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African Countries Working Against Air Peace, Allen Onyema Laments

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Chairman of Air Peace, Allen Onyema, has lamented that African countries are frustrating his airline with exorbitant airport charges to prevent it operating seamlessly in the region.

He laid the accusation at the 48th Annual General Meeting and exhibition of the National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies (NANTA) in Lagos.

The airline chief, however, exonerated Ghana from the negative aero politics.

According to him, all other African countries where Air Peace operate, have continued to employ means of exorbitant airport charges to frustrate the private Nigerian flag carrier from operating into their market.

Onyema said while these African airlines operate flights into Nigeria without limitations, the reverse has been the case as their home countries write to Air Peace not to fly into their country.

He said whenever Air Peace challenged these negativity in court, the countries would reluctantly allow Air Peace to operate but afterwards use exorbitant airport charges to frustrate the airline.

He narrated: “It took us four years to get approval to fly into a West African country but their airline has been coming into Nigeria for many years. When we eventually started flying, they wanted to chase us away with exorbitant airport charges. They told us to pay $12,000 per landing. We cannot implement SAATM in a lopsided way and expect it to work.

“Some countries we fly into send us bills running into millions of euros. When we ask them how we incurred the bill, they won’t respond. We made payment and after making payment, they told us the account we paid into no longer exists and we need to make a fresh payment. I have never seen a country as welcoming as Nigeria but we are being stigmatised in other countries.”

He also disclosed that another African country asked Air Peace to pay 4 million euros as charges incurred, but when asked how they arrived at the charges, they got judgment to enforce the levy in a French court.

The Air Peace boss said the advantage Air Peace has over other airlines is that, it is flying people from other states in Nigeria to London via the Lagos airport, thereby saving passengers over N200,000 they would have paid on local destinations after arriving at Lagos airport.

“We studied to find out why Nigerian airlines failed on the London route, we know the issues and we addressed them. It is not totally the fault of Nigerian airlines. If I didn›t go to the media to expose what Gatwick and other airlines were doing to us, we would not have lasted on the Lagos-London route for two weeks,” he said.

The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, through his representative Hassan Tai Ejibunu, Director of Air Transport Management, Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, said the theme of this year’s AGM and exhibition, “Unlocking Africa’s Economic Potential: Travel and Tourism as Catalyst for Intra-Africa Business, Investment and Trade,” is apt.

Keyamo said the theme is in sync with the visionary thought of African leaders to integrate and facilitate trade and investment among the 55 countries of the African Union and eight Regional Economic Communities (RECs) in the continent, through the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

He said the five-point agenda, which are in tandem with the renewed hope agenda of President Bola Tinbu, are to “Ensure strict compliance with safety regulations and continuous upward movement of Nigeria’s rating by ICAO, support for the growth and sustenance of local businesses whilst holding them to the highest international standard in the aviation industry, improve infrastructures in the aviation industry, develop human capacity within the industry and Optimise revenue generation for the federal government.”

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Boko Haram Among Terror Groups Funded by USAID, Says US Congressman, Perry

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US Congressman, Scott Perry, has said that US aid agency, United States Agency for International Development, funded terrorist organisations, including Boko Haram.

Perry, a Republican representing Pennsylvania, made the claim during the inaugural hearing of the Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency on Thursday.

The session, titled “The War on Waste: Stamping Out the Scourge of Improper Payments and Fraud,” focused on alleged misappropriations of taxpayer funds.

“Who gets some of that money? Does that name ring a bell to anybody in the room? Because your money, your money, $697 million annually, plus the shipments of cash funds in Madrasas, ISIS, Al-Qaeda, Boko Haram, ISIS Khorasan, terrorist training camps. That’s what it’s funding,” Perry said.

According to the subcommittee’s website, it will “actively work with President Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency to root out waste, shore up vulnerable payment systems, and fully investigate schemes to defraud taxpayers.”

