Posted by: "nwadikeh buchi" nwadikeh@yahoo.com nwadikeh
Sun Apr 8, 2007 6:13 am (PST)
>>>...Chikordi was among youths in the community who had kicked against the alleged misapplication of the community’s finances following the creation of new autonomous communities by the state government.. ...death of one Chikordi, allegedly framed by the traditional ruler .<<<


Mayhem in Enugu: 5 feared killed, 10 houses razed TONY EDIKE Enugu
Posted to the Web: Sunday, April 08, 2007

NO FEWER than five persons were feared killed while about 10 houses were burnt yesterday by youths in Eke-Obodo Uvuru Autonomous Community in Nkanu East Local Government of Enugu State who were protesting the alleged death of one of them in the hands of the police.

The palace of the traditional ruler of the community, Igwe Dumeh Nnamoko, was among property worth millions of naira razed in the bloody incident that forced the natives to abandon their homes.

An eyewitness told Sunday Vanguard yesterday that the youths numbering about one thousand and armed with dangerous weapons embarked on the rampage following the death of one Chikordi, allegedly framed by the traditional ruler as among the over fifty youths of the town said to have disrupted the peace of the community.
Chikordi was reportedly arrested last week while returning from farm and was immediately taken to the state police headquarters in Enugu but trouble started when his relations and some members of the community who went to the police headquarters on Thursday to negotiate his bail could not find him.

It was also learnt that Chikordi was among youths in the community who had kicked against the alleged misapplication of the community’s finances following the creation of new autonomous communities by the state government. .
Those who went to the police headquarters in search of the young man were reportedly told that he was not in custody even though his name was listed in the police record books. They immediately constituted a search party which took them to a mortuary in the state where the lifeless body of Chikordi was found.
When the news of the discovery was received in the community, the enraged youths converged and marched to the palace of the traditional ruler and torched his house, those of his cabinet members and other natives suspected to have masterminded the arrest of Chikordi. A relation of the deceased now sheltering his wife and two children at his home in Agbani, alleged yesterday that his late brother “was killed by those who framed up charges against him.”
However, reports from the area yesterday indicated that tension had gripped the community while all the major entrances to the community had been blocked by the rampaging youths. Meanwhile, some of the natives who fled their homes are now seeking refuge at neighbouring Akpaugo, Agbani and Amechi. Efforts to speak with the embattled traditional ruler proved abortive as he was said to have gone into hiding since Friday.

The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr. Michael Abattam, who confirmed the report said investigation into the matter was in progress while the commissioner of police had dispatched a contingent of police officers to the area to quell the disturbabance.
According to him, preliminary reports had indicated that the youths actually had a problem with the traditional ruler, adding that while investigation was in progress, the youths went on rampage. “We have not made any arrest. We are still investigating the matter and the claim that somebody died in our hands”, he said.

http://vanguardngr. com/articles/ 2002/cover/ april07/08042007 /f308042007. html

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British sailors may sell their stories / in Naira
Posted by: "nwadikeh buchi" nwadikeh@yahoo.com nwadikeh
Sun Apr 8, 2007 6:05 am (PST)
I think this is an indication of more things that areto come on this pipeline.

Soildiers will now sell secrets. No one will be left out on this NATIONAL DUTIES in search of independent source of income..

If they are sent on a secret mission, on completion, they will sell the proceedure to the highest bidder..

The next group will be the high technology group that can reveal how the whole thing was monitored.

Arb countries have the monies for tales like these.... no more cold war.

this is nwadikeh
on ideas for sell and are making sales....

British sailors may sell their stories

By JENNIFER QUINN, Associated Press Writer 2 hours, 38 minutes ago


LONDON -



The 15 British sailors and marines held by Iran for nearly two weeks were granted permission to sell their stories to the media, the Ministry of Defense said Sunday.

