Investigations revealed why all Nigerian airports are not certified!

Aviation industry regulator, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, is yet to certify any of the 22 airports in the country because the airports have been unable to meet the requirements on the regulator’s checklist particularly in the area of security and safety in the last 20 years.

It was revealed  that NCAA had never certified any airport in the country since 2006 when the law that gave it autonomy to certify airports in line with international regulations was promulgated.  A source close to the agency told our correspondents that none of the airports in the country was certified before NCAA’s autonomy.

It was also gathered that the items on the checklist had to do with two major issues. They are security and safety. The security aspect has to do with control of access to the airport’s sterile areas or airside and the security of other major points like the catering departments, boarding gates, check-in points and perimeter fencing.  The safety aspect, on the other hand, has to do with runway light, taxi way light, approach light, fire station and airport emergency response system, among others.

The essence of airport certification is to ascertain if there are enough personnel and equipment that can guarantee safety and security in any airport.

But sources revealed  that though the airports in the country had been given the checklist applicable globally, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria was  yet to comply with the requirements on the checklist, especially the ‘open items.’

 “The checklist is with FAAN. We have decided to start with MMIA and Nnamdi Azikiwe  International Airport, Abuja. Certifying the airports is going to be in batches; once FAAN meets the requirements, we will certify the MMIA and Abuja,” a top official of the NCAA, who pleaded anonymity because he was not authorised to speak on the matter said.

He said as soon as the regulatory authority certified the MMIA and NAIA, it would move to license other airports in the country.

It was learnt on Thursday that FAAN had been battling lately to close the ‘open items’ on the checklist.

Although the MMIA, NAIA and other airports in the country were yet to be certified by the NCAA, regulatory authority officials said the situation did not mean the airports were not safe for operation.

According to them, it only meant that certain aircraft and certain operations could not be carried out in these airports.

Officials knowledgeable about the process said the NCAA checklist contained a number of safety and security issues which must be met.

The officials said the entire checklists of which some had been ‘closed’ while others still remained ‘open items’ were  under several categorisations.

An official close to the certification, who spoke under condition of anonymity, said, “Under the security issues, we have a number of items under airport access control, catering department, cargo department, personnel, boarding gate, perimeter fencing and sterile area. Each of these has a lot of items under them. Some have been closed, while a few still remain open.”

“Under the safety issues, we also have items which include runway light, approach light, taxiway light, fire station among others. All these safety and security issues are subdivided into several areas. We have more than a hundred items. Some have been closed while a few are still remaining. As soon as FAAN closes them, they will invite us and we will certify the airports. From there, we will move to others.”

The General Manager, Corporate Communications, FAAN, Mr. Yakubu Dati, said the issue of non-certification of the airports was an age-long problem occasioned by negligence of past ministers of aviation in the country.

Minister of Aviation, Stella Oduah

The situation, according to him, was one of the reasons the Minister of Aviation, Mrs. Stella Oduah, came up with the ongoing airport remodelling programme. He said as soon as the remodelling was completed, the airports would be re-presented for certification.

He expressed confidence that the airports would be certified, adding that a lot of works were currently ongoing at the MMIA and other airports in the country.

However, Dati stressed that, “This does not mean that our airports are not safe. Our airports are very safe and secure. Remember that before American airlines started flying to Nigeria, the United States Transportation Safety Administration officials came here and examined MMIA and approved it safe and secure. In fact, they gave us impressive marks. If the airports were not safe, all these foreign airlines, including American carriers would not have been operating  in Nigeria. It is just that getting the airport certified by our own NCAA is just necessary.”

However, a former Military Commandant of the MMIA, Group Captain John Ojikutu, noted that no airport in the country had been certified.

He said some of the issues that might have been barring the regulatory authority from doing so might be related to lack of perimeter fence in some of the airports, poor lighting system and infrastructure in general.

He said, “To the best of my knowledge, no airport has been certified, and the only agency that can give such certification in the country is the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority. But we know that it is almost impossible for the agency to certify any airport in the country because of the basic infrastructure that the airports are lacking.”

“For instance, we can see from the incident that occurred in Benin recently, with the stowaway boy, that there was no security fence in that airport and that was how that boy penetrated. You cannot operate an airport safely without a security fence. Again, a look around the airports would show that runway lighting for most of the airports is inadequate.”

He said that airports must put all those facilities in place before the NCAA could get them certified.

The President, Centre for Aviation Safety and Research, Mr. Sheri Kyari, said the NCAA needed to take safety issues such as the licensing of the airport very seriously, noting that this was a major challenge of the aviation sector.

