LAGOS - ABU DHABI Economy Class on QATAR Airway from only N123,782.26

From	To	Cabin	Purchase by	Travel period	Fares from
Lagos(LOS)	Abu Dhabi(AUH)	Economy	30 Oct 2014	19 Sep 2014 30 Nov 2015	755 USD
Lagos(LOS)	Dubai(DXB)	Economy	30 Oct 2014	19 Sep 2014 30 Nov 2015	782 USD
Lagos(LOS)	Kochi(COK)	Economy	30 Oct 2014	19 Sep 2014 30 Nov 2015	1,021 USD
Lagos(LOS)	Delhi(DEL)	Economy	30 Oct 2014	19 Sep 2014 30 Nov 2015	1,049 USD
Lagos(LOS)	Kuala Lumpur(KUL)	Economy	30 Oct 2014	19 Sep 2014 30 Nov 2015	1,108 USD
Lagos(LOS)	Bangkok(BKK)	Economy	30 Oct 2014	19 Sep 2014 30 Nov 2015	1,130 USD
Lagos(LOS)	Hong Kong(HKG)	Economy	30 Oct 2014	19 Sep 2014 30 Nov 2015	1,173 USD
Lagos(LOS)	Guangzhou(CAN)	Economy	30 Oct 2014	19 Sep 2014 30 Nov 2015	1,285 USD

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TERMS & CONDITIONS

1.     Book between 19th September and 30th October, 2014

2.     Travel must commence between 19th September and 30th November 2015

3.     Minimum stay is 3 days

4.     Maximum stay is 3 months

5.     Seats are limited and subject to availability of the relevant booking class

6.     Fares of return tickets and include all applicable fees, taxes and airport charges. Services fee may apply

7.     Fares and taxes are subject to change without a prior notice

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Kwara APC Secretary, Afolayan Is Dead

The secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara State, Prince Yemi Afolayan is dead.
Afolayan reportedly died on Friday after a brief illness.

The deceased had at various times served as political adviser to the state government chairman, Kwara House of Assembly committee on Information and the state secretary of the PDP before he joined his political leaders to defect to APC late last year.

The news of Afolayan’s demise was broken by the state publicity secretary of APC, Alhaji Sulyman Buhari.
Buhari’s statement reads: “It is with heavy heart of grief and loss that we announce the death of our general secretary, Prince Yemi Afolayan.

“Prince Yemi Afolayan passed away this morning after a brief illness. Funeral arrangements will be announced later by the family.

“We empathise with his immediate family in this moment of grief and we urge them to find solace in the fact that Prince Yemi Afolayan lived an impacful life.

“He will be remembered for his unflinching loyalty to the APC, contribution to the development of Kwara State as a parliamentarian and his huge contribution to humanity and mankind.

“Indeed, Kwara State has lost a worthy son. We pray for the repose of his soul and we empathise with his entire family, all APC members and the people of Kwara State.”

Meanwhile, the state chapter of the PDP has commiserated with the APC over the death of Afolayan.
The party in a statement by its publicity secretary, Chief Rex Olawoye prayed God to grant the deceased eternal rest.

Ebola: South African Lady Tests Negative- Minister

— Sep 12, 2014 | 

The Minister of Health, Prof Onyebuchi Chukwu,has refuted media reports  concerning an Ebola case of a South African woman who was said to have manifested the symptoms at the Murtala. Muhammed International Airport, Lagos on Thursday.

He said through his Special Assistant on Media and Communications, Dan Nwomeh, that the South African woman has tested negative for the Ebola virus disease.

However, Chukwu added that she is still being investigated for other diseases but for Ebola, laboratory result is negative.

Also, the World Health Organisation (WHO) Country Representative to Nigeria, Dr  Rui Gama Vaz, has also debunked media reports on cautioning the federal and state governments against schools reopening, during his vist to the Lagos State Governor Raj Fashola.

A statement by the agecy’s communication officer, Ms Charity Wagnon, made available to LEADERSHIP yesterday in Abuja, stated,  “At no time during the visit, did Dr. Vaz “caution the federal and state Governments against schools re-opening”, as erroneously reported in a section of the Media today, 12th September, 2014.”

However,  Dr. Vaz who met with the Governor of Lagos,  Fashola , has commended the prompt response and the enormous resources deployed to fight Ebola virus in the state.

The WR said that “understandably, the Ebola virus disease response requires coordinated effort from around the world, but ultimately, the success rests with the government of Nigeria and its multi-sectoral response”.

Dr. Vaz underscored that WHO staff will continue to provide the required technical expertise to surmount any eventuality.