The move is a change from the military's usual policy of blocking serving personnel from entering into financial arrangements with media organizations. A Defense Ministry spokeswoman said the situation of the former captives is unique and deserved special consideration.
"In exceptional circumstances, such as the kind faced in recent days, permission can be granted by commanding officers and the MoD," she said on condition of anonymity, in line with government policy.
The Sunday Times reported that the only woman in the group, 26-year-old Leading Seaman Faye Turney, could earn as much as $300,000 from deals with a broadcaster and a newspaper.
Turney did not participate in a news conference on Friday. A detailed statement, agreed by all 15 crew members, was read out, and six of the crew answered questions from reporters. The statement said they were subjected to constant psychological pressure.
The crew included seven Royal Marines, who have agreed to pool their fees and split them evenly, sending 10 percent to a military benevolent fund, both the Sunday Times and Sunday Telegraph said. The rest of the captured crew was made up of Royal Navy sailors, including Turney, who will "likely" be allowed to keep their fees, the Sunday Times said.
The sailors and marines were captured in the Persian Gulf on March 23 and freed last week by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who called their release a gift to Britain. They began two weeks of leave with their families on Saturday.
British media regularly pay for high-profile interviews. But the decision of the crew to sell their stories has caused concern.
"Many people who shared the anxiety of the hostages' abduction will feel that selling their stories is somewhat undignified and falls below the very high standards we have come to expect from our servicemen and women," said opposition lawmaker and defense critic Liam Fox.
A government official said the decision was made because of the exceptional demand for interviews with the crew, and also so the Defense Ministry could support the sailors and marines in handling the media.
Tehran says the crew was in Iranian waters in the Shatt al-Arab waterway, a long-disputed dividing line between Iraq and Iran. Britain inists its troops were in Iraqi waters working under a U.N. mandate.
Prime Minister Tony Blair has insisted Britain did not negotiate for the sailors' release, and did not offer an apology for their alleged trespass into Iranian waters.

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Posted by: "o_akkebala" o_akkebala2002@yahoo.com o_akkebala2002
Sun Apr 8, 2007 8:53 am (PST)
Gadhafi says Africa should have continental army



Hoteph Beloved Sisters And Brothers:

Beloved, what Gadahafi is saying about what Afrika need, has been stated to you earlier on, in various post I have shared with you,so yes I agree with such an Afrika need concept, but Afrika must attend to those things that would make such a concept viable and meaningful to all Afrikans and what I consider Afrika should consider as a top priority on any worthwhile Afrika agender is that Afrika must once and for all decide what their sentiment and action is going to be about the Diaspora Afrikans, they who are in the Diaspora, by way of the Middle Passage.

Beloved, it take a strong and Divine Afrikan that is able to approach the reality of the fact that Afrika is incomplete until Afrika deal in earnest with the Children of our Enslaved Ancestors and no matter how much some ill believing Afrikans attempt to devalue the presence and importance of the Children of the Middle passage to Afrika and what their connection to Afrika is and that we must be included in any suggestion that is pertaining to up lifting and strengthening Afrika, to do less is to verify all talk concerning an interest in Afrika becoming an independent Continent, wanting not to be depended on those other worlds for survival, to be just that, talk..

As Afrika is now, Afrika is totally at the command of those other worlds and you can take such a Divine Truth or you can pretend other things than that to be the case, which would suggest that Afrika is survivying by its onw initiative and internal Social, educational, economic and political strength, such would be the perception and advocate of an Afrika Traitor.

Gadhafi is now agreeing that Afrika is in need of a Continential Army, but I share information that require first thing first and after the taking care of the Diaspora Afrikans issue, which should be first, and it is an issue Afrika must give serious consideration to, from my perspective, then there is the issue of Afrika becoming a Conteniential Government, united as one federated political entity and if an agreement can be reached on those points, then that will give way to Afrika Rising to become the Great Nation she once was, because such wisdom of agreement pave the way for a viable Afrika Continential Army and not before then, but as I have shared, not until the Diaspora has been well received to become a part of the Continential Unification equation as the next additional State and those Afrikans that can not see the wisdom in such a move that has been shared here today as much as possible on this open forum, then to serious Afrikans, such expressions of interest
in changing the dynamics of which Afrika is entangled by today can be questioned to the seriousness of expressed concerns by those of us, concerning Afrika Rising back to world respectability.

