Friday, February 7, 2014 | 3
THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com
News Mark, Suswam, Elechi extol Onaiyekan’s virtues at 70
Jonathan urges foreign envoys to boost Nigeria’s image
From Nkechi Onyedika, Abuja
From Mohammed Abubakar, Abuja
MINIENT Nigerians, E including the Senate President, David Mark, and
RESIDENT Goodluck P Jonathan yesterday in Abuja tasked foreign envoys serving in Nigeria to do their best to convey the positive realities of the country to their respective countries and the world generally. Speaking while granting an audience to the outgoing Italian Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Roberto Colamine, President Jonathan said by doing so, the envoys will help immensely in correcting current misconceptions and adverse misrepresentations of Nigeria in the international community. “The knowledge you have acquired here should be used positively to help us as you go back home,” he told the ambassador.
Baptist directs parents to shun Osun uniform talks From Tunji Omofoye, Osogbo HE Osun Baptist Conference yesterday directed parents and guardians of the Baptist High School, Iwo who were invited to a meeting by the Osun State government to discuss the issue of wearing hijab (veil) by Muslim female students in the school to shun the invitation. The directive was contained in a statement to journalists in Osogbo yesterday after the end of the executive committee meeting of the conference. The statement by the President of OBC, Rev. Paul Oluwole Oluwole, said the OBC had the support of the leadership of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in the state to ask parents and teachers to shun the planned meeting and to ask Christian students to continue to wear religious garments to their schools.
T
Daniel’s trial to continue April 3 From Charles Coffie Gyamfi, Abeokuta
President Goodluck Jonathan (right) going through the plaque of Wuye International Market after the commissioning of the market in Abuja…yesterday.
TUC, firm build 100,000 houses for workers in Abuja From Terhemba Daka and Chuka Odittah, Abuja
• Govt will give priority to FCT, says Jonathan
ETERMINED to address the housing shortage in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), the Trade Union Congress (TUC) in collaboration with the Rock of Ages Properties Limited, yesterday kicked off the process for the construction of 100,000 housing units to provide accommodation relief for workers drawn from both public and private sectors in the territory. The development came as President Goodluck Jonathan assured that the Federal Government will continue to accord priority status to the development of Abuja as a city designed to showcase Nigeria to the world. Meanwhile, Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chief Emeka Wogu, has pledged to deliver 20,000 housing units for federal civil servants before the end of the year. According to the TUC Presi-
dent, Comrade Bala Kaigama, the first phase of 20,000 units will be completed before the end of this year. Speaking to newsmen, Kaigama revealed that Nigerian workers have continued to suffer under the hardship of landlords. “You can imagine the workers in Abuja who are under the hardship of landlords in this town. What we are doing is to curtail the excesses of these landlords,” Kaigama stated. He lamented: “We have more than 17 million housing deficits in this country and the worst-hit people are the Nigerian workers. We have taken our destinies in our hands and we are providing affordable houses for our members. “With this developer (Rock of Ages Properties Ltd), we are targeting 100,000 housing units. But for now, we are developing 20,000 first in Abuja and this will be deliv-
D
ered before the end of the year. Next year, it continues. Once we get lands, we develop. “We are developing two areas in Abuja. One is along the airport road, while the other is in Dei Dei, located along Zuba road. All together, we have about 600 hectares in the two locations. “Our members are senior workers in the country and we are looking at affordability. With the mortgage scheme we are introducing, you cannot bite more than what you can chew. We are categorising them according to what people can afford.” Speaking in the same vain, former president of TUC, Peter Esele, said the intervention of TUC will further bridge the huge deficit in the housing sector in the country. “You see how majority of our members suffer after retirement. At that age, everything is at a standstill. Once you
have a roof over your head, half of your problems are solved. The Federal Mortgage Bank is supporting. We have repayment plan of up to 25 years. “What we are doing is to bridge that huge housing deficit. If the private sector, the government and other relevant agencies contribute their quota, the deficit will be reduced drastically. The government is also giving out small loans to those interested.” Executive Chairman of Chicason Group, Dr. Alexander Chika Okafor, said the project is borne out of a deep concern for the Nigerian people on the subject of housing provision. “In a bid to support the current administration’s transformation agenda of providing and making accessible, good and affordable housing to all Nigerians, an MoU was signed between Rock of Ages Properties Ltd and TUC for the provision of 100,000 housing units nationwide including the FCT.
