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Senate to probe Buhari’s concession of airports

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The  Senate said the probe would commence when the Committee on Aviation is constituted.
The Senate’s resolution was a sequel to a motion moved by Sen. Kawu Sumaila (NNPP-Kano) during Thursday’s plenary.
The motion was tagged “Urgent Need to Reverse the Concession of Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano.”
Other resolutions by the upper chamber included urging the Federal Government to, if need be, review the entire exercise and give a level playing field to all stakeholders.
It also condemned, in strong terms, the concession of Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano, and Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja few days before the expiration of Buhari’s administration, stressing that it was not done in the public interest.
Moving the motion, Sumaila said that the Federal Executive Council, on May 17, approved the concession of the Kano airport for 30 years to Messrs Corporación America Airports Consortium.
He also said that the Federal Ministry of Aviation does not own, or run, any airport in Nigeria.
“And that by the dictates of the governing Act of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), ownership and management of all federal government airports are fully vested in the Authority.”
Senator Sulaiman said that if the claim that FEC had approved the concession of Kano Airport has any substance, then the FEC has indeed been misguided in its decision.
“And that action cannot amount to anything than a nullity.”
The lawmaker also expressed worry that the concession by the Buhari-led administration raised a fundamental question of injustice on why “an elephant project with huge public investment would take place just at the end of the administration.
Senator Sulaiman also said that the concession was done without involving the host community, he stressed that It is their right to know, but Kano people were in the dark about the development.
Supporting the motion, Sen. Adamu Aliero (PDP-Kebbi) called for the set up of an ad hoc committee that would investigate the circumstances under which the Kano airport was concessioned.
“If it was not done in line with the laid down procedure of the Infrastructure Concession and Regulatory Commission (ICRC), that concession should be revoked.
“The former FEC did not do due diligence in approving this concession. Since due diligence has not been done, we should investigate the circumstances.”
Similarly, Senate Chief Whip Mohammed Ndume said that so many things had been done wrong by the previous administration, adding that that was because the government was almost personalised and privatised.
“All concessions were done hurriedly without following due process and should be thoroughly investigated and reversed and actions taken.”
Also, Sen. Sani Musa (APC-Niger) said that concession in the business terms was very good.
“It’s a good way of making the operational activities of whatever institution is concessioned to be functional.
“In our own case, international best practices are thrown into the gutter.
“If you look at Kano International Airport in the last two years and then compare it to what happened within the last weeks of the exit of the last administration, you will understand what I’m talking about.
“There are so many airports like the Minna International Airport, which has been abandoned for almost 11 years, and so many other airports.
“It behooves on the Senate to call on the Federal Government to direct for a complete evaluation of this concession and to know what and what are the terms.”
Sen. Rufai Hanga (NNPP-Kano) said, “the airport when you visit, there is nothing to write home about because the tarmacs are not adequate enough.
“We want it reversed so that the federal government can do something about the airport so that it goes back to its former position being the number one airport in Nigeria servicing the West Africa region.”
In his remarks, Deputy Senate President Jibrin Barau, who presided over plenary, said that concession was what is in vogue all over the world.
“This is because the government is not a good manager of businesses. We allow relevant committees as adopted to investigate to find out the truth of what is alleged.
“After everything has been investigated, it is my belief that we should go the path of concession because this is what is in vogue all over the world.
“You can imagine it is a Nigerian that is the one that is running Heathrow Airport in the United Kingdom, and the airport is doing very well,” he said.

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Enugu Air Launches New Website

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…moves online services to www.enuguairlines.ng

Enugu Air has announced the launch of its new official website, enuguairlines.ng, as part of efforts to provide passengers and customers with a better, safer and more convenient digital experience.

The airline said the migration to the new website is designed to improve how passengers connect with Enugu Air and access its services online, including flight bookings, schedules and the latest updates.

Announcing the development, the airline said: “We’ve moved! We’re innovating! We’ve migrated to a better, safer and convenient website to connect you to the world.”

Passengers can now access Enugu Air’s online services through its new web address, enuguairlines.ng, which the airline described as its new digital home.

The airline urged passengers and prospective travellers to save the new web address and use it for flight bookings, checking schedules and obtaining the latest information about its operations.

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“Same Enugu Air. New web address,” the airline stated, emphasising that the change represents an improvement in its digital platform while retaining the Enugu Air brand and services.

The airline further encouraged customers to visit, www.enuguairlines.ng for all flight-related information and online services.

It further stated that the old website, enuguairlines•com has been discarded and no longer in use.

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Kidnapped female Police officer found dead in Ebonyi

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A kidnapped female police officer has been found dead in Ebonyi State after a suspected member of a kidnapping syndicate was arrested and led police operatives to the scene where her remains were recovered.

The Nigeria Police Force disclosed this in its state-by-state operational update issued by Force Public Relations Officer
Force Headquarters, Ani Iniedu on Monday, detailing several arrests, rescues and recoveries recorded across the country between September 19 and 20, 2026.

