
News
Airfares to UK, US, others jump by 55%
The depreciation of the naira against the United States dollar by 55 per cent at the official foreign exchange market has led to a commensurate depreciation in airfares on international routes in Nigeria.
The naira had fallen from approximately 900/dollar to over 1,400/dollar on Monday after the FMDQ Exchange, which records data the nation’s official exchange rate, reviewed its methodology for calculating the rate.
The review came after the Central Bank of Nigeria accused approved foreign exchange dealers of reporting false figures.
However, barely 24 hours after the movement of the official exchange rate, international airlines operating in Nigeria moved the exchange rate for pricing their tickets to from about N900/dollar to N1,421/dollar.
The development led to approximately 55 per cent in international airfares on Nigerian routes.
Findings by our correspondent on Wednesday showed that ticket prices on Lagos-London-Lagos, Lagos-New York-Lagos, Lagos-Johannesburg, Lagos, among other top destinations had increased commensurately.

The President of the National Association of Nigerian Travel Agencies, Susan Akporiaye, who confirmed the sharp increased, said the development would compound the woes of travel agencies.
“We have been feeling the pinch for a long time, and the situation is just getting worse. People who are traveling are not doing so for fun; they are traveling for serious business like medical or even education. It’s no longer about leisure,” Akporiaye said.
Akporiaye explained that travelers were reluctantly parting with money, and given a choice, they wouldn’t pay at all.
“For instance, an air ticket that used to cost $1000 has now surged to N1.5m. The financial strain is a necessity for travelers, forcing them to squeeze their budgets.”
She said the industry operators empathized with their situation, with some passengers resorting to appealing and offering collateral just to pursue their objectives and travel.
The president said the prices would undoubtedly decrease, adding that, “I am optimistic. It’s not the fault of the airlines; rather, it’s a reflection of the country’s economic situation.”
The NANTA leader said at the moment there was no noticeable difference between the rates in the black market and the official window of the forex market.
As such, she advised airlines to open up lower inventory options to encourage travelers already financially burdened.“I suggest that airlines contemplate offering lower inventory options, enabling customers to access flights for maybe N1m. This customer-centric approach recognises the financial constraints faced by many travelers.
“The higher inventory, nearing almost N5m, shows variations with some options open while others remain closed. It’s crucial to emphasize that airlines are not responsible for setting the exchange rate.”
Price checks revealed that the average airfare ticket to some of the high-traffic international destinations like London cost N2.77m; Dubai N2.65m; New York N3.2667m; and Johannesburg N3.05m.
For the Lagos-Johannesburg-Lagos route, depending on the travel date, Africa World Airlines charges N2.7m, while Turkish Airlines sets the price at N3.4m. The airfare for a round-trip from Lagos to Dubai is N2.3m with Turkish Airlines, and N3m with Lufthansa.
An agent at Travel and Tours Limited, Maureen Chimaobi informed The PUNCH that the exchange rate of naira to dollar is getting worse for travelers.
“As of Monday, the exchange rate was $1 to N1450. I don’t know how much it sold today..”
“This ugly development is no longer only limited to the aviation sector, prices of goods and services have generally gone up. Even local commodities are not left out.”
On June 14, 2023, the naira fell signficantly following the decision to allow the currency to fluctuate freely, leading to a significant drop in its value. Since then, airlines and passengers have continued to struggle to bear the surging air ticket prices.
Despite the currency woes, our correspondent could not verify if there is any data to support that travel demands in Nigeria have dropped.
The International Air Transport Association reported that African airlines’ annual traffic rose 38.7 per cent in 2023 versus the prior year.
“Full year 2023 capacity was up 38.3 per cent and load factor climbed 0.2 percentage points to 71.9 per cent, the lowest among regions. December 2023 traffic for African airlines rose 9.5 per cent over December 2022.”
PUNCH
News
Enugu Lawyer rejects paternity claim after DNA Test results
A legal practitioner, Barrister Chinedu Ifeanyi Iloeje, has publicly declared that a man previously believed to be his son is not biologically related to him, following the outcome of a DNA test.
In a public notice published in a newspaper, Iloeje stated that he was allegedly misled by the man’s mother into believing that the individual, identified as Chinedu Francis Iloeje, was his biological son.
According to the notice, DNA testing conducted on the matter established “beyond any doubt” that the man is not his son.
The lawyer further clarified that he never legally adopted the individual, despite the latter bearing the name Chinedu Francis Iloeje.
Disclaimer
Barrister Iloeje explained that the man’s original name is Chinedu Francis Onwualu and stressed that he has no legal or biological relationship with him.
The notice also informed members of the public, the Greater Iloeje Family, the Umuodu Village Union, Uwani Amokwe Town Union, St. Theresa’s Catholic Church Amokwe, Udi Local Government Council, and other stakeholders of his declaration.