He said, “The NCAA really has to do something about the fact that our airports are not certified. With the way things are going now, I think they have to refocus on that, because it is a safety issue.’’

He urged the regulators to look into the issue with utmost care, explaining that the fact that airports in the country were not privatised was also a major issue that was hindering the certification. He said, “Licensing and certification is mainly for airports that have been privatised and by the time government decides to privatise our airports, it will make a lot of difference.’’

Source:Punch Newspapars

Common regrets people share on their deathbed!

For many years I worked in palliative care. My patients were those who had gone home to die. Some incredibly special times were shared. I was with them for the last three to twelve weeks of their lives. People grow a lot when they are faced with their own mortality.

I learnt never to underestimate someone’s capacity for growth. Some changes were phenomenal. Each experienced a variety of emotions, as expected, denial, fear, anger, remorse, more denial and eventually acceptance. Every single patient found their peace before they departed though, every one of them.

When questioned about any regrets they had or anything they would do differently, common themes surfaced again and again. Here are the most common five:

1. I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.
This was the most common regret of all. When people realize that their life is almost over and look back clearly on it, it is easy to see how many dreams have gone unfulfilled. Most people had not honoured even a half of their dreams and had to die knowing that it was due to choices they had made, or not made.

It is very important to try and honour at least some of your dreams along the way. From the moment that you lose your health, it is too late. Health brings a freedom very few realise, until they no longer have it.

2. I wish I didn’t work so hard.
This came from every male patient that I nursed. They missed their children’s youth and their partner’s companionship. Women also spoke of this regret. But as most were from an older generation, many of the female patients had not been breadwinners. All of the men I nursed deeply regretted spending so much of their lives on the treadmill of a work existence.

By simplifying your lifestyle and making conscious choices along the way, it is possible to not need the income that you think you do. And by creating more space in your life, you become happier and more open to new opportunities, ones more suited to your new lifestyle.

3. I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings.
Many people suppressed their feelings in order to keep peace with others. As a result, they settled for a mediocre existence and never became who they were truly capable of becoming. Many developed illnesses relating to the bitterness and resentment they carried as a result.

We cannot control the reactions of others. However, although people may initially react when you change the way you are by speaking honestly, in the end it raises the relationship to a whole new and healthier level. Either that or it releases the unhealthy relationship from your life. Either way, you win.

4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.
Often they would not truly realise the full benefits of old friends until their dying weeks and it was not always possible to track them down. Many had become so caught up in their own lives that they had let golden friendships slip by over the years. There were many deep regrets about not giving friendships the time and effort that they deserved. Everyone misses their friends when they are dying.

It is common for anyone in a busy lifestyle to let friendships slip. But when you are faced with your approaching death, the physical details of life fall away. People do want to get their financial affairs in order if possible. But it is not money or status that holds the true importance for them. They want to get things in order more for the benefit of those they love. Usually though, they are too ill and weary to ever manage this task. It is all comes down to love and relationships in the end. That is all that remains in the final weeks, love and relationships.

5. I wish that I had let myself be happier.
This is a surprisingly common one. Many did not realise until the end that happiness is a choice. They had stayed stuck in old patterns and habits. The so-called ‘comfort’ of familiarity overflowed into their emotions, as well as their physical lives. Fear of change had them pretending to others, and to their selves, that they were content. When deep within, they longed to laugh properly and have silliness in their life again. When you are on your deathbed, what  others think of you is a long way from your mind. How wonderful to be able to let go and smile again, long before you are dying.

It was also stressed that no matter what the regrets the dying may have on their death beds, every single last one of them made peace with themselves before their passing.

21 year old Nigerian acid attack victim gets new eye brows!

21 year old Naomi Oni who had acid hurled over her face, head and body as she made her way home to Dagenham after her shift at Westfield's Victoria's Secret store last December, finally gets her eye brows restored.

Naomi had a sophisticated semi-permanent make-up treatment that tattoos on the eyebrows as individual hairs, mimicking the effect of real brows.

She said: 

'It has been very difficult to come to terms with.My doctors have been brilliant but it will take years of laser surgery to repair my face.There is only so much you can do at any one time – then there is long healing process before you can undergo the next stage of the treatment.It is only now that I had been able to have semi-permanent make-up on my face.'I loved having the treatment – it feels so good to have my eyebrows back.
'What I loved about the treatment was its intricacy – it is a form of cosmetic tattooing.  It is the closest you can get to mimicking the appearance of the original brow.
I did get a bit emotional when I saw them. It’s the first time I have seen myself with eyebrows for almost a year.'

concerning her attack, Naomi said:

'I asked, "why me?" I work hard, I’m a good person.I’m the same person now but stronger.I want to say to my attacker, "You can burn my skin but you can’t burn my soul."

