Nigeria Begins Phase-Out Of Obsolete Aircrafts In Aviation College

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25/04/2017

By Amos Tauna

The federal government has commences phasing out of obsolete aircrafts at the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology, NCAT, Zaria, northwrst Nigeria to ensure the realization of the aviation master plan of making air the preferred and safest means of transportation in the country.

The college took delivery of DA42NG Trainer Aircraft built by Diamond Aircraft Industries of Austria, the first to be delivered out of the 20 required by the college.

Speaking in Zaria, Monday, Minister of State (Aviation), Senator Hadi Sirika, said, “The federal government is in full support of the refleeting of trainer aircraft at the NCAT, Zaria.

“The acquisition of the new aircraft was a commendable initiative by the institution as well as the refleeting of its old aircraft used for its training.”

He explained that the federal government was committed to the aviation master plan across the country.

Earlier, Rector and Chief Excutive of NCAT, Capt. Abdulsalami Mohammed, said, “Honourable Minister, as you already know, there are currently 29 trainer aircrafts in the college. These aircrafts used for ab-inition training TB 9, Trinidad TB 20 GT and Beech Baron 58 are old, the earliest being purchased 15 years, and quite expensive to fuel and maintain.

“In the light of this, the college initiated moves at refleeting its trainer aircraft. It is thrilling for us that we are gathered today to witness the culmination of that initiative.

“NCAT is acquiring a total of of 20 of these aircraft, five multi-engine DA42 and 15 single-engine DA40 trainers. Today we are taking delivery of the first DA42 multi-engine aircraft.

“These new trainer aircraft would significantly improve our flight training experience. And from the angle of cost efficiency, our analysis shows they will significantly reduce our operating cost, especially in the area of maintenence and fueling.

“They are also equipped with glass cockpit and garmin 1000, which will make it easier for our graduating pilots to transition to new generation commercial aircraft.”

The Chief Executive Officer of Interject, the Co-manufactutrer of the aircraft, Mr. Seun Peters, said that the re-fleeting exercise was a smart step and Interject and Diamond Aircraft Industries of Austria Diamond were happy to partner the government in that journey.

He said, their aircrafts were one of the safest and most durable in the world, as they come with advanced avionics and sophisticated Austro engines.

He said, “The handing over of first DA42NG Trainer Aircraft today indeed marks a bold initiative by the federal government towards making air the preferred and safest means of transportation in Nigeria; creating a self-sustaining business model; driving socio-economic growth and remodelling the nation as a sought-after-destination point in Africa like Kenya, Ethiopia and South Africa.

“In fact, Nigeria, with its potentials can do much more considering this government’s objective to transform the aviation sector for sustainable economic growth and tremendous addition to national GDP. This is manifest in the record-breaking performance of the Ministry of Transportation in the resurfacing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport. Honourable Minister, we thank you for your passion and commitment to service.

“In achieving this feat, we are well aware of the role NCAT is expected to play in training quality manpower; first among equals for safety, standards and efficiency. This role is very crucial to the diversification drive of government to open our country to foreign investments; in this we are proud to be associated with the federal government in making this a reality.

“Our determination is to see NCAT re-positioned as a foremost international academy; a choice training aviation institution for professionals in the whole of Africa; we believe this is very possible.

“Our Aircrafts are one of the safest and most durable in the world and come with advanced avionics and sophisticated Austro engines which run on JET-A1 which is much easier to purchase than Aviation Gasoline (AVGAS).

“The Aircrafts are built with composite material which make them light weight and easy to fly and have a remarkable fuel efficiency. Our safety record is unmatched which is why our Aircrafts are the best and most sought after in the world today.

“There is therefore absolutely no reason why Nigeria cannot maintain and assemble aircrafts in this age of ICT and universal science engineering. This is why Interjet Limited, in partnership with Diamond Aircrafts of Austria, is working towards building a state-of-the-art maintenance facility in Abuja to service Nigeria and other West African countries.

“We are confident that in view of our experience, the dream of the Buhari -led Administration to turn Nigeria into a leading aviation hub for sales and maintenance of Aircrafts in Africa will be realised.

