group‘s
founder, is rapidly becoming a major force to reckon with. The sports
veteran and his team are delivering entertainment to millions of
Nigerians while giving many an opportunity to kick off their careers.
And he’s just secured the right to launch Bloomberg here, according to
NET findings.
Sam Onyemelukwe: He earned the rights to bring the foremost music channel, TRACE TV to Nigeria building it from the scratch.
Onyemelukwe, a former country manager for MTV has utilized his
experience and knowledge in the terrain to establish TRACE TV as a
channel of choice for many young Nigerians.
Tajuddeen Adepetu: From what
began with creating content programming for several terrestrial TV
stations, Adepetu has gone on to establish his own cable TV channel and
TV station. Both Soundcity and ONTV,
popular among young Nigerians, have now become household names when it
comes to pure entertainment. Other assets include Spice TV which wil
launch as a full channel on DSTV in a matter of months, and social media
platform Buddie.
The Murray-Bruces: The
Murray-Bruces have played many major roles in taking Nigerian
entertainment to the next level. Spearheaded by Ben Murray-Bruce, the
family has not only succeeded in radio and TV broadcasting, but also
made cinema culture fashionable again, with the Silverbird Cinemas. Their ‘Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria‘ pageant has lost credibility and popularity, but remains the nation’s leading pageant.
Tony Okoroji: Okoroji is one of the most important factors in collective rights management and administration in Nigeria. Working
with the Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON), Okoroji has spearheaded
the recognition of mechanical and associated rights, while making sure
radio stations, TV channels and others who exploit music pay what’s due
rights owners. The jury is still out on whether that segment should be liberalized.
Tunde Kelani: A pioneer and veteran by every definition, Kelani’s brilliance in cinematography and storytelling is second to none. With over 20 films made under his Mainframe Productions,
Kelani has been setting standards for as long as we can remember. The
movie producer/director/writer is one of the major influences in the
Nigerian movie industry till date.
Wizkid: At just 23, Ayo ‘Wizkid’ Balogun
is a kid whose achievements will make some legends jealous. From an
unsure wannabe, the hit-maker has grown to become a superstar, with a
strong influence on today’s sound while many teens are feeding daily on
his style and- permit us – swagger. Now warming up to be an
entrepreneur, Wizzy has it all working.
FFK responds to Aviation Minister, calls her market woman, fish wife
Mrs Stella Oduah said:
"I have huge sympathy for them, the ignorant people in particular. Because when you speak out of context, when you speak under the influence of whatever it is you are under, you speak incorrectly and you mislead innocent Nigerians and that is what he has done. And he really should hide his head in shame.”Femi Fani Kayode's response below...
Stella Oduah made some comments about me today (yesterday) which were uncalled for, malicious and petty. She reportedly said that I should ''bow my head in shame'', suggested that I was ''speaking out of context'' in my essay where I called for her resignation and that I spoke under some ''influence of something or other''. My advice and counsel to her is to grow up and stop being petty. She is meant to talk like someone who befits her office and not like a market woman, a fish wife or a creature from a Parisian bordello.Which one be Parisian bordello again? Lol. This man sef. Please continue...
I do not like joining issues with women publiclly which is why I was very gentle with her in my essay though I made my point. But this particular woman is endangering the lives of our people with her incompetence and insensitivity and we cannot just keep quiet. This is a woman under whose watch almost 200 people have been killed as Aviation Minister and instead of focusing on how to save lives her obsession has become smearing and abusing Femi Fani-Kayode. This is a woman who only yesterday told Nigerians that ''accidents are inevitable'' and that they were ''acts of God''. This is a woman who thinks more about how her headscarf looks, her jewellry and the jewellry of others more than she does about protecting Nigerian air travellers
If anyone should bury her head in shame it is her and not me. After just under 200 of our fellow citizens have been killed under her watch instead of abusing her critics and those of us that have expressed our concern and offered our advise she should be seeking repentance from God and tendering her resignation. She should be attempting to encourage the Nigerian people and assuage their fears rather than indulging in petty and cheap sideshots and an futile press war. Instead of comforting the families of those that were lost she is opening her mouth and abusing me. What a shame. Under her tenure we have beautiful terminals but deadly and blood soaked skies. Our skies have become a death trap because she really doesn't care.