It would be recalled Naomi was on the phone to her boyfriend after returning from work when she was attacked in Dagenham, Essex, on December 30 last year.

According to her, "I felt a splash – that’s when I thought, someone’s out to kill me.I just started running straight home. I knew it was acid. It feels like something is eating way at your skin. I felt it most on my scalp, more than my face."

When she arrived home shouting and banging on the door, screaming "acid, acid". Her family came to the door thinking she was excited about something.

Then when her mother opened the door, Naomi said everyone’s faces just dropped.

Naomi is on leave from her job at Victoria's Secret lingerie store at Westfield shopping centre in Stratford, East London, while she recovers.

She eventually plans to return to work and pursue her dream of becoming a make-up artist.

Naomi was recently  honoured for her bravery with a prize at the Inspiration for Women Awards at Cadogan Hall in Chelsea.

 

Naomi's attacker has been identifed as Mary Konye, a Nigerian also 21, from Canning Town, East London; she is currently facing trial has been charged over the attack and will stand trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court in January 2014.

Forbes list of 20 Highest-Paid Hip-Hop Artists revealed!

Diddy tops this year’s Cash Kings list, pulling in $50 million over the past 12 months.

Jay Z came close with a $43 million worth

Jay Z gained double-digit millions from lucrative live shows, Armand de Brignac champagne, D’Ussé cognac, Roc Nation label/management firm and other ventures.

Dr. Dre is 3rd on the list with a $40 million worth.

Dr. Dre’s still believed to be cashing in on the ubiquitous headphones, expanding the company he founded with Interscope chief Jimmy Iovine to include a long-awaited streaming music service.

Nicki Minaj is 4th on the list with $29 million worth.

Two years after becoming the first female artist to make the Hip-Hop Cash Kings list, Minaj is nearing the top thanks to income from touring, steady music sales, a lucrative American Idol gig and endorsements with Pepsi and others.

Birdman is # 5 with a $21 million worth

The Cash Money chief continues to live up to the name of his record label, whose lineup boasts three other artists on this list: Nicki Minaj, Lil Wayne and Drake. Birdman’s empire also includes clothing, vodka and publishing.

Kanye West is 6th and worth $20 million.

He may be one of rap’s biggest names, but he falls just short of the top five this year.

Lil Wayne is next with a $16 million worth

The diminutive rapper played only a handful of shows this year and made headlines for health scares, but still cashed in on his new album I Am Not A Human Being II, clothing line Trukfit and his Young Money label.

Wiz Khalifa follows up close with a $14 million worth

The Pittsburgh native has been raking in cash ever since bursting onto the mainstream scene with his hometown ode “Black and Yellow,” the top single from his album Rolling Papers. His follow-up,O.N.I.F.C.—and more than 75 shows over the past year—keep him on the list.

Next is Ludacris  worth$12 million

Though his new album Ludaversal was delayed once again, the self proclaimed “Mouth of the South” continues to cash in on live shows, Soul by Ludacris headphones, Conjure cognac and roles in films like Fast & Furious 6.

Pitbull ($11 million)

Not even a brief exile to Alaska—the result of a fan vote to send Pitbull to any Wal-Mart in the U.S.—could stop Mr. International from earning double-digit millions.

 Drake is just an inch away with $10.5 million worth

With relatively little touring and no new album last year, the former Degrassi star falls from the top ten—but with his third studio album Nothing Was the Same out this month, Drake looks poised to move up on next year’s list.

Snoop Lion follows with a $10 million, tie worth

The artist formerly known as Snoop Dogg has been cashing in on his rebirth as a reggae artists, playing over 85 shows during our scoring period to go with a handful of endorsements and healthy back catalogue sales.

Eminem is# 12 on the list with a $10 million, tie worth

Though he rarely tours and doesn’t have an entrepreneurial résumé that stacks up with most of his peers, Eminem continues to earn big from his lengthy list of hits.

Kendrick Lamar is worth $9 million, tie.

Dr. Dre’s latest protégé makes his Cash Kings debut after releasing smash hit Good Kid, m.A.A.d City and playing over 100 shows in the past year. 

Pharrell Williams is worth $9 million, tie

The singer-producer returned to the top of the charts on “Get Lucky,” his smash collaboration with electronic duo Daft Punk; he also boasts clothing lines, a YouTube show and an extensive production catalogue.

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis on the list is worth $9 million, tie

The Seattle rapper-producer combo appears on the Cash Kings list for the first time thanks to The Heist, which has sold over 1 million copies in the U.S. and spawned hit singles including frugality anthem “Thrift Shop” and marriage equality ode “Same Love.”