He further explained that WHO and other partners will continue to work with the government to engage the media in Lagos to reinforce awareness creation on preventive measures.

He pointed out that wider dissemination of messages, especially with regards to high risk of traditional burial practices, mode of transmission and risk factors needs to be sustained and scaled-up.

Earlier, Dr. Vaz had visited  the Ebola Laboratory at LUTH, the Ebola isolation Center at the Infectious Disease Hospital and the Dangote Foundation.

Heritage Bank Wins Bid To Acquire Enterprise Bank

 — Sep 12, 2014 

Fifteen months after the bid for the sale of Enterprise Bank, formerly Spring Bank, the Assets Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) has announced Heritage Banking Company Limited as the successful bidder for the bank.

Although the amount of the transaction was yet to be made known, AMCON in a statement made available last night announced Heritage Bank, former Societe Generale Bank of Nigeria, as the preferred bidder over Fidelity Bank and 22 other interested investors.
Heritage Bank bought the bank under its investment subsidiary, HBCL Investment Services Limited and would now acquire the entire issued and fully paid up ordinary shares of Enterprise Bank Limited, following the approval of the board of directors of AMCON.

However, the completion of the deal is subject to the execution of the share purchase agreement between AMCON and HISL and in e event that HISL cannot fulfill its side of the deal, Fidelity Bank as the reserve bidder would step in as the preferred bidder.

The statement by AMCON noted that the emergence of HISL and Fidelity Bank as the preferred and reserve bidders respectively resulted from a rigorous and competitive bidding process, coordinated by its financial and legal advisers, Citigroup Global Markets Limited and Vetiva Capital Management Limited and G. Elias & Co.

Enterprise Bank commenced operation in August, 2011, as a full-service commercial bank with a national banking license, after it was nationalized and acquired by AMCON.

The Bank operates via a sizeable distribution network of over 160 branches spread across major markets and commercial centres in Nigeria, and with over 177 ATMs, 57 Cash Centres and 2,000 POS terminals.

Travel and Tourism needs more attention from government: WTTC

Published on : Friday, September 12, 2014 Lack of recognition of the economic role of Travel & Tourism continues to hinder the sector’s growth potential and governments need to wake up and take action.

That is one of the messages from the CEO & President of the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) at the opening ceremony of WTTC’s 2014 Americas Summit in Peru.
In his opening speech at the regional Summit, being held in Lima (10-11 September), David Scowsill says bad decisions will continue to be made on visas, taxation and infrastructure development, unless government departments start recognising the importance of the sector and coordinate on policies.

Mr Scowsill says the case for giving Travel & Tourism more attention is unquestionable; “The financial contribution of our sector to the wellbeing of the global economy is both formidable and unarguable. The growth of our industry outstrips the growth of global GDP year after year. Yet governments continue to ignore this”.

Travel & Tourism in the Americas:
· contributes US$2.1 trillion to GDP, supporting over 40 million jobs.
· accounts for 6.8 per cent of exports and 4.9 percent of investment and is worth US$238 billion
· is forecast to grow by 3.7 per cent per year over the next decade, creating 11 million new jobs.
· directly employs three times more people than manufacturing, three times more people than the communications sector and higher education and 30% more than financial services.

Mr Scowsill says that the outlook for the Americas is seen clearly by many of today’s global business leaders to have enormous potential; “The region embraces the world’s largest Travel & Tourism economy, namely the USA. It gives us the most tourism dependent market of the Caribbean. It contains some of the world’s most exciting growth opportunities here in Latin America”.

The first Americas Regional Summit took place in Riviera Maya in Mexico in 2012. The joint declaration from the private and public sectors was taken by President Calderon of Mexico to the G20 meeting in Los Cabos, where he called upon the leaders to focus on the issue of visas and travel facilitation. He personally wrote to all of the heads of state to seek their support for the industry.

Mr Scowsill says that President Humala was one of the first Latin American leaders to receive the Open
 Letter from UNWTO and WTTC, joining the Global Leaders for Tourism Campaign; “At that occasion in 2012, he spoke passionately about the impact of tourism on the village of Cora Cora in Ayacucho, where he used to vacation as a young boy. He spoke of his desire to support this industry as a key pillar for Peru’s future economic development. 63 heads of state have joined this campaign over the past 3 years, including in June this year President Michelle Bachelet of Chile”.

However, he says the Travel & Tourism sector cannot find solutions on its own; “Whether partnership is between government and business; investors and beneficiaries; industry and environment; or technology and service providers; I firmly believe that partnership is key to everything we need to achieve”.