My advice to her is to shut up, get serious and focus on doing her job rather than attempting to smear me with her filthy lies and malicious innuendos. I raised some serious issues in that essay that were clearly above her education level and I avoided personal insults. That is what civilsed people do. She should learn from that and address the issues that were raised rather than spend her time trying to kill the messanger. When someone says that God is the author of fatal crashes you know that it is not the same God that we worship as that person. It is the devil that causes accidents and kills people and not God. You can say that a fatal accident is an act of God only if the devil is your god. When I speak and write I am under the influence of one thing and one thing alone- the Spirit of the Living God who sees through her and who knows her for what she is.
She is the one that is under the influence of one thing or the other and not me. She is the one whose hands are filled with blood. She is the one that must bury her head in shame and no-one else. I will pray for her because she needs it and I will pray for Nigeria to. May God deliver us from this vampire Minister
Basketmouth to perform @the Macufe Comedy Festival in SA tonight
The show will hold in Bloemfontein, South Africa tonight @ the Dome, with over 10,000 tickets sold already,the show will be Basketmouth's biggest comedy show in terms of attendance.
Driver’s wife delivers quadruplets,seeks financial help from the public
Vanguard reports that the family presently resides in a tiny, rented one-room apartment at Ajangbandi in Okokomaiko, Lagos are saddened and fearful of an uncertain future occasioned by poverty and hardship. Kehinde is now seeking financial assistance to take care of his wife and children.
Kehinde said:
“I need help. I am a driver. I started driving someone last year and my monthly salary is so meager I can hardly feed three children not to talk of seven. I want the government and other people, who can, to come to my aid. I don’t have money, I don’t have a house. I need about N1 million to take care of the medical bills of the children and their mother.
"My wife had two Caesarian Sections and since the birth of the babies last week they have been in an incubator. Also, with the arrival of the quadruplets, we need better accommodation for the children.”
Lagos State Govt shuts down Lord’s Chosen Church Headquarters
The church, located in Ijesha on Oshodi-Apapa Expressway in Lagos, was shut down on Sunday Oct. 6th by officials of the Ministry of the Environment and prevented thousands of worshipers from having their Sunday service that morning.
The Commissioner for the Environment, Mr. Tunji Bello, explained why the Church was shut down
“The Church does not have proper sanitary system and they discharge their wastes into the canal. Most of their members trade on the expressway and we don’t want that"he saidThe commissioner also said the church had a habit of burning its refuse inside the church, an action that is against the environmental and sanitation law of the state. He said the church will be re-opened only after it builds new toilets, build a sewage septic tank for the treatment of waste water, remove all illegal attachments built on drainage channels, keep the environment clean and ensure that none of its members trade on the expressway.
Chris Brown blasts Perez Hilton and Wendy Williams on Twitter
"Chris Brown has a disease and the disease is, he has half a brain. He doesn't have a grasp of reality"Chris took to twitter to blast both Perez and Wendy. He called Perez a princess who is always on his period and labeled Wendy a witch...
Mariah Carey posts R-rated birthday message to Nick Cannon online
Fake Boko Haram show up for dialogue, says minister
Nigeria’s Minister of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs, Alhaji Kabiru Turaki, has said that dialogue was going on with key members of the Boko Haram sect to end the insurgency in parts of the north. He also revealed frustrations encountered with appearance of fake members of the sect whose mission was to collect money.
Turaki said this in Abuja on Tuesday when he spoke to newsmen after briefing members of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on the ministry`s activities.The minister said that the situation was being handled by the Presidential Committee on Dialogue and Peaceful Resolution of Conflict in Northern Nigeria.
Shekau, third left and his gang: have they met Kabiru’s committee?
The committee, of which he is Chairman, was constituted by President Goodluck Jonathan and charged with the responsibility of bringing lasting peace to the north.He stressed that the committee was identifying and engaging key members of the sect in talks.
He, however, said the committee had been having some challenges in the course of carrying out its assignment.
Such challenges, he said, included the showing up of fake persons claiming to be members of the sect.
He said such people often showed up with a view to collecting money.
“We had seen some people who are fake members of the insurgency who had come for the purpose of getting money.
“But we had always used the instrumentality of the security agencies and information on their data bank to verify their authenticity and membership of this organisation,’’ the minister said.
The minister hinted that the report of the committee was almost completed, adding that it would be submitted to the President soon.
“About 99 percent of the assignment has been concluded and in the next few days, probably before the end of this week, we will finish the remaining one per cent.
`We will then inform the President to give us date and time to present the report.
“I would want to assure that we have been talking with genuine members of this organisation and these are people that are key as far as peaceful resolution of this matter is concerned,’’ the minister added.