Now, what is being shared require a unify movement by Afrikans on all fronts where Afrikans are located in the world but share a common dream and vision of desire for Afrika to be reunited once again and is willing to do what is neccessary to give cause for it to happen, all for the best interest of Afrika and devoted Afrikan People.

Beloved, there is much more that go in between that which I have shared with you here today and you may take it as you will, this is just my share of what I know to be the need for Afrika and no doubt many who of you share a position on what you consider to be the best action path Afrikans must travel, in order to reach a favorable conclusion for Afrika and Afrikan People.

Like I say, I come, I share, You Either Accept Or Reject, My Posaition Is As It Is, On The Condition Of Afrika, And What We Must Do to Cause Afrika to Divinely Rise Back to Her Divine Status In The World.

At Least I Have a Revelutionary Thought On A Depressing Issue, Afrika.

Here Is Loving you
Hoteph
Osiris
Chief Elder
FWIOAM/SRM



Oba PaAb wrote:
Gadhafi says Africa should have continental army Thursday 5 April 2007 03:00.
Printer-Friendly version Comments...
April 4, 2007 (DAKAR) — Libyan leader Muammar Gadhafi urged Africa on Wednesday to form a unified continental army to defend its interests, and he said former colonial powers should pay compensation for the raw materials they had extracted.
In a fiery speech at a military parade in Dakar marking Senegal’s National Day, Gadhafi said African nations had the right to demand reparations from their former colonial masters for the diamonds, gold and other resources they had "pillaged".
Military and political unity would help Africa resist any attempts to re-colonise it, the Libyan leader said.
"If we manage to unify all of Africa’s armies in a single army, Africa will have such power," Gadhafi said, wearing a double-breasted white jacket with medal ribbons pinned on the left and a green outline of Africa emblazoned on the right.
"We must be strong so as not to be an easy prey for the colonisers," said the Libyan leader, standing beside Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade who was sworn in for a second term in office on Tuesday after winning elections last month.
While Gadhafi advocated a mighty African army, a top African Union official in Sudan appealed for better logistical support and weapons for the struggling, overstretched AU peacekeeping force serving in Sudan’s violence-torn Darfur region.
Gadhafi, who often portrays himself as a champion of African unity, said the thousands of Africans who tried to migrate to Europe each year were merely following the route of the natural riches shipped out of Africa by European ex-colonial powers.
"Today, they contest our departure for Europe, they say it’s illegal migration ... after they came from Europe and elsewhere to occupy Africa ... was that legal?" he added, speaking through an interpreter.
"They have left us in poverty. They have carried off our resources and raw materials to their countries ... so we want to go after them, or they should send them back ... in the form of compensation for their colonisation of Africa," Gaddafi said.
Suggesting that racism coloured Europe’s view of Africa, the Libyan leader added: "Who says white is better than black?".
"Both black and white cows give white milk," he said, before finishing his speech with a revolutionary slogan borrowed from the guerrilla legend Che Guevara: "The struggle continues. Ever onwards unto victory!".
(Reuters)

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From: "Oba PaAb"
Reply-To: Africare-newpublica tions@yahoogroup s.com
To: Mwananchi@yahoogrou ps.com, Africare-newpublica tions@yahoogroup s.com
CC: panafricanistforum@ yahoogroups. com, cha_mapinduzi@ yahoogroups. com, Africa-nationalist- post@yahoogroups .com
Subject: [Africare-newpublic ations] Ethiopia, N. Korea complete secret arms purchase with US approval
Date: Sat, 07 Apr 2007 23:16:03 +0000