N Abeokuta High Court yes- Health workers suspend indefinite strike, parley with govt A terday adjourned to April 3 and 4 for continuation of the trial of former Ogun State governor, Gbenga Daniel. Daniel is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a 38count charge bordering on alleged fraudulent conversion of land and diversion of public funds for private use during his eight years in office. The former governor, however, filed a suit at the Court of Appeal, Ibadan, challenging a ruling of the lower court presided over by Justice Olanrewaju Mabekoje, which had earlier dismissed his plea to quash counts 1-13 of the 38 charges in the subsisting suit. But he lost at the Appeal Court.
From Collins Olayinka (Abuja) and Joseph Okoghenun (Lagos)
EALTH workers under the aegis of the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) have said that their planned indefinite strike, which is supposed to begin today, has been shelved pending the outcome of their meeting with the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Anyim Pius Anyim. Meanwhile, Labour movement and its allies in the country may soon organise a mass action for revival of the public education. JOHESU had embarked on a three-day warning strike two weeks ago with a threat to begin indefinite nationwide strike two weeks after, if the government, through the
H
• Labour plans to revive public education Federal Ministry of Health, did not implement all signed agreements and court judgments in favour of the health workers nationwide. The two weeks deadline elapses today. But a meeting scheduled in Abuja yesterday between JOHESU leaders and the SGF may be the saving grace, while the strike would not begin today. JOHESU President, Dr. Ayuba Wabba, told The Guardian on phone yesterday, shortly before the meeting began, that JOHESU was mobilising her members nationwide for the indefinite strike. “We have begun to mobilise our people (for the strike). But they (government repre-
sentatives) have called us for a meeting with the Secretary to the Government of the Federation. We are going there with open mind, hoping that they would be able to address the issues. Meanwhile, the mobilisation of our members is on,” Wabba said. JOHESU is made up of five different unions, including the Nigeria Union of Allied Health Professionals (NUAHP). NUAHP President and JOHESU leader, Mr. Felix Olukayode Faniran, also confirmed to The Guardian yesterday that “the strike threat is still pending and its commencement or otherwise will depend on the outcome of the meeting
between JOHESU leaders and the government”. On JOHESU’s demand, the physiotherapist said: “JOHESU presented a 10point demand to the Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH) for consideration since September 26, 2011 but up till now, none has been implemented fully. The demands bother on the promotion of officers from deputy director to director, under Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS) 15, implementation of Abdullahi Bello Presidential Committee on Harmony, 2008 job evaluation report, upward review of retirement age for university staff, composition of boards of hospitals to include representatives of unions and associations reasonably.
Governor Gabriel Suswam of Benue State on Wednesday night poured encomium on the Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, Cardinal John Onaiyekan, who recently clocked 70 years, describing him as a man of God who has impacted positively on the lives of many people. At a dinner organised in his honour and also to raise funds for the building of a N3.5 billion Catholic Cathedral of the Twelve Apostles, Mark described the Cardinal as a man of peace, immense respect and honour who has brought pride to Nigeria. He observed that the wish of Cardinal Onaiyekan at his 70th birthday would be to complete the iconic edifice for the worship of God before his official retirement as a priest and promised to mobilise his friends to ensure that enough money is raised for the building of the cathedral. Also speaking, Suswam said Onaiyekan is a blessed man of God and a first class candidate who would have been anything else if he wanted but chose to use his intellectual ability to serve God and humanity. “He has propagated the good news very well and has affected many lives. He wants to leave an enduring legacy”. Suswam noted that the church has a big role to play in nation building, adding that there is need for divine intervention so that we can have good leadership in the country. The governor who urged politicians to be men of good conscience, said: “Most politicians are not men of good conscience, considering the things they do in leadership positions, we need to inculcate morality in our children so that when they become leaders, it will reflect in their conducts. What we have now is very worrisome. We pray the Cardinal lives like a Methusela to enable him continue to impact wisdom in the younger generation of priests. Ebonyi State Governor Martins Elechi described the cleric as a morally sound gifted and intelligent person who prepared himself for the position he is holding. According to Elechi, Cardinal Onaiyekan is a special gift to Nigeria and the church and is a humble man who cannot be humiliated. “The simplicity and humility he exudes is very rare in our culture. He is too deep for ordinary mortals to appreciate, I admire him as a very humble man but who cannot be humiliated,” the governor said.