Many critics doubt the usefulness of the dialogue with the sect as the sect continues to kill dozens of Nigerians in the north eastern states of Borno and Yobe.
Kris and Bruce Jenner have separated after 22 years of marriage
"We are living separately and we are much happier this way," the pair exclusively tell E! News. "But we will always have much love and respect for each other. Even though we are separated, we will always remain best friends and, as always, our family will remain our number one priority."
Kris and Bruce are parents to two children together, Kendall and Kylie, and each have four kids from previous marriages.And oh, momma Kris has already started making money off her separation from Bruce by giving an exclusive cover story to Us Magazine. Poor Bruce! OK, so Lamar's gone, Bruce's gone, Scott is a Kardashian so he ain't going nowhere...only remains Mr West. We are watching in 3D.
Court frees monarch accused of raping corps member
A Nigerian court has discharged and acquitted the traditional ruler of Ilowa Ijesa, in the western Nigerian state of Osun, over an allegation of raping a National Youth Service Corps member.
Justice Oyejide Falola of the Osun State High Court sitting in Ikirun on Tuesday gave the verdict today, putting an end to a three-year sexual case that has brought national attention on the traditional king, the Alowa of Ilowa-Ijesa, Oba Adebukola Alli, and his accuser, Helen Okpara.
Delivering judgment, Falola said that the plaintiff, Miss Helen Okpara, failed to tender enough exhibits to convince the court beyond reasonable doubt that she was raped by the monarch.
The judge also held that the plaintiff, who accused the monarch of raping her at his private residence in Osogbo, failed to prove that she was raped.
Oba Adebukola Alli, Alowa of Ilowa-Ijesa: acquitted
He further said the prosecutor failed to show to the court the plaintiff’s torn clothes as she had claimed in her submissions before the court.
While stressing that a case of rape must be proved with injuries sustained on the private part as well as other parts of the body, Falola said the court was not convinced that Okpara sustained any injury.
Falola said the court was able to establish the fact that Okpara and the monarch had been having regular sexual relationship before a misunderstanding ensued between them.
He, however, condemned such relationship involving a traditional ruler, saying his action had brought his stool into disrepute as well as disgrace to his family and community.
But Mr Femi Adedokun, the counsel to both Okpara and the state government, said he would seek advice from the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice before considering appealing the judgment.
On his part, the defence counsel, Mr Taofeeq Tewogbade, commended the judgment, describing it as “God’s judgment which came at the appointed time.’’
Photos: Ace broadcaster Bisi Olatilo's daughter weds
Billionaire businessmen Aliko Dangote, Sonny Odogwu, first lady of Lagos state Abimbola Fashola were at the wedding. President Jonathan, the Ooni of Ife and Esama of Benin sent delegates.
Ayo who works at KPMG as a management consultant met Dewunmi at a naming ceremony in Kano many years ago. See more photos from their wedding after the cut...
Senate summons Oduah, others over plane crash • No fact yet on crashed plane’s insurance status – Minister • Kabo Air pilot suspended • National carrier to begin operation soon
The
Senate on Tuesday summoned the Minister of Aviation, Ms. Stella Oduah,
and heads of agencies under her ministry, to explain the real state
of the nation’s aviation industry.
The invitation followed Thursday’s
Associated Airlines plane crash in which about 15 out of the 20
passengers and crew on board, had been confirmed dead.
The 23-year-old aircraft was conveying
the body of a former Ondo State Governor, Dr. Olusegun Agagu, to Akure,
when it crashed barely a minute after take-off from the Murtala
Muhammed Airport in Ikeja, Lagos.
Hours after the accident, a Saudi
Arabia-bound Kabo Air plane with 400 passengers on board made an
emergency landing in Sokoto on Friday when it lost its two main body
tyres.
The decision to summon Oduah was taken
after the Senators exhaustively discussed a motion moved by Senator Hope
Uzodima. In the motion, the lawmaker drew the attention of his
colleagues to the Associated Airlines plane crash and expressed
serious concern that the incident had underscored the need for the
country to re-examine its aviation sector.
He also noted that the incident, the
seventh between June 2, 2012 and October 3, 2013, was “suggestive of a
deep-seated systemic problem that must be unravelled and resolved to
avert futher occurrences.”
Other senators, in their contributions,
also lamented that reports on past crashes had offered recommendations
on what should be done by the relevant agencies in the aviation sector
to avoid future occurences.
For instance, Senator Abiye Sekibo,
challenged the Senate Committee on Aviation to, as part of its oversight
functions, find out the airworthiness of all the aircraft on the fleet
of the airlines in the country.