Ethiopa, N. Korea complete secret arms purchase with US approval Sunday 8 April 2007 00:10.
Printer-Friendly version Comments...
April 7, 2007 (WASHINGTON) — The United States allowed Ethiopia to complete a secret arms purchase from North Korea in an apparent violation of a U.N. Security Council sanctions resolution passed months earlier over its nuclear test, The New York Times reported in Sunday editions.
Three months after the United States successfully pressed the United Nations to impose strict sanctions on North Korea because of the country’s nuclear test, Bush administration officials allowed Ethiopia to complete a secret arms purchase from the North, in what appears to be a violation of the restrictions, according to senior American officials.
The United States allowed the arms delivery to go through in January in part because Ethiopia was in the midst of a military offensive against Islamic militias inside Somalia, a campaign that aided the American policy of combating religious extremists in the Horn of Africa.
American officials said that they were still encouraging Ethiopia to wean itself from its longstanding reliance on North Korea for cheap Soviet-era military equipment to supply its armed forces and that Ethiopian officials appeared receptive. But the arms deal is an example of the compromises that result from the clash of two foreign policy absolutes: the Bush administration’ s commitment to fighting Islamic radicalism and its effort to starve the North Korean government of money it could use to build up its nuclear weapons program.
Since the Sept. 11 attacks, as the administration has made counterterrorism its top foreign policy concern, the White House has sometimes shown a willingness to tolerate misconduct by allies that it might otherwise criticize, like human rights violations in Central Asia and antidemocratic crackdowns in a number of Arab nations.
It is also not the first time that the Bush administration has made an exception for allies in their dealings with North Korea. In 2002, Spain intercepted a ship carrying Scud missiles from North Korea to Yemen. At the time, Yemen was working with the United States to hunt members of Al Qaeda operating within its borders, and after its government protested, the United States asked that the freighter be released. Yemen said at the time that it was the last shipment from an earlier missile purchase and would not be repeated.
American officials from a number of agencies described details of the Ethiopian episode on the condition of anonymity because they were discussing internal Bush administration deliberations.
Several officials said they first learned that Ethiopia planned to receive a delivery of military cargo from North Korea when the country’s government alerted the American Embassy in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital, after the adoption on Oct. 14 of the United Nations Security Council measure imposing sanctions.
“The Ethiopians came back to us and said, ‘Look, we know we need to transition to different customers, but we just can’t do that overnight,’ ” said one American official, who added that the issue had been handled properly. “They pledged to work with us at the most senior levels.”
American intelligence agencies in late January reported that an Ethiopian cargo ship that was probably carrying tank parts and other military equipment had left a North Korean port.
The value of the shipment is unclear, but Ethiopia purchased $20 million worth of arms from North Korea in 2001, according to American estimates, a pattern that officials said had continued. The United States gives Ethiopia millions of dollars of foreign aid and some nonlethal military equipment.
After a brief debate in Washington, the decision was made not to block the arms deal and to press Ethiopia not to make future purchases.
John R. Bolton, who helped to push the resolution imposing sanctions on North Korea through the Security Council in October, before stepping down as United Nations ambassador, said that the Ethiopians had long known that Washington was concerned about their arms purchases from North Korea and that the Bush administration should not have tolerated the January shipment.
“To make it clear to everyone how strongly we feel on this issue we should have gone to the Ethiopians and said they should send it back,” said Mr. Bolton, who added that he had been unaware of the deal before being contacted for this article. “I know they have been helpful in Somalia, but there is a nuclear weapons program in North Korea that is unhelpful for everybody worldwide.
“Never underestimate the strength of ‘clientitis’ at the State Department,” said Mr. Bolton, using Washington jargon for a situation in which State Department officials are deemed to be overly sympathetic to the countries they conduct diplomacy with.
Sean McCormack, the State Department spokesman, declined to comment on the specifics of the arms shipment but said the United States was “deeply committed to upholding and enforcing U.N. Security Council resolutions.” Repeated efforts to contact the Ethiopian Embassy were unsuccessful.
