Featured

Airport Misconduct: NCAA Slams Six Months Flying Ban on Kwam 1

Published

7 months ago

August 7, 2025

Eric

The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) says Wasiu Ayinde, the popular Fuji musician known as Kwam 1, will be blacklisted for six months for his conduct at the domestic terminal of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

Michael Achimugu, the NCAA’s Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, announced during a press briefing on Thursday.

“What I must assure the general public is that everybody involved in this will be brought to book,” Achimugu said.

“As we speak, the passenger is going to be blacklisted for the next six months flying in Nigeria.

“Aviation rules are made for everybody, for the protection of everybody. These rules are global. There is nothing about the rules that is to antagonise any passenger.

“So, we will do everything we can to get to the root of it. Everybody who needs to be punished or sanctioned will receive justice.”

He also disclosed that the NCAA is currently writing to the attorney-general of the federation and the inspector-general of police to initiate legal proceedings against Ayinde.

When asked if Kwam 1 will not be prosecuted due to his closeness to President Bola Tinubu, the director said Tinubu, as well as Festus Keyamo, minister of aviation and aerospace development, are committed to the rule of law, and no individual – regardless of status – is exempt from due process.

On August 5, the NCAA suspended two ValueJet pilots over a safety breach at the domestic terminal of the airport.

The authority said preliminary findings showed that the pilot commenced departure procedures from the designated bay without adhering to the mandatory pre-departure clearance protocols.

According to NCAA, the reckless action endangered the safety of ground personnel and other airport users, contravening established civil aviation regulations and international safety standards.

The pilots’ suspension was linked to the disorderly conduct of the Fuji musician who was onboard the flight.

The report said the artist was spotted drinking from a flask, prompting a flight attendant to intervene over suspicions that it contained alcohol — a prohibited substance onboard aircraft in Nigeria.

Speaking on the matter, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) said the singer had attempted to board the aircraft with an unidentified liquid substance despite repeated warnings from aviation security (AVSEC) personnel and the flight captain.

FAAN said the contents were spilled on a security officer during an attempt to verify, and later confirmed to be alcohol.

However, in a statement on Thursday, Kwam 1 said the incident was “not only exaggerated but also misleading”.

The singer argued that the substance was “plain drinking water” given to him at the airport lounge while awaiting boarding and “not alcohol”.

TheCable

Featured

Tinubu Nominates Oyedele As Minister of State for Finance, Moves Anite-Uzoka to Budget Ministry

Published

1 day ago

March 3, 2026

Eric

A statement signed by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy Bayo Onanuga, has announced that “President Bola Tinubu has nominated Taiwo Oyedele as the minister of state for finance, replacing Doris Anite-Uzoka.

“Mrs Anite-Uzoka will now move to the Ministry of Budget and National Planning, as the Minister of State, her third portfolio in the administration.

“President Tinubu has today conveyed the nomination of Mr Oyedele to the Senate for confirmation in a letter to the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.

“Until President Tinubu nominated him as a minister, Mr Oyedele from Ikaram, Akoko, Ondo State, was the chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, which overhauled Nigeria’s tax system.

“Mr Oyedele, 50, is an economist, accountant and public policy expert.

“He attended Yaba College of Technology, where he obtained a Higher National Diploma (HND) in accountancy and finance. He attended Oxford Brookes University and earned a BSc in applied accounting.

“He also completed executive education programmes at the London School of Economics, Yale University, the Gordon Institute of Business Science, and the Harvard Kennedy School.

“Mr Oyedele spent 22 years of his working career at PwC, joining in 2001 and rising to become the Fiscal Policy Partner and Africa Tax Leader.

“Mr Oyedele is also a professor at Babcock University in Ogun State and a visiting scholar at the Lagos Business School.”

Featured

Defection: Atiku’s Son, Adamu, Resigns As Adamawa Commissioner

Published

2 days ago

March 3, 2026

Eric

Adamu Abubakar, the first son of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, has resigned as Adamawa State’s commissioner for works and energy development, days after Governor Ahmadu Fintiri defected from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress.

Abubakar’s resignation letter, dated 2 March 2026, was addressed to the governor through the Secretary to the State Government. He gave no reason for his departure.

The timing is pointed. Fintiri announced his defection to the APC in a statewide broadcast last Friday, saying his cabinet and the PDP’s state structure had moved with him. Within 24 hours, 22 commissioners and special advisers publicly announced they were following suit. Abubakar, whose father remains one of the PDP’s most prominent national figures, was not among them.

In a statement issued Monday night, Abubakar’s media aide Abdulaziz Jauro said the former commissioner thanked the governor for the opportunity to serve and pledged continued loyalty to the administration’s developmental agenda. He also expressed gratitude to his father “for granting him the moral support and blessing to serve the people of Adamawa State” — a line that, read in context, suggests Atiku was consulted on the decision.

Abubakar said his resignation was not a withdrawal from public life. “This does not mark the end of his commitment to public service,” the statement read, “but rather the beginning of new avenues for developmental collaboration.”

The resignation leaves unresolved the question of whether it reflects a political break with the governor over his defection or a personal decision unconnected to the broader party realignment now reshaping Adamawa’s political landscape.

Featured

DSS Nabs Man over Assassination Attempt on Peter Obi

Published

2 days ago

March 3, 2026

Eric

Nigeria’s Department of State Services (DSS) has detained a man in connection with the recent attack and alleged assassination threats targeting Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi.

According to AIT, the shooting incident took place on February 24, 2026, in Benin City, Edo State, during a political gathering attended by Obi and several figures from the African Democratic Congress (ADC). The meeting was hosted by former APC National Chairman, John Oyegun. Gunmen reportedly opened fire at the venue, causing panic and forcing attendees to disperse for safety.

According to security sources, shortly after the attack, an individual identified as Udeme Monday Stephen allegedly took to social media claiming responsibility and issuing additional threats against Obi, warning of further violence.

Intelligence officials reportedly initiated swift investigations, employing digital tracing and forensic tools that led to the arrest of the 26-year-old suspect in Rivers State. He is said to be a teacher at a private secondary school in the Eliozu area of Obio-Akpor Local Government Area.

The suspect remains in DSS custody and is expected to face prosecution. The agency reiterated its commitment to responding to credible threats and safeguarding lives and national interests without bias.