More than 300 Travel & Tourism leaders and government ministers, top executives from the public and private sectors, NGOs, opinion-formers from academia and the media have come together in Lima. Over the course of a day and a half, through a series of keynotes, panel sessions and interviews, they will discuss the most pressing questions facing Travel & Tourism in the Americas and to identify what needs to be done to ensure the long term sustainable future of the sector.

The Summit is called ‘Facing challenges, Finding Opportunities’. The sessions include ‘Governments and business: partnership and progress’; Financing for the future: strategies for investment’; ‘Appreciating the asset: the value of cultural heritage’ and ‘Sustainability: Leading by Example’.

Air France-KLM will unveil its new Perform 2020 strategic plan

Published on : Friday, September 12, 2014

Perform 2020 is the successor to Transform 2015, which represented the first phase in the Group’s turnaround. While maintaining the imperatives of competitiveness and the ongoing strengthening of the Group’s financial position, this growth plan will focus on the following three strategic areas:

• Selective development to increase exposure to growth markets
• A product and services upgrade targeting the highest international level
• An ongoing improvement in competitiveness and efficiency within the framework of strict financial discipline Air France-KLM’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer,
  

Alexandre de Juniac, made the following comments:

“Transform 2015 will be completed by the year end having fully delivered on its objective of significantly improving the Group’s competitiveness and delivering a €1 billion-plus reduction in costs.

Perform 2020, the strategic plan we are launching today, will be supported by two main levers: growth, which we are looking to capture in a number of areas, and competitiveness combined with financial discipline which should continue to ensure firm foundations for the development of Air France-KLM.

This is why the ambitious initiatives we are launching today will go hand in hand with redoubled efforts to reduce costs and restructure activities which remain loss-making. By 2020, we will have built an air transport Group focused on a leading long-haul network at the heart of global alliances, with a portfolio of unique brands, restructured short and medium-haul operations with a reinforced presence in the low cost segment in Europe, leadership positions in cargo, maintenance and catering, and a significantly improved risk profile both operationally and financially.”

Dubai plans to build the world’s biggest airport

Dubai’s ruler has endorsed a $32 billion expansion plan for the city’s second airport that aims to make it the world’s biggest, the emirate’s airport operator said Monday in the latest sign that the Middle East’s brash commercial hub is determined to move on from its 2009 financial crisis.

The approval sets in motion a vast building project that will boost capacity exponentially at the airport known as Al Maktoum International at Dubai World Central. Backers envision it will eventually handle more than 200 million passengers per year.

The first phase of the expansion alone aims to build enough runway and terminal space to handle 120 million passengers a year and 100 mammoth Airbus A380 double-decker jets at any given time.

The world’s busiest airport, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, handled 94.4 million people last year.

Paul Griffiths, chief executive of state-backed airport operator Dubai Airports, said he aims to have the first phase of the expansion complete in six to eight years. That part of the project includes adding two new runways and two large concourses housing dozens of aircraft gates each.

“It’s a very aggressive time scale … but I think that we have a track record here of doing remarkable things in a remarkably challenging time frame,” Griffiths said in his office at the city’s main airport, Dubai International.

As later phases are completed, the new airport will eventually boast five parallel runways spaced far enough apart so they can all be used at the same time, and have enough gates for hundreds of wide-body planes.

Dubai World Central opened for cargo flights in 2010 with a single runway in the desert south of central Dubai. It received its first passengers in October at a single terminal that is mainly used by smaller airlines and low-cost carriers.

The currently larger Dubai International ranked as the world’s seventh busiest airport last year, handling 66.4 million passengers. It too is being expanded, with a new concourse expected to open next year.

Griffiths says Dubai needs to expand to keep pace with the rapid growth of airline traffic into the emirate. Much of the increase comes from hometown airline Emirates, the region’s largest carrier and the world’s biggest user of both the A380 and Boeing 777 long-haul jets.

Emirates is expected to move itshub to the new airport shortly after the first expansion phase is complete, freeing up space in the older airport for the well over 100 other airlines that already operate from it.

Griffiths is confident Dubai will be able to generate the funding needed to complete the project given the importance of aviation to Dubai’s economy. Officials say the industry contributes $22 billion annually to the local economy and supports some 250,000 jobs.

“The aviation sector has demonstrated that there is a very compelling economic case to suggest creation of further capacity is a very sensible thing to do,” Griffiths said. “I’m sure that the government will come up with the appropriate funding to make the project a reality.”

Dubai is still recovering from the effects of its financial crisis, which sent property prices plunging and forced it to accept a multibillion-dollar bailout from neighboring Abu Dhabi.