In other cases, the United States has been strict in enforcing the Security Council resolution. For instance, late last year, American intelligence agencies tracked a North Korean freighter suspected of carrying illicit weapons and pressed several nations to refuse to allow the ship to dock. Myanmar, formerly Burma, allowed it to anchor and insisted that there was no violation.
North Korea conducted its first nuclear test on Oct. 9, and the Security Council resolution, adopted less than a week later, was hailed by President Bush as “swift and tough,” and a “clear message to the leader of North Korea regarding his weapons programs.”
Among the biggest sticking points during the negotiations over the resolution were Chinese and Russian objections to language requiring inspections of ships leaving North Korea. The United States repeatedly pressed China and Russia to agree to the inspections, saying they were essential to enforcing the resolution’s embargo on North Korea’s sale of dangerous weapons, like ballistic missiles. In addition to the ban on the purchase of weapons from North Korea, the resolution also called for a ban on the sale of luxury goods to it and the freezing of its financial assets in banks worldwide.
The measure had special relevance for several African states that have long purchased low-cost military equipment from North Korea. Ethiopia has an arsenal of T-55 tanks that it acquired years ago from the Soviet Union and Eastern European nations. For years, it has turned to North Korea for tank parts and other equipment to keep its military running.
The Ethiopians bought the equipment at a bargain price; the North Koreans received some badly needed cash. In 2005, the Bush administration told Ethiopia and other African nations that it wanted them to phase out their purchases from North Korea. But the Security Council resolution put an international imprimatur on the earlier American request, and the administration sought to reinforce the message.
“They really are one of the larger conventional arms purchasers from North Korea, and we’re pressing them hard and saying, ‘Let’s get you out of that business,’ ” said the American official.
Another American official, who is involved in Africa policy, said: “These are cash on the barrel transactions. The Ethiopians know that they can get the best deal in Pyongyang,” a reference to North Korea’s capital.
In late January, the Central Intelligence Agency reported that an Ethiopian-flagged vessel had left a North Korean port and that its cargo probably included “tank parts,” among other military equipment.
American officials said that the ship, the Tekeze, a modern vessel bought from a company in Montenegro and named after an Ethiopian river, unloaded its cargo in Djibouti, a former French colony where the United States has based Special Operations troops and other military forces. From there, the cargo was transported overland to Ethiopia.
The Security Council resolution’s list of prohibited items included spare parts. Because the cargo was never inspected, some administration officials say the United States cannot say for certain that the shipment violated the resolution.
It is not clear if the United States ever reported the arms shipment to the Security Council. But because the intelligence reports indicated that the cargo was likely to have included tank parts, some Pentagon officials described the shipment as an unambiguous Security Council violation.
American officials said that the Ethiopians acknowledged that the ship was en route and said they needed the military equipment to sustain their Soviet-era military. Ethiopia has a longstanding border dispute with Eritrea, but of more concern to Washington, Ethiopia was also focused on neighboring Somalia, where Islamic forces that had taken over Mogadishu, Somalia’s capital, six months earlier were attacking Baidoa, the seat of a relatively powerless transitional government that was formed with the support of the United Nations.
The timing of the shipment was extremely awkward, as the Ethiopian military was preoccupied with Somalia and also quietly cooperating with the United States. Ethiopia began an offensive in Somalia to drive back the Islamic forces and install the transitional government in Mogadishu late last year. The United States was providing it with detailed intelligence about the positions of the Islamic forces and positioned Navy ships off Somalia’s coast to capture fighters trying to escape the battlefield by sea.
On Jan. 7, American AC-130 gunships launched two strikes on terrorist targets from an airstrip inside Ethiopia, though it did not appear that the casualties included any of the few top Qaeda operatives American officials suspected were hiding in Somalia.
After some internal debate, the Bush administration decided not to make an issue of the cargo ship.
American officials insist that they are keeping up the pressure on Ethiopia. While Ethiopia has not provided an ironclad assurance that it will accept no more arms shipments from North Korea, it has told the United States that it will look for other weapons suppliers.
“There was a lot going on at that particular moment in time,” said the senior American official. “They seem to have the readiness to do the right thing.”
(New York times)