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BUSINESSTRAVEL Friday, February 7, 2014
BusinessTravel
Travellers using satelite based mobile phones at 40, 000 ft above sea level
Technology: Game-changing airline business models? By Wole Shadare
ITH a wider rollout of W in-flight connectivity, air travel could see further development as social networking tools head to the clouds. The advent of affordable in-flight connection can also open up a whole new aviation ballgame, not just in marketing but also in the enhancement of onboard services. Meanwhile, airlines and other transport operators are already using satellitebased technology, allowing broadband speeds up to ten-times faster than currently available. It could also provide an alternative means of connection on trains and coaches. Earth stations are devices, which can supply an Internet connection to passengers by linking to a ‘geostationary’ satellite. In remote locations – particularly on planes and ships – speeds have been limited by available technology. However, game-changing technology, be it in the area of aircraft such as the Boeing 787 and the Bombardier CSeries or in the area of mobile and digital information and com-
munications can now be used to take the value propositions of both sectors to new heights by changing the way people shop for and experience travel. While almost all airline managements acknowledge these mega-trends and their potential massive impact on the global airline industry, only a few are exploring the development and implementation of the necessary transformational changes. Most continue to believe that only incremental changes can be made and hope that they will be sufficient. There appear to be two reasons behind this philosophy. First, almost all “old world” airline managements believe (and it is a valid statement) that their hands are tied behind their backs by legacy systems - ageing fleet, expensive and inflexible labour contracts, organisational structures, excessive pension liabilities, inflexible IT, obsolete bilateral agreements, constrained infrastructure, stagnating alliance benefits, and others. To show its strength in
the area of in-flight entertainment backed with technology, Emirates looks to enhance its live television offering across the fleet. More passengers will be able to catch the FIFA World Cup with Emirates’ live TV Presently, passengers travelling aboard select Boeing 777 flights can watch live events on eight channels including BBC World News in English, BBC Arabic, Euronews and Sport24. The airline has subsequently announced plans to expand the service to 20 aircraft by the end of the year. Although the offer of live television will not trigger a landslide shift in market share, entertainment is an essential investment that strengthens customer loyalty, according to Patrick Brannelly, the airline’ vicepresident of corporate communications marketing and brand product, publishing, digital and
events. “Airlines invest hundreds of millions of dollars in their entertainment systems. For each plane it’s between $8 million and $15million,” Brannelly stated. Topping off these two areas of amazing technology are the enormously powerful social media networks that are giving new meaning to the marketing functions at businesses, exemplified by the emergence and implementation of Web 3.0, which enables the coupling of new technologies with changing shopping behaviour. While social media has proven to be valuable for airlines in terms of engaging with passengers in realtime, it also provides a potential opportunity to sell more tickets (and other products) while users are actually on their social networks. The social network arena may not replace current distribution channels,
The new game-changing technology promises to change the way passengers search for, buy and experience air travel and the way airlines produce and market their products/services
but it can serve as yet another vehicle to capture additional traffic. Finally, some airlines have utilised technology to enhance the customer experience on their websites by offering a virtual assistant to answer questions and direct travellers to the information that they are seeking. The new game-changing technology promises to change the way passengers search for, buy and experience air travel and the way airlines produce and market their products/services. From the viewpoint of best global business practices, however, airlines are hardly at the forefront of the deployment of technology to meet the everincreasing expectations of their customers. Take Apple as an example of a business that appears to have capitalised on the power of advancing technology to evolve its product line - from iPod, to iTunes, to iPhone, to iPad not only to meet rapidly changing customer needs, but also to exceed their expectations. As such, Apple has a winning combination: an amazing technology paired with an amazing
customer experience. Apple has been able to integrate the product, the technology and the experience to a point of integration that provides a competitive edge. Airlines have demonstrated that they can improve their product/service (for example, the lie-flat seat and mobile check-in), yet they have barely begun to capitalise on step-changing technology to either improve their margins across cycles or to improve passengers’ need for a better customer experience. In the case of the latter, tired of inaccurate and untimely information, some travellers have taken the initiative to create their own travel information websites. Experts maintained that airlines needed to capitalise upon emerging technology to become solution providers. Solution providers can take on two different roles. The first and more obvious involves assisting passengers during irregular operations. While airlines are currently doing this, they are not doing so in a personalised and customised manner from the viewpoint of the passen-