“We want to assure the Honourable Minister, management of NCAT and the Nigerian people, of our preparedness to support the federal government in this patriotic mission. I believe this is the beginning of good things to come in the Aviation sector.”

Ghana, Malawi, Kenya To Benefit From WHO’s First Malaria Vaccine

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Africaprimenews

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24/04/2017

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The World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa (WHO/AFRO) has on Monday announced that Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi will take part in a WHO-coordinated pilot implementation program that will make the world’s first malaria vaccine available in selected areas, beginning in 2018.

The injectable vaccine is called “Mosquirix” (RTS,S), and it is developed to protect young children from the most deadly form of malaria caused by Plasmodium falciparum.

It will be assessed in the pilot program as a complementary malaria control tool that could potentially be added to the core package of WHO-recommended measure for malaria prevention.

According to WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, “The prospect of a malaria vaccine is great news. Information gathered in the pilot will help us make decisions on the wider use of this vaccine.

She added that this development combined with existing malaria interventions, would have the potential to save tens of thousands of lives in Africa.

“Africa bears the greatest burden of malaria worldwide. Global efforts in the last 15 years have led to a 62 percent reduction in malaria deaths between 2000 and 2015, yet approximately 429,000 people died of the disease in 2015, the majority of them young children in Africa.

The WHO pilot programme will assess whether the vaccine’s protective effect in children aged 5 – 17 months old during Phase III testing can be replicated in real-life. Specifically, the pilot programme will assess the feasibility of delivering the required four doses of RTS,S, the vaccine’s potential role in reducing childhood deaths, and its safety in the context of routine use.

WHO recommendations and RTS,S

RTS,S was developed by GSK and is the first malaria vaccine to have successfully completed a Phase III clinical trial. The trial was conducted between 2009 and 2014 through a partnership involving GSK, the PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative (with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation), and a network of African research sites in seven African countries—including Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi.

RTS,S is also the first malaria vaccine to have obtained a positive scientific opinion from a stringent medicines regulatory authority, the European Medicines Agency (EMA), which approved RTS,S in July 2015.

In October 2015, two independent WHO advisory groups, comprised of the world’s foremost experts on vaccines and malaria, recommended pilot implementation of RTS,S in three to five settings in sub-Saharan Africa. The recommendation came from the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on Immunization and the Malaria Policy Advisory Committee (MPAC), following a joint review of all available evidence on the vaccine’s safety and efficacy. The World Health Organization formally adopted the recommendation in January 2016.

Pilot implementation

The three countries were selected to participate in the pilot based on the following criteria: high coverage of long-lasting insecticidal-treated nets (LLINs); well-functioning malaria and immunisation programmes, a high malaria burden even after scale-up of LLINs, and participation in the Phase III RTS,S malaria vaccine trial. Each of the three countries will decide on the districts and regions to be included in the pilots. High malaria burden areas will be prioritized, as this is where the benefit of the vaccine is predicted to be highest. Information garnered from the pilot will help to inform later decisions about potential wider use of the vaccine.

The malaria vaccine will be administered via intramuscular injection and delivered through the routine national immunization programmes. WHO is working with the three countries to facilitate regulatory authorization of the vaccine for use in the pilots through the African Vaccine Regulatory Forum (AVAREF). Regulatory support will also include measures to enable the appropriate safety monitoring of the vaccine and rigorous evaluation for eventual large scale use.

Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and UNITAID, are partnering to provide US$49.2 million for the first phase of the pilot programme (2017-2020) which will be complemented by in-kind contributions from WHO and GSK.

Operation Harbin Kunama II: Nigerian Army Recovers Large Cache Of Weapon In Southern Kaduna

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Africaprimenews

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24/04/2017

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By Longtong Ibrahim

Troops of 1 Division, Nigerian Army, have on Saturday recovered large cache of arms and ammunition in southern part of Kaduna State in northwestern Nigeria.

The discovery was made when troops embarked on cordon and search of Gwaska, Dangoma, Angwan Far and Bakin Kogi general area of the locality.

The Army had recently launched an operation in the area tagged ‘Operation HARBIN KUNAMA II’ (Scorpion sting), aimed at checkmating farmers and herdsmen’s clashes and ethno-religious crisis.