 Swizz Beatz is 17th on the list with an $8.5 million worth 

The super producer may not be quite as well known as his wife, Alicia Keys, but the Cash Kings mainstay returns to the list on the strength of a hefty production catalogue and deals with Reebok, Monster and Lotus.

 Tech N9ne is 18th with a $7.5 million worth

Kansas City isn’t known for hip-hop, but Tech N9ne is putting the Midwest on the rap map. His empire includes label Strange Music as well as his own recording studio, merch company and touring infrastructure.

50 Cent is on the 19th position with a $7 million worth

The sale of his VitaminWater stake made him hip-hop’s top earner in 2008, along with proceeds from clothing, video games, books and records

Finally, Lil Jon is 20th on the list with a $6 million, tie worth

Though he may never match the viral success that came with his work on Usher’s smash single “Yeah!” in 2004, the rapper-producer has reinvented himself as a DJ, playing over 100 shows in the past year alone.

Police man beaten up by Okada riders in Lagos!

Commuters and passersby along the Berger Yard area of Lagos were taken by surprise when from no where, a  Police man riding a bike and headed to wards Mile 2 was attacked by Commercial motor cycle riders popularly called 'Okada' riders at the Berger Yard Bus- stop, along Apapa - Mile 2 express way on the 7th of September 2013, at about 4pm. 

The Okada riders who obviously trailed the Policeman to the junction, where he was intercepted, jumped down from their bikes and descended on the unsuspecting Uniformed man, shouting 'Olee olee' meaning 'thief thief', causing the frightened Policeman to abandon his bike and took off. 

Before help could come his way, the riders caught up with him, and dealt him several blow that left him bleeding from his head region; before they retrieved the motor cycle and ran away.

Some officers of the federal road safety commission who were on patrol at the area later arrived the scene and carried the injured Policeman away on their patrol motor bike.




Roving Informant later gathered that the Police man had ceased the bike from a commercial motor cyclist, and was making away with it, unfortunately for him, the embattled commercial cyclist gathered 

onlookers at the scene, as some of the motorcyclists made away

(Pictures appeared faint due to the distance between our reporter and the scene)

Black Thursday in Nigeria; Private Jet conveying the corpse of an ex governor crashed on take- off!

It was indeed a 'black' Thursday morning in Lagos- Nigeria, when a  20 seater Embraer 120 aircraft belonging to  Associated Airline, conveying the corpse of former Aviation Minister and  late Ex- Ondo state governor Olusegun Agagu to Akure (Ondo state capital), for his burial, crashed on take-off at about 9:30am; at Mafoluku area of the Lagos. 

Close to the section were JET-A1 plane fuel was stored.

The 

The late Agagu's  corpse was to be received at the Akure Airport by 9 a.m. on Thursday (03/10/2013) for a lying-in -state at the Democracy Park, Akure, same day.



It was revealed that late Olusegun Agagu's  wife and some members of his family, the Ondo state Governor Olusegun Mimiko and some of the state's commissioners were gathered at the Akure airport waiting for the corpse of the former governor, when news of the crash filtered in.

 

The coffin however remained  intact despite the accident.

Those on board the ill fated jet includes: Feyi Agagu (the late Agagu's son), Deji falae, (the son of Chief Olu Falae), Femi Akinsanya, Joseph Akintunde, Chijioke Duru, Akeem Akintunde, Tunji Okunsanya, Deji Afolabi, Amechi Kingsley, Olatunji Akinsanya, Deji Falae, Hassan Samson, Mrs. E.O Alabi, Deji Bernard. 

Crew Members: Yakubu (Captain),   Oyinlola (Flight officer), Saroh Elaiye (Engineer), Ibrahim (Flight dispatcher),  Samson (Cabin attendant), Owolabi (Cabin Attendant), Felix Tatoye.

The late Olusegun Agagu

However, family members of the former Governor of Ondo State, Olusegun Agagu, insisted they would go ahead with his interment in his home town Iju-Odo community -Ondo State; despite the incident.

Man Beaten mercilessly by Mobile Policemen in Lagos for stealing a handset!

This scene was caught on camera on Saturday, Sept 28th, 2013, along Apapa road, just by Costain bus-stop, Ebutte-Metta area of Lagos.

The young man being dealt with was caught after he reportedly stole a Nokia handset.

Some Police men on patrol at the area, saw where he was apprehended with shouts of 'olee, olee' meaning 'thief, thief'.

Before one could say 'run', they jumped out of their patrol vehicle, grabbed the young man and gave him the beating of his life, even hitting him with their boots on his chest. 

Roving Informant was there and caught the pictures.