Friday, February 7, 2014 BUSINESSTRAVEL 47
THE GUARDIAN www.ngrguardiannews.com
Virgin Atlantic’s B747-400 aircraft
Emirates to launch services to Abuja, Kano MIRATES, a global connector of E people and places, is set to expand its presence in Africa’s most populous country Nigeria, with the start of a daily linked service to Abuja and Kano from August 1, 2014. This is in addition to two daily flights the airline operates to Lagos. Kano, the capital of Kano State in northern Nigeria, is the second most populous city in Nigeria after Lagos, and has a history that goes back hundreds of years. The area is known for the production and export of groundnuts, which was a major source of Nigeria’s export earnings before the oil boom in the 1970s. Emirates SkyCargo, the freight division of the airline, introduced a scheduled freighter service to Kano in October 2013, and with Abuja joining the network, Emirates will
now fly to 26 destinations in Africa and 142 worldwide in 80 countries. Emirates launched services to Nigeria on January 2, 2004 with four flights per week from Dubai to Lagos linked with Accra in Ghana, using an A330-200 aircraft. Just over a year later Emirates increased its services from four to six flights a week, and following further demand, it became a daily operation in October 2005. On January 1, 2006, Lagos was delinked from Accra and became a direct service to Dubai. On February 1, 2009, a second daily service was introduced, and today each flight is served with a Boeing 777-300 ER. “Nigeria is experiencing strong demographic and economic growth. The country is strategic to Emirates’ global expansion, as Africa is. With our decision to start a daily
national cabin crew, gourmet cuisine and its ice entertainment system, offering hundreds of channels of on-demand audio and visual entertainment. Emirates’ customers also receive a generous baggage allowance of 50kg for First Class, 40 for Business Class and 30 for Economy Class. Emirates SkyCargo will offer over 200 tons of cargo capacity per week, with main imports expected into Abuja and Kano being personal effects, clothing material and electronics, while exports include leather, kola nuts, spices and fresh meat. Further testament to the growing importance of Nigeria as a key Emirates market, Emirates Holidays, the tour-operating arm of Emirates, last December opened a dedicated retail office and call cen-
linked service to Abuja and Kano we will now offer from three major cities in the country a very convenient and comfortable access to Dubai, and to Emirates network via Dubai, particularly the Middle East and Asia Pacific, where Emirates is flying to more than 30 destinations, including the Airbus 380 to 12 cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Bangkok and Sydney. The new service will also help create new opportunities for business, industry and tourism,” said Thierry Antinori, Emirates Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer. The route will be serviced by an Airbus 340-500 offering a total of 258 seats in a three-class configuration – 12 in First Class, 42 in Business Class and 204 in Economy Class. Customers will experience Emirates award-winning service by its multi-
Peacock raises the bar in travel business N East London travel agency is poised to expand A on to the high street with ambitious plans to grow the business all over the United Kingdom. Peacock Travels and Tours is based in an office in Daiston but its UK manager has confirmed to the TTG that it is set to acquire an existing agency in South London, according to TTG Magazine of UK. Keith Lyold said, “We’ve been looking to buy either a start-up travel agency or an existing agencyWe’ve come across this one and we are going ahead and buying it.” “We need to be on the street, we have got to have shop front.” The deal is expected to be completed before the
end of the early part of this year but Lyold has ambitious plans for the business. He said, “We’d like to think that Peacock will expand and we ll be all over the UK at some point, but it won’t be happening overnight. We are looking to get our own airline this year as well, which at the moment we are finding difficult but we’ll get there. Alongside the retail travel agency, Peacock also runs a UK operator, which specializes in North Cyprus. Lloyd promised a big campaign with the trade and talked about expanding the division by going into wine tours and holidays in the Philippines.
Peacock was started in 1997 in Nigeria and the company has offices in South Africa as well as in the UK. It employs six staff in the country and will add three more when it takes over the agency. Lloyd has high hopes for the new venture and said he would like to add “anything over and above” the business existing turnover of about 1.5 million pounds. He also spoke positively about the future of the traditional travel agent. He said, “The demise of the travel agent on the high street has always been there. It is not going to happen. It never will. I think a lot more people are now starting to book with an agency of long standing, because they can recognize the value, the tradition and the experience.”