Spokesperson of the Nigeria Army, Brigadier General Sani Kukasheka Usman, said during the operation, the troops recovered 73 Dane Guns, 4 Locally Made Rifles, 1 Locally Made Machine Gun and 1 Locally Made Pistol.

Others include 260 Cartridges, 14 rounds of 7.62mm Ammunition, 63 rounds of 9mm ammunition, 1 Locally made Small Machine Gun Magazine, a pair of worn out military boot and some quantities of assorted Improvised Ammunition and Pyrotechnics hidden in dug out pits.

He added that, “While efforts are on going to track down the owners of the arms and ammunition, it is imperative to state the good people of the area have been very supportive and cooperate fully with the military which led to these unprecedented findings.

“Similarly, in Sector 1 of the Operation which covers Kano State, troops in conjunction with other security agencies are carrying out operations in suspected armed bandits camps in Falgore forest,” Usman added in a statement.

The special Operation will be expanded to cover some forests in Bauchi, Kano and Plateau States to flush out bandits and cattle rustlers.

The Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, during the Launch, said, the operation was to ensure security and safety of the people.

Southern part of Kaduna has been characterized by incessant attacks which have dragged for years; the recent one began in May, 2016.

Nigeria: Southern Kaduna People Welcome Operation Harbin Kunama II To End Killings

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Africaprimenews

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23/04/2017

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By Winifred Bulus

The people ofSouthern Kaduna in Kaduna State, northwest Nigeria have expressed gratitude to the new military Operation Harbin Kunama II recently launched in the area.

President of Southern Kaduna People’s Union, SOKAPU, Solomon Musa, in an interview with AFRICA PRIME NEWS expressed gratitude to Nigerian army and Kaduna state government for launching Operation Harbin Kunsma II.

“We want the world to know that the 53 ethnic groups in Southern Kaduna are solely behind the success of the Operation Harbin Kunama. Southern Kaduna welcomes the operation with conscious optimism.

“It is our earnest prayer and desire that the military action reaches the interior villages, flat points, bushes and caves. We also call on the military to carry out the operation with courtesy and civility towards the people of Southern Kaduna.

Nigeria’s army chief, Tukur Yusufu Buratai recently launched the Nigerian army ‘Operation Harbin Kunama II’ in Southern Kaduna to end the killings that have been going on for years. The operation is focusing on areas between a forest in Kagoro and Kafanchan of Southern Kaduna.

The Nigerian Army is involved in humanitarian activities such as the provision of free medical outreach, renovation and reconstruction of a primary healthcare centre in places in Southern Kaduna.

The SOKAPU President also expressed concern over the Nigerian Army’s public announcement of the operation, saying it should have been an exclusive operation. According to the SOKAPU President, the public announcement of the Operation Harbin Kunama was a tactical error.

“The announcement of the operation might cause perpetrators of the attack to retreat for the duration of the Operation Harbin Kunama and return afterwards. Southern Kaduna wants to know the duration of this operation. We want to know if it is a lifelong operation or we should expect military withdrawal at some point.

“The military should not be bias in carrying out their duties. If there is partiality in the operation, the operation could be compromised. We wish the military the best, there success is ours too.”

Also speaking on the newly launch operation was the secretary of the Christian Association of Nigeria Secretary for Jema’a local government area of Kaduna state, Pastor Sunday Buru. In his opinion, Operation Harbin Kunama, is a positive initiative that would hopefully bring an end to the calamity that has befallen on Southern Kaduna.

“Our people are living in fear and have nowhere to run to. It is our earnest prayer that all this will be over soon. The people have waited long for so long and are tired of living in fear.

“Farming is our main source of income and livelihood. To think that we have been restricted from going to out farms to harvest or plant crops is devastating. We are heading towards poverty, hunger and being economically backward,” he observed.

Mr. Ango Joe said, “There have been failed attempts in the past to solve the killing of our people. We hope this one will be different and effective. The free treatment is not getting to the interior villages, as claimed by the government. The health workers are located in the main town in Kafanchan and that is not the survivors of the attacks are. Those that have been injured for instance are far in the interior villages,” He said.

To Bavoshia Baye, the operation could only be sussessful if the army is determined that o bring it to an end, saying, “Several promises had been made in the past and all seemed to have failed. Attacks are still being carried out.