He stated that the disclaimer was made in good faith and while of sound mind, urging the public to take note of the clarification.
The publication has sparked discussions on paternity disputes and the increasing reliance on DNA testing to resolve questions of biological parentage.
News
Obi donates N10 million to burnt hospital in Enugu
Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in the forthcoming 2027 general election, Mr. Peter Obi, has donated N10 million to assist in the renovation of the burnt Mother of Christ Specialist Hospital, Enugu State.
The former Anambra State governor handed over the cheque for the donation to the hospital management team when he visited the hospital yesterday.
The hospital belongs to the Reverend Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of the Catholic Church.

Mr Peter Obi inspecting the burnt hospital
Addressing the hospital management team after inspecting parts of the burnt hospital, the NDC presidential candidate commended them for their efforts in contributing to healthcare delivery services.
Telling them that even though they might feel that they were not being appreciated for what they were doing, Obi, however, described healthcare delivery services and education as among the “most critical needs of society” and urged them not to relent in what they were doing.

Accompanied during the visit by his Chief of Staff, Commissioner for Housing, as well as Special Adviser on Media when he was Anambra State governor, Prof. Stella Okunna, Prof. Patrick Obi, and Dr. Valentine Obienyem respectively, Obi assured the hospital management team that he would continue to support them.
Part of the hospital gutted by the inferno and inspected by Obi was the Children’s Ward.
Expressing gratitude on behalf of the hospital management, the Chief Medical Director of Immaculate Heart Hospital, Nkpor, Anambra State, Rev. Sister Dr. Maria Nkiruka Okafor, eulogised Obi for his sacrifices and selfless contributions to humanity.
Disclosing that Obi had already credited the hospital’s accountant with the N10 million donation and that he was even the person who called her to inform her that he had received the sad news of the inferno and promised to donate towards the renovation, Rev. Sister Okafor described him as a rare politician.
She prayed that God would grant him his ambition to become President of the country and enable him to achieve his desire to transform it.
News
FG, Enugu State target direct China-Enugu Cargo flights by December – Keyamo
The Federal Government and Enugu State Government are in talks to ensure the commencement of direct cargo flight operations between Enugu and Guangzhou, China, before the end of the year.
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Barr Festus Keyamo, disclosed this in Lagos during the launch of the United Air’s newly acquired airplanes on Thursday.
The Minister added said the FG had affected a structural management overhaul at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, also bringing the airport under a privately run operational framework.

Enugu Airline
“One of our prides in the South is the Enugu International Airport. The Enugu governor approached Mr. President, noting that the airport was not maximising its economic potential under standard bureaucratic structures, and requested to bring in private investors to run it. Mr. President gave the green light.
“As I speak with you, Enugu is now fully privately owned and fully supported by state government, with the clear objective of also turning it into a dedicated cargo hub for the entire Southeast.”

To this effect, therefore, Keyamo said that a high-level bilateral trade negotiations were ongoing with a view to securing direct logistics flights between China and the Southeast by the end of 2026.
“Just two days ago, the Enugu governor and I were actively negotiating the first direct cargo flight from Guangzhou, China, straight into Enugu.
“We are targeting December for the maiden flight. This will allow our Southeast merchants and traders in China to consolidate their goods into unified cargo accounts twice a week, flying straight into Enugu for seamless delivery to hubs like Onitsha and Aba,” he concluded.
It is recalled that Governor Mbah had in July 2025 launched Enugu Air, a state-owned airline, as part of the administration’s integrated blueprint for a modern, multimodal transport ecosystem and the vision to make Enugu a major aviation and logistics hub.
Since then, Enugu Air has grown its fleet from three at inception to six planes with plans to further increase it as it prepares to commence operations to regional destinations like Accra, Libreville, Abidjan in next few months and long haul flight operations to various destinations around the world by the end of the year.
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