Posted by: "D Omega" domega8@yahoo.com domega8
Sun Apr 8, 2007 5:55 am (PST)



1988 – 2007 : [NicoNtumba_ JusticeCampaign]

“If we do not maintain Justice, Justice will not maintain us."
Francis Bacon

INNOCENT INNOCENT


NO to: 1. Secrecy, Banning orders
2. Psychological Warfare , Humiliation
3. Unjustified Monitoring, Unacceptable
Interference, Intolerable Disruption
of Whole life, Dirty Tricks,

Yes to: 1. Openness, Transparence
2. Rule of Law
3. Protection of Civil Rights
4. Justice




We need an Independent Nico Ntumba Inquiry,

PLEASE FEEL FREE TO ASK YOUR Member of Parliament MP or PM TONY BLAIR FOR AN INDEPENDENT INQUIRY (Nico Ntumba Inquiry) and A PUBLIC APOLOGY

Contact E-MAIL [NicoNtumba_ JusticeCampaign] :domega8@yahoo. com

Season's Greetings

Dear Nico,

Thank you for your interest, support and participation. Without you, our supporters , customers and partners, we have no reason to exist. We look forward to continuing our relationship in the coming year.

Best Wishes,

Nico Ntumba - Director Tumbay Consulting


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Re: [NaijaElections] The naira-dollar flight
Posted by: "oladele@dinisat.org" oladele@dinisat.org africaservice
Sun Apr 8, 2007 10:00 am (PST)
Nigeria is such a useless country where anything goes. No one ever thought
of sitting down to have a long lasting solution in place. All we are good
at is creating shortcuts to development. No wonder we power the whole
nation on electric generators, no water, nothing is functioning. The
telephone networks are routed through other major infrastructures outside
the country. We continue to construct our nation on fake foundations. No
tomorrow, what we do is about now, about today, no plan, no future. Just
wondering what would happen when all of us living today would have gone to
the wprld beyond.

Yet we remain one of the world most consuming countries despite all our
human and natiral resources. Will Nigeria ever get ot right?