“I hope, the Operation Harbin Kunama is different and successful. I also hope that the army will not be one sided in carrying out the process. In the past we learnt some of them favored one group over the other.”

Nigeria: Southern Kaduna Women Take Insecurity Of The Area To God

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Africaprimenews

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22/04/2017

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By Amos Tauna

Southern Kaduna People Union, SOKAPU, Women Wing, Friday in Kafanchan, Jema’a local government area of Kaduna State, northwest Nigeria took the prevailing insecurity of the area to God in prayers for absolute peace, unity and development.

Tagged, “Prayer and Peace Summit,” with all chapters of the 23 local government areas represented, the women offered prayers for God to intervene to restore peace in Southern Kaduna.

Some of the placards at the venue read, “We need peace and security, stop making us widows and orphans, open our institutions, stop making us homeless and stop marginalizing us. We need equal treatment, we need access to our farmlands and stop the unlawful arrests.”

Pastor Mrs Cinderella Emmanuel Bako, in a word of exhortation, assured the people of Southern Kaduna of the need to seek the face of God for His protection and total deliverance of the area.

She noted that any community that trusts in God could be defeated in any battle, stressing that if the people of Southern Kaduna refedicate themselves to their creator, the challenges are going yhrough would be stepping stone their success.

The National Coordinator, Women Wing of the Southern Kaduna People Union, SOKAPU, Mrs. Catherine Jphn Amangs, called on the federal and Kaduna State governments to take proactive towards ensuring the restoration of absolute peace in the area.

She expressed that if something was not urgently done to enable farmers access to their farm lands this year, there may be serious hunger in the area next year. “As mothers, we have cried enough all these years witnessing all kinds of killings after sny slightest provocation. Enough of all that has happened. We are calling on all hands to be on deck towards arriving at a common ground of understanding.

“Peace the world over cannot be bought with money. History has made us to understand it can only be realized through dialogue, tolerance and understanding. If it werr so, efforts should be made by our stakeholders to come to a round table discussion towards realizing this noblr objective so that Southern Kaduna which is known for peace will regain its rightful place.

“It is sad thay today Southern Kaduna is known as a battlefield for bloodshed, an area where the number of eidows and orphans is on the increase on a daily basis, an area where people run for their dear livrs without hope of being rescued, an area where the few left dare not make an attempy to go to their farmlands for fear of the unknown.

“Schools have been closed for months without any hope of reopening, and above all, business activities have come to a standstill. Man has failed us but we have a very big God who is by our sode if we hold unto Him, He will not fail us even if the whole world turns its back on us.”

WORLD EARTH DAY- The Nigerian Perspective

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Africaprimenews

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22/04/2017

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“We have taken more from earth than we have given her, and now that we can afford what she is asking for we must not delay any further.” – Adebote Seyifunmi

Environmentalists in Nigeria would anticipate that the government at the Federal level will be frightened by the recent FAO report that “over 4000 hectares of our land is lost to deforestation annually”; (considering the food, fuel and infrastructural demands on the alarming rise) such statistics should provoke national unease for a posterity-thinking people.

If a day were to be set aside to call the nation’s attention to be drawn towards making right our many environmental wrongs, that day should be April 22nd when hundreds of thousands of pro-earth events will go down around the world; the theme for World Earth Day 2017 “Environmental and Climate Literacy” fits in perfectly with the ideals of a developing nation like Nigeria.

A more careful assessment will reveal the peculiarity of Nigeria’s deteriorating environment and how this demands should command that all hands get on deck to solve these problems; from erosion in the South East, oil spillage in the south-south, flooding in the South West, desert encroachment and sand dunes in the North, wildlife poaching in protected areas, the hundreds of trees fell in our neighbourhoods, the unbearable heat we battle each day, the scarcity of water – the list just seems endless.

As a whole, Nigeria should see April 22nd, 2017 as an opportunity to seize, for the purpose of raising awareness, committing people to some practical activities and renewing an earth restoration consciousness on a national scale with a focus on urban communities. It would be fair to guess that urgency of the aforementioned explains why environmentalists through individual efforts or through their poor-funded pro-earth NGOs have risen to combat the many environmental-related threats faced by Nigeria; these few are worthy of commendation, for at the least, not being discouraged by the Government’s not-too-pleasant response to an issue of global concern, despite her well-funded ministries and many agencies.