Anxiety for Nigeria as U.S. downgrades India’s safety rating By Wole Shadare years ago, Nigeria was FoneOUR awarded the ‘elusive’ category aviation status. Yes. It was elusive because for many years, the country struggled to retain the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) highest aviation rating. For many years, the country failed not until one of the best brains in aviation in the person of a former Director-General of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Dr. Harold Demuren assembled a team of professionals to achieve what has become one of the achievements of Nigeria in the field of aviation. But as Nigeria prepares for another assessment to re-evaluate whether it is in compliance with category one
rating, India has had its airline-safety ranking downgraded by the US FAA after the South Asian nation failed to find enough officials to ensure safe operation of flights, putting it on a par in terms of air safety with Zimbabwe and Indonesia. The FAA cut the grade to Category two from Category one after a review of India’s aviation regulator revealed that its safety oversight processes doesn’t meet global standards. The launch of new carriers and billions of dollars in new aircraft orders meant the world’s secondmost populous nation couldn’t employ enough people to monitor safety. The US move could mean heightened surveillance at airports in that country for Indian flights, which
could impact airline schedules, said Kapil Kaul, the South Asia head at CAPA Centre for Aviation. “It might also affect foreign passengers’ perception about Indian safety,” Mr Kaul said. The FAA move is of “significant interest” to the European Union, though there isn’t any direct link between the EU safety list and the US programme, the European Commission said. To try and win back a better rating, Indian authorities said they will hire 75 flight operation inspectors and provide training to others. It expects to resolve concerns by March. This is where Nigeria should thread softly and do all that are necessary to ensure that the country’s airline safety ranking is not downgraded.
That would be catastrophic and would further set Nigeria behind in aviation. There are yawning gaps that need to be closed if we are to retain the rating. The Ministry of Aviation would do the country good if it allows the NCAA to do its job as there have been allegations of interference in the job of the aviation sector regulator. The incumbent DG, Captain Folayele Akinkuotu has shown a very good understanding of what it takes to sustain the aviation rating, but his job is really cut out for him and he has all what it takes to succeed. Failure to retain category one would do incalculable damage to Nigerian designated airlines(s) to the United States and cast a huge doubt on aviation safety which has come under intense scrutiny.
tre in Lagos in partnership with Tour Brokers International (TBI) Ltd, who was appointed Preferred Sales Agency (PSA) for Nigeria. Abuja will be the first stop on the linked service on a Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, and Kano will be the first stop on a Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Emirates flight EK 785 will depart Dubai at 1030hrs and arrive in Abuja at 1450hrs. It will depart Abuja at 1640hrs and arrive in Kano at 1750hrs. The return flight will depart Kano at 2025hrs and arrive in Dubai at 0615hrs the next morning. Flight EK 786 will depart Dubai at 1030hrs and arrive in Kano at 1430hrs. It will depart Kano at 1625hrs and arrive in Abuja at 1735hrs. It will depart for Dubai at 2005hrs arriving at 0615hrs the next morning.
Dana boosts operations with Boeing 737 aircraft N continuation of its expansion I737-500 plans, Dana Air has added a Boeing series aircraft, to boost its fleet and entire operations. With the additional aircraft coming into service, Dana Air will now operate an aircraft fleet comprising of the Boeing MD 83 series and Boeing 737 brand of aircraft. The Boeing 737-500 aircraft, which is the first of the Boeing 737 aircraft expected to join the fleet, arrived the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos on Wednesday, February 5, 2014 after necessary inspection and certification by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority’s (NCAA) auditors. Speaking on the introduction of the B-737 aircraft in Dana Air fleet, the Chief Operating Officer/Accountable Manager of Dana Airlines, Yvan Drewinsky said that the plan to introduce the Boeing 737 fleet of aircraft had always been an integral part of the long-term business model of the airline. “Our plan was to have two B-737 aircraft join our fleet in the last quarter of 2013 but we had to reschedule the delivery date as we were undergoing an operational audit involving the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) Flight Standard Group (FSG) in conjunction with their foreign partners,” said Drewinsky. He also noted that the aircraft has undergone significant internal enhancements to ensure that Dana Airlines guests continue to enjoy the unique and outstanding on-board experience they have come to expect from the airline.