Dele Olawole

> Can you beat it. The destroyed the shipping lines they used to europe and
> other parts of the world, to give way to the Airline industry, they
> destroyed the Railways, to give their luxurious buses and trailers the
> edge. They destroyed any dream of metroline or underground rail to enable
> their Air hopping / chopping dreams. Don't they see that in the places
> they go to copy all this, The waters ways are working, the rails are
> working, the trains are alive, the metroline/undergrou nd are also working.
> Let them allow us live and not use the capitalization monies for their
> frivolities. You see a banks that has not bettered the life of 1% of it's
> customer reaching out on CNN and Sky and DSTV, they are carrying out usual
> politician information management, They do nothing in their states and
> then come to Abuja with tailored videos to pay and play over NTA and AIT
> for who to see the Aso Villa, so their results can be marked by the
> president, who they believe does not know what is
> happening in their domain.
>
> Let us work on removing the hardship commuters face in Lagos and most
> Nigerian cities. They are man made and can be reduced to a manageable
> minimum.
>
> The charges on Choppers are not an issue, the thing is I have lived and
> seen people who Airplanes wait for them at the airport with when they are
> taking their bath in VI, enter night bus to lagos from Abuja or the East.
> Persons who take charterd flight between villages, now wait for a rode
> from their villages to the towns.
>
> So while the MD's /Politicians do their thing make them look 2moro and let
> people live.
>
> Happy Easter.
>
>
> Funmi Olumade wrote:
> Na wa o. We all know that no means of transportation is safe in Nigeria.
> Yet, we are adding helicopters to day to day means of transportation for
> those who can afford it. Soon, there will be go-slow in the sky. Then
> odd and even number helicopter system will arise. But, seriously, birds
> will fight back. (There will be ija-eleyes). May be the helicopters are
> scrapped ones from overseas which may not be air-worthy. Is this a way to
> reduce the population of Nigeria? This is ridiculous. What is our Nation
> turning into? Everything is about making profits at the expense of the
> citizens. Help us Lord.
>
>
>
> Funmi Olumade
> alt-email: funmiolumade@ rogers.com
>
> ------------ --------- --------- ---
> From: "NOK1."
> Reply-To: NaijaElections@ yahoogroups. com
> To: "Edo-Ciao" ,"Edo-Nation"
> ,"NaijaNews"
> Subject: [NaijaElections] The naira-dollar flight
> Date: Sun, 8 Apr 2007 00:50:42 +0200
>
>
> The naira-dollar flight
> 8/4/2007
>
>
>
> Helicopters used to be the exclusive preserve of the military which use
> the jet sometimes for surveillance, sometimes moving their officers and
> men about. Later, some select multinational companies, especially in
> the down stream sector of the oil industry including Shell, Mobil,
> Chevron among others also relied on it to move its personnel across
> their areas of operations.
> Soon, some noveau riche including business tycoons, upwardly mobile
> executives, ministers of God among others have cut the bug. But now, some
> financial service companies have also joined the fray. It is what
> analysts have termed the fall-out of the post-consolidation era, a most
> auspicious time when the banks who wish to be truly remain relevant in
> the scheme of things must go extra mile.
> To the banks who have helicopter services, it is a mark of their
> sophistication and class. However, like aeroplanes, helicopters require a
> befitting parking space which is the heliport. Multinational companies
> such as Shell, Mobil, Totalfina, Chevron were believed to have owned
> airstrips and heliports at one time or the other. Also, Union Bank is
> believed to have constructed heliport on the last floor of its imposing
> head office in Lagos .The BankÂ’s Group Managing Director, Bartholomeu
> Ebong attested to this fact, claiming that his bank is yet to put the
> heliport to use. Though the bank may not be interested in using its
> heliport for transportation. But it may not be unconnected with the
> desire of the bank to woo high networth customers to its side.
> Also, Pana African Airline, Bristow helicopters, OAS and Cavertons
> helicopters have their own heliports, built for commercial purpose.
> Quite interesting is the locations of these heliports. They are mostly
> found in highbrow areas of Lagos, reputed to be the commercial nerve
> centre of Nigeria. Also, there is administrative office complex that
> boasts of state- of –the- art equipment, , good furnishing, well litted
> reception, viewing centres, coupled with light refreshment given to
> customers. Their charges are exhorbitant as they are meant for upwardly
> mobile executives who have the financial might to charter an helicopter.
> Cavertons helicoptersÂ’ charges S4600 or S2700 for an hour flight from
> Lagos to Port Harcourt depending on the type of helicopter a prospective
> customers want to use. This translates to N598,000 and N357,000
> respectively. For customers flying to coastline areas,N4800 or S3000 is
> needed or its equivalent in naira. Approximately it is N624,000 and
> N390,000 respectively. There are, however, less expensive flights. For
> those interested in sight- seeing or perhaps in need of photoshoots, they
> need to pay S3850 or N500,000 ditto taking an aerial photographs through