However, making plenty of social media noise, sending official delegations to social jamborees and strolling for colourful street walks to mark World Earth Day in fulfillment of this year’s theme “Environmental and Climate Literacy” is far from what a strong passion born out of deep sited understanding of the earth will birth. In the least way, this is reflected by our daily actions- planting a tree, proper disposal of waste, economic use of water, discouraging deforestation, exploring renewable sources of energy, engaging local and developed communities.

We have taken more from earth than we have given her, and now that we can afford what she is asking for we must not delay any further. April 22nd is World Earth Day; nonetheless, every day, every man should do everything that would make the earth smile every time.

Adebote Seyifunmi is an Environmentalist, a youth advocate, and a media consultant. He writes from Abuja, Nigeria. He can be contacted via adeboteseyi@gmail.com and +2348130979064.

30 People Died Of Electrocution, Others Injured At A Football Viewing Centre In Nigeria

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Africaprimenews

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22/04/2017

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By Winifred Bulus

30 viewers were electrocuted to dead while watching a football match at a public viewing centre in Nigeria.

The victims were watching the match at a viewing center in Nyagasang area of Atimbo in Calabar, southeast, Nigeria.

The incident was reported to have happened at about 9.30 pm after a transformer exploded, and dropped a high tension wire on the viewing centre which was built with zinc.

The dead victims were taken to the mortuary and survivors taken to the hospital.

This caused a rapid electrocution of the viewers in the building according to eye witness that there was a first explosion that scared the people around the building and in the viewing centre before the second one which came with the explosion. Some of the viewers left after the first but others stayed.

“We were all inside watching the match when we heard the first explosion from the transformer; the heavy sound caused panic because some people shouted and ran out.

“After a while, we came back into the viewing centre to continue with the match. Shortly, we heard another heavy sound and when some people tried to run away from the centre, they were affected.

“Over 50 of us escaped death yesterday because we were standing by the door watching the game,” said the eye witness.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Cross River State Command, Irene Ugbo, confirmed the incident.

The match was between Manchester united versus Anderlercht and Manchester beat Anderlecht 2-1.

Sierra Leone Arrests Four Illegal Fishing Vessels

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Africaprimenews

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21/04/2017

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By winifred Bulus

Four illegal fishing vessels have been arrested by the Sierra Leone fishery authority and the green peace organization of Africa, a campaign for tackling climate change, stopping the looting of the continent’s fish and saving the forests.

The arrest was made during a joint surveillance conducted by the two authorities.

The vessels were arrested for infringements of Sierra Leone fishing legislation, including possessing or using illegal fishing nets on board.

There was no visible marking and a lack of required paperwork, including log books and authorisation for unloading catch.

Two out of the arrested vessels are Chinese vessels, one Korean and another belonging to an Italian company. All vessels have been taken to Freetown port for further investigation.

The Italian vessel was reported to have had more than 70 carcasses of sharks which is against the European union fishing rules.

The EU has prohibited shark finning since 2003, but an exemption allows fishermen with special permits to remove the fins from their carcass out at sea and bring back the remainders together or land them in different ports.

Greenpeace Africa Oceans campaigner, Ahmed Diame, said: “The findings from just four days of surveillance in Sierra Leone are further evidence that West Africa needs to strengthen its fisheries management.

“The region’s marine resources are being depleted at alarming rates, mainly due to too many boats competing for too few fish, and high rates of illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. This ongoing plunder is a threat to millions of people in the region who depend on the oceans for their food.”

Pan Wenjing, Greenpeace East Asia oceans campaigner, said: “From talking to Chinese captains during the inspections, it is evident that they have a very limited understanding of local fisheries legislation. Given that almost half of the foreign fishing vessels in Sierra Leone are Chinese, this is a major concern.

“These vessels need much stricter supervision. In addition, Chinese fishing companies need to supply training on local legislation to all overseas staff.”

Fishing is a major source of livelihood for in Sierra Leon and a major diet. Nearly one million of Sierra Leone’s population is dependent on fishing.

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