Senator Barnabas Gemade,who noted that
the aviation ministry had improved facilities at the nation’s
airports, said there was an urgent need for professionals to be fully
in charge of the sector to enhance its efficiency.
Senator Oluremi Tinubu noted that
Nigeria had the worst airport runway in the world, a situation she
argued, posed a great risk to air travellers.
She also described as frightening and
disheartening, statements credited to the aviation minister that
accidents were “an act of God and therefore inevitable.”
Senator Smart Adeyemi said his
findings showed that the plane was supposed to be on a test flight to
Akure and therefore should not have carried passengers.
Adeyemi added that the plane was being
repaired and had not been flown for sometime hence there were engineers
on board to ascertain its performance.
Other senators submitted that the
current situation demanded an holistic approach because the sector was
already in a state of emergency.
The session, presided over by the
Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, observed a one-minute
silence for the victims and condemned the inability of relevant
agencies to unearth the causes of air crashes in the country.
The senators therefore unanimously
agreed to summon Oduah and the chief executive officers of all the
agencies under her supervison to explain the true state of the aviation
sector.
Ekweremadu, while ruling on the
submission of the Senate, however, clarified that the invitation of
Oduah and others was not an indictment of their competence.
Rather, he said it would afford the
aviation chiefs, an opportunity to state their efforts at implementating
past reports and recommendations of the Senate aimed at ensuring safety
and sanity in the industry.
He said, “The observation of lapses in
the aviation industry expressed by senators is not also an indictment
of the Senate Committee on Aviation. The senators expreseed frustration
on the issue and not that they passed a vote of no confidence in the
committee.”
The Chairman, Senate Committee on
Information, Media and Public Affairs, Senator Eyinnaya Abaribe, while
briefing journalists after the plenary, said the minister and the
aviation chiefs would appear before the Senators after their
resumption on October 22.
He noted that the Senate suspended
plenary till after the Sallah celebration so that all the reports
pending before it would be submitted.
Shortly after the Senate resolved to
summon her, Oduah said the Federal Government had no fact yet on the
insurance status of the crashed aircraft.
The minister, who also explained again
that Dana Air’s operations were suspended due to operational lapses,
said additional financial assistance would be given by the government to
domestic airlines to enable them to keep afloat.
She told journalists in Abuja that it
would not be right for the government to speculate on the insurance
status of the ill-fated aircraft since the report on a probe by the
Accident Investigation Bureau had yet to be released.
She said, “For now, if I answer you, it
would amount to speculation because AIB, whose responsibility it is
to know, has not finished with the investigation. We don’t have enough
facts for me to tell you what it is that you want me to tell you. So, I
don’t know what you are talking about.
“I really want to beg every one of you
(journalists) to stop speculating. We do not speculate on accidents and
this is because we are going to have a preliminary report. The report
will tell you the exact state of the insurance, and whether it is there
or not and you will have it as facts.”
Media reports had it that the aircraft
might not have been insured as it claimed. The airline’s alleged
insurer, Nigeria Reinsurance Plc, denied having any insurance contract
with the carrier.
The second insurance firm named by the
carrier, Sema Insurance, is neither registered with the National
Insurance Commission nor an insurance broking firm known by NAICOM.
On the suspension of Dana Air
operations, Oduah said it was not a witch-hunt but was based on
investigation which was carried out on the carrier.
She said, “Certification of airlines is
a routine and regular exercise and in the course of certification,
there may be operational lapses and when they are noticed, we have to
look at them again and take the necessary steps that would ensure
safety and security.
“If somebody has high BP (blood
pressure) and takes medications and the sickness calms down, if he stops
his medication wrongly, what do you think would happen? If an airline
has a clean bill and fails to maintain it, it will be suspended.”
The minister also said the government
would by the end of this month announce when a national carrier would
commence operations.
“I guarantee you that before the end of this month we will announce it, ”she told the journalists.
On the financial assistance to airlines, Oduah explained that it would be a single digit interest facility.
“This will be for a period of 20 years
and it will help boost their operations. We are currently waiting for
approval by the Central Bank of Nigeria,” she added.
Also, the Managing Director, Nigerian
Airspace Management Agency, Mr. Nnamdi Udoh, stated that the pilot of
the Kabo air plane that had a burst tyre while landing in Sokoto had
been suspended.
He said, “The airline had investigated
and found out that it was an operator fault and as I speak to you, Kabo
Air has suspended the pilot that was involved.”
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