> helicopter that cost S2500 or N325,000 per hour. A family of four or five
> needs S900 or S1900 to have access to a chopper. OAS helicoptersÂ’ charges
> is a bit lower as Lagos – Port Harcourt route costs S3000 per hour while
> two hours flight is S6000 .The uniqueness of having a chartered flight
> via helicopter is evident by its relative comfort, speed, and privacy.
> According to a former flight engineer with the Nigerian Airways, Elisha
> Oloni, a chartered helicopter ensures that one has access to the best
> security system one can think of since the passengers on board can easily
> beckon to the pilot during an emergency situation. He said it is an
> experience one would live to remember as its affords ones an opportunity
> to have an aerial view of a place, coupled with speed that enables one to
> get to his destination early enough expect there is an unforeseen
> problems such as engine failure. While comparing a flight with a fixed
> wing aircraft which he has flied for several years to helicopter, Oloni
> said both have their own advantages.
> However, he prefers helicopter services, claiming that it is an ideal
> means of transportation for business tycoons in the country due to the
> fact it is fast and saves time.
> Thomas Adediran, an information technology(IT) consultant said that his
> clients mostly oil companies are ready to spend huge amount of money to
> correct certain anomalies. Relishing his experience, he said that he has
> provided solutions to IT problems which if delayed for two days or more
> would cost his clients a fortune via a chartered flight.
> AdeniranÂ’s assertions is evident by the rate at which oil companies are
> patronising the
> operators of chartered flight services. Staff of Cavertons and OAS
> helicopters who spoke on condition of anonymity said that their companies
> have in the last two years recorded huge turnover. A senior staff of the
> Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) who does not want to appear in
> print said that the operators have their missions and visions before they
> venture into business.
> He said the targets of the operators of helicopter services are mostly
> oil companies that always want to meet oil production targets at all
> cost, arguing that the choice of an helicopter is based on its ability to
> land in any open space. He said that oil companies are time conscious
> since losing few minutes can cost them a lot of money. He cited a
> situation where a company wanted to produce 20,000 barrels of crude oil
> within a particular period and needs to transport its engineers and
> geologists to the oil site without delay, adding that such a company
> would not hesitate to spend S15,000 on a chartered flights to get the job
> done. The operators, according to him, would deduct the operational costs
> such as fuelling the aircrafts, paying the pilot and other workers, minor
> repair and servicing. Thereafter, they would be left with few thousand of
> dollars as profits.
> Inspite of these laudable objectives, airline operators are facing
> serious challenges. These was attested to by a marketing manager of OAS
> helicopters who claimed that there are sometimes hitches in operations
> such as bad climate, engine failure among others. It would be recalled
> that a chopper belonging to OAS helicopters crashed few months ago,
> killing the pilot and another occupant. Though, NICON Insurance,
> according to its Group Managing Director, Barrister Jimoh Ibrahim has
> paid over N100million as insurance claims to the company. But the fact
> remains that airline business is a risky one as crash can occur anytime.
> The profits from airline operations is something not to be brag out with
> as a billion naira profits can be expended on repairs.
> Sir Richard Branson, Chief executive officer, Virgin Atlantic once said
> that to make S1billion profits from airline business, one need to start
> with S10 billion. BransonÂ’s remarks lend credence to the treacherous
> nature of airline operations globally as many of the world biggest
> airlines have had cause to experience misfortune.
> "It is a business that anybody that wants to go into it must have a deep
> pocket, a thick skin and a heart of stone to be able to withstand the
> heat whenever the unexpected happens. Engine can fail anytime, bird or
> weather may disrupt the flights, leading to crash and colossal loss" says
> an aviation engineer.
> Be that as it may, the companies operating chartered services may not be
> making profits as one is tempted to think of. Also they need to tighten
> their belts to withstand future challenges.
>
>
>
>
> http://www.thenatio nonlineng. com/dynamicpage. asp?id=15603
>
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>
>><< Airline_20_208- 4.jpg >>
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>
>
>
> ------------ --------- --------- ---
> Everyone Are Talking About!
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>
>
> Adamu Ayuba (mhcima)
> Box 8551 Zone 1, Wuse Abuja NIGERIA
> http://www.yahoogro ups.com/group/ abujanig
>
> ***Monthly Quote***
>
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> world's happiness now. How? By giving a few words of sincere appreciation
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> over a lifetime."
> -- Dale Carnegie
>
> I See Hope
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> www.iseehope. com
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