According to the police, the suspect was arrested following a sustained intelligence-led and technology-based investigation into the kidnapping of the female officer.

The suspect reportedly led combined police teams to the crime scene, where the remains of the officer were recovered.

The police said the case is being investigated by the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) in Abakaliki.

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In a separate operation in Adamawa State, police operatives rescued two kidnapped victims from a suspected kidnappers’ hideout in Shako Forest, Toungo Local Government Area.

The operation, carried out on September 20 following actionable intelligence, also led to the recovery of two magazines containing 10 rounds of 7.62×39mm live ammunition.

A National Identification Number (NIN) card, mobile phone, passport and chain were also recovered from the suspected hideout.

In the Federal Capital Territory, police arrested 334 suspects during coordinated raids on criminal hotspots, black spots and uncompleted buildings across several locations.

The operation, conducted on September 19, also resulted in the recovery of various quantities of substances suspected to be illicit drugs.

Meanwhile, police in Anambra State arrested a suspected child trafficker who was allegedly intercepted while travelling with a six-month-old baby boy.

The baby was recovered and handed over to the appropriate authorities for necessary action, according to the police.

In Kaduna State, four suspected members of a kidnapping syndicate were arrested following intelligence-led operations.

Police said the suspects confessed to their alleged involvement in kidnapping and provided information about fleeing accomplices. A locally made Dane gun was recovered.

Another suspected kidnapping syndicate member was arrested at Soba Market in the state. Police said the suspect also confessed and gave information implicating five fleeing accomplices.

In Ogun State, police arrested a suspect linked to a fatal shooting incident in Isara, Remo North Local Government Area.

One single-barrel gun, one live cartridge and one expended shell were recovered during the operation.

In Imo State, a suspect was arrested during a raid on a suspected criminal gathering at Nekede, Owerri West Local Government Area, with police recovering a locally made cut-to-size single-barrel gun.

Police in Ekiti State also arrested two suspects linked to multiple shop-breaking and stealing incidents in Ado-Ekiti and recovered suspected stolen iron rods.

In another operation in Ado-Ekiti, police recovered an abandoned white sack containing a pump-action gun loaded with two live cartridges and a locally made single-barrel gun from a farmland.

In Benue State, police tactical teams, supported by personnel of the Police Mobile Force and military, intervened in a renewed communal conflict at Akpa-Mbakor Community in Tarka Local Government Area.

The security teams dispersed the rampaging youths and restored normalcy in the area, according to the police.

In Oyo State, police arrested a truck driver allegedly involved in a fatal road traffic incident along the Ijebu-Ode/Idi Ayunre Road.

The truck was impounded for further inspection and investigation.

The police said all the cases remain under investigation by the respective State Criminal Investigation Departments.

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UK excludes Nigerian, Ghanaian-trained teachers from teaching qualification list

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Teachers trained in Nigeria and Ghana are no longer eligible to apply for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) in England under the United Kingdom’s overseas-trained teacher application route.

The change took effect on September 9 and means teachers trained in the two West African countries can no longer use the route to obtain QTS, a status recognised by many schools in England.

The UK Department for Education said countries included in the scheme must meet specific requirements to ensure that applicants’ qualifications, professional standing and teaching experience can be properly verified. One of the requirements is that a country must have a national regulator capable of confirming a teacher’s professional status and providing authenticated references.

According to the department, Nigeria and Ghana did not meet the reference-verification requirement.

“Our data shows that more than 70% of applications from teachers in Ghana and Nigeria include work history references that use public email addresses, such as Gmail or Hotmail, rather than a school’s official email domain. This means assessors spend additional time and resources trying to verify information provided in applications,” the department said.

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The UK department said about 90 percent of applications are assessed within 12 months.

India was also removed from the eligible list because it does not have a national regulator capable of confirming teachers’ professional standing.

South Africa is now the only African country remaining on the list of countries whose teachers can use the QTS application route.

The department said the verification process was necessary to ensure that information provided by applicants was genuine and that teachers awarded QTS possessed the required skills and experience to teach in England.

To apply for QTS, overseas-trained teachers must have a valid passport, an undergraduate degree equivalent to a UK bachelor’s degree and professional recognition as a teacher in the country where they trained.

Applicants must also have completed any mandatory induction requirements needed for full teacher registration in their country of qualification.

They are required to demonstrate that they are qualified to teach children aged between five and 16 and have at least nine months of teaching experience gained after qualifying as a teacher.

Applicants must also provide employment references that verify their work history and use an email address linked to the school’s official domain.

Depending on the country where a teacher trained, additional requirements may include qualifications to teach pupils aged between 11 and 16 and a specialism in subjects such as mathematics, science, biology, chemistry, physics, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Mandarin, Russian or Spanish.

However, because teachers in England are employed by individual schools rather than the Department for Education, schools may consider alternative routes into teaching.

The department said teachers who are no longer eligible to use the QTS application service can explore other routes into teaching in England.

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