Perry further cited USAID’s reported funding of $136 million for building 120 schools in Pakistan, alleging that there was “zero evidence” of the schools’ construction.

Perry added, ” If you think that the programme under Operation Enduring Sentinel entitled Women’s Scholarship Endowment, which receives $60 million annually, or the Young Women Lead, which gets about $5 million annually, is going to women who, by the way, if you read the Inspector General’s report, is telling you that the Taliban does not
allow women to speak in public, yet somehow you’re believing, and American people are supposed to believe, that this money is going for the betterment of the women in Afghanistan. It is not.

“You are funding terrorism, and it’s coming through USAID. And it’s not just Afghanistan, because Pakistan’s right next door.

“USAID spent $840 million in the last year, the last 20 years, on Pakistan’s education-related programme. It includes $136 million to build 120 schools, of which there is zero evidence that any of them were built. Why would there be any evidence? The Inspector General can’t get in to see them.

“But you know what? We doubled down and spent $20 million from USAID to create educational television programs for children unable to attend the physical school. Yeah, they can’t attend it, because it doesn’t exist. You paid for it.

“Somebody else got the money. You are paying for terrorism. This has got to end.”

US President Donald Trump has previously called for the closure of USAID, accusing the agency of corruption in a post on his Truth Social platform.

The move is part of Trump’s–and his billionaire ally Elon Musk’s–drive to shrink the US government.

Musk, whom Trump appointed to lead the Department of Government Efficiency, has also criticised USAID, alleging that it engages in rogue operations.

Musk has called USAID “a viper’s nest of radical-left Marxists who hate America” and has vowed to shut it down.

Among other criticisms, which Musk has claimed that USAID does “rogue CIA work” and even “funded bioweapon research, including COVID-19, that killed millions of people.”

Trump said DOGE would “dismantle government bureaucracy, slash excessive regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure federal agencies — essential to the ‘Save America’ movement. This will send shockwaves through the system, and anyone involved in government waste, which is a lot of people!”

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CDS Visa Denial: No Comments, Canadian Embassy Declares

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The Canadian High Commission in Nigeria has refused to make further comments on circumstances surrounding the denial of visas to some senior Nigerian military officials, including the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, citing privacy policies.

The Authorities however, acknowledged social media reports of the situation.

Musa and some military officials were denied visas to attend an event in Canada honouring war veterans, a situation the CDS revealed during an event in Abuja on Thursday.

Responding on Friday, via its social media handle, the Canadian High Commission stated, “The High Commission of Canada in Nigeria is aware of media reports related to planned travel by senior officials. However, for privacy reasons, we are unable to comment on the status of visa applications of specific individuals.”

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Afenifere Leader, Pa Ayo Adebanjo Dies at 96

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Pa Ayo Adebanjo, the Afenifere leader, is dead.

He died on Friday morning at his Lekki residence in Lagos, according to a family statement. He was aged 96.

It reads: “With a heart full of gratitude for a selfless life spent in the service of God, the nation and humanity, we announce the passing on of our beloved patriarch, Chief Samuel Ayodele Adebanjo.

“He died peacefully this morning, Friday, February 14, 2025 at his Lekki, Lagos Nigeria home at the age of 96.

“The foremost nationalist, elder statesman, distinguished lawyer, very distinct politician, apostle of true federalism, former organising secretary of Action Group and the national leader of Afenifere is survived by his 94 year-old wife, Chief Christy Ayo-Adebanjo, children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.

“We will forever cherish his commitment to fighting for truth, equity and justice. His belief and struggle for a truly independent and progressive Nigeria was total and this he fought for until he breathed his last breath.

“The family is consulting with Papa’s friends, associates, numerous interest groups across the length and breadth of Nigeria and beyond, to fine tune plans for a befitting funeral details which will be communicated in due course.

“A condolence register is open at his residence in Lagos (8, Ayo Adebanjo Close, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos) and  his country home in Isanya Ogbo, near Ijebu Ode Ogun State.”

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