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How a plate of Amala saved me from 2004 plane crash – Ex-minister, Nweke Jnr

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• Former Minister of Information and Culture, Chief Frank Nweke, giving his remarks at the public presentation of the book on Cyber Politics.
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Former Nigerian Minister of Information and Culture, Chief Okeifufe Frank Nweke Jnr, has reminisced the nostalgic moment he escaped being a victim of a plane crash that occurred in 2004.

Chief Nweke Jr disclosed this on Tuesday during the public presentation of Dr. Omoniyi Ibietan’s book on Cyber Politics, held in Abuja.

*HOW IT HAPPENED?*

“I want to appreciate Mr. Azubuike Ishiekwene, Editor-in-Chief of Leadership Newspaper and his dear wife in absentia for a very emotional reason that I’m standing here today.

“In 2004, precisely 19 years from today, by the grace of God but through the instrument of this man [Azubuike] sitting here and his dear wife.

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“The only reason I’m alive today, so far was because some times in 2004, I was visiting Lagos and I had an appointment with Azubuike. That appointment was for Saturday because I believed that I’ll be rounding up my visit to Lagos on Sunday the following day. So, I left my hotel in Lagos and went to his (Azubuike’s) house to keep to that appointment but not on the time we agreed. I went earlier and I got there but he (Azubuike) was not there.

“And I said: “bros, I dey your house oh!!! And he replied: “You have started. This wasn’t the time we agreed. There’s no way I could be home now because I wasn’t expecting you at this time”.

“So I had to leave his home and go to visit another friend of mine nearby, who unfortunately has passed on.

*THE TURN OF EVENT*
“I eventually returned when he called me and I said: “I’m now home.” When I got there, I said: “bros, I dey go airport oh!!! And he replied: “That was not what we discussed. Madam has prepared good food for you.

I said: ” O boy, please…. just help me convince her”… And Azuk replied: “If I put hand inside this matter, when you leave, everything will be on my head. So if you manage to convince her, I don’t have much use for you, you can be going.

“I tried in vain to convince his wife that I had to catch my flight.

“This Omoniyi (NCC’s Head of Media Relations) sitting here and a couple of other members of staff were already at the airport waiting for me. Because of my visit, she has carefully asked me what I could like to have and I said I could love to eat Amala. And she prepared it with other assorted things.

“She said: “Oga, I have made what you requested and I even told my neighbors that the Minister is coming to visit us. You have to eat this food, I won’t be happy if you don’t eat it.”

“In those days, the traffic was very bad…this was in 2004 and if you want to make any flight in Lagos, you needed to actually set out early. …….and to cut the story short, she convinced me and I stayed back. And she said: “Even the people at Lagos airport, don’t they eat Amala? Why don’t they come? And they all came to Azubuike’s house. We finished eating and drinking and we went back to our hotel to check in because we had already checked out.

“It was around 9 o’clock in the night. At first, I thought I was dreaming, because I was hearing this massive bang on the door of my hotel room and I was told that the President (Chief Olusegun Obasanjo) was trying to reach me at that time and he said I must call him immediately.

*HOW I GOT TO KNOW ABOUT THE PLANE CRASH*

“The Amala I ate had knocked me off sleeping. When I got up, I called the president and he said: “Frank, where are you? And I said: “I’m in Lagos,” and he said to me: “There has been a plane crash…and I was told you were on that flight.”

“The reason why I was not on the plane was because his (Azubuike’s) wife insisted that I should eat Amala…..And since then, we haven’t seen each other in a while..but I remembered all the time.

“I paid my respect to him and his wife because they are the instrument God used in saving my life and so, well, God saves! Amala saves too... So Azu….it’s always good to see you,” he said, smiling.

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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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