The local economy has bounced back strongly since, though Dubai and its state-linked companies still carry tens of billions of dollars in debt. The International Monetary Fund has warned of the possibility of another property bubble forming, and analysts question how Dubai can make good on the debt it still owes.

“There are still plenty of reasons to think that the emirate’s debt problems are far from over,” Jason Tuvey, an analyst at London-based Capital Economics, wrote in a research note last week.

That has not stopped officials from announcing plans for headline-grabbing projects reminiscent of the pre-crisis boom.

On Sunday, a property development company controlled by Dubai ruler Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum laid out plans for a $2.7 billion theme park and resort complex near the new airport and the site of the World Expo that Dubai is due to host in 2020.

The expansion of the new airport is unlikely to be ready by the time the Expo kicks off, Griffiths said

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FAAN introduces airport shuttle

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria in partnership with Skyplus Contract and Logistics Plc have introduced Inter Airport Terminal Shuttle to reduce the problem being faced by passengers moving within the airport


In a statement by FAAN on Tuesday, four new Inter Airport Terminal Shuttle buses were unveiled to make travelers more comfortable within the Murtala Muhammed Airport.

FAAN’s General Manager, Commercial, Mr. Tayo Adewakun, during the inauguration of the shuttle buses said the effort was geared towards enhancing passenger’s security, comfort and the image of the country.
He said, “There has been a vacuum which FAAN identified in the past years between the international and local airport terminals in terms of passenger’s movement.

“This, therefore, informed the need to bring about these airport shuttle buses, which are designed to provide efficient system that will help to solve transportation challenges within the airport.”

Adewakun disclosed further that the bus would pick passengers from Departure Terminal 1 and drop them at MM2 and the international airport wing, without stopping on the road.

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Emirates innovates with inflight entertainment for the visually impaired

For the first time in the history of air travels, Emirates Airline has now introduced Audio Description on movies for visually impaired customers on its in-flight entertainment system, information, communication and entertainment (ICE) Digital Widescreen.

By this arrangement, visually impaired persons from Nigeria travelling to Dubai or any part of the world on Emirates Airline will henceforth enjoy great moment of entertainment on board.

Emirates’ ICE, which  was recently awarded the ‘World’s Best Airline In-flight Entertainment’ award at the SKYTRAX World Airline Awards for the 10th consecutive year, now offers Audio Description soundtracks on 16 Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures films, including Frozen, Saving Mr. Banks, Cars 2, Monsters University, Marvel’s The Avengers, Toy Story 3 and all four Pirates of the Caribbean movies.

Audio Description, increasingly common in cinemas and TV, is a recorded narration explaining the scene during the gaps in dialogue, while the film soundtrack continues at its normal pace.

“Our focus is not just the depth and diversity of our on-board entertainment, but also relevance. Making entertainment accessible to our diverse customers is very important to us. It was our motivation to introduce movies that can be enjoyed by customers with visual difficulties. Our greatest satisfaction comes from delivering an exceptional customer experience, which we hope our constant innovation fulfils. In future, we want to add more content with Audio Description, so visually impaired passengers can be entertained with an even wider choice of contents when flying with us,” said Patrick Brannelly, Emirates’ Vice President, Corporate Communications Product, Publishing, Digital & Events.

Emirates’ award-winning ice Digital Widescreen offers a staggering choice of over 1,800 channels of entertainment, including over 400 movies from around the world, hundreds of hours of TV and thousands of hours of music from contemporary to classical.

 

In 2007, Emirates also worked with Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures to introduce Closed Captions, the technology used by the hard of hearing, for the first time in in-flight entertainment. It also involves showing the actors’ dialogues in subtitles and references to sound effects used in the movie.

According to her, the ICE Digital Widescreen this month will offer over 50 movies with Closed Captions.

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Traveling With Nigerian Food Items: What You Need to Know

When it comes to bringing items through airport checkpoints, we have seen just about anything. Traveling with food items is even a bigger challenge.

Nigerians are lovers of “good food” and everyone has favourite foods from their towns and villages that they want to take abroad before acclimatising, or items from their destination that they want to bring back home.

However, there are certain standard items that are not allowed on commercial carriers globally. This is for the safety of air passengers, crew members and other creatures on the ground, should anything go wrong.

Regulations for carry-on items and checked baggage vary depending on the item and whether it is brought into the cabin or checked in as luggage.

Passengers must realise that it is better to confirm if in doubt with the carrier in advance than to get to the airport with items that need to be re-arranged as check-in or cannot be transported at all.

Travelling by air can be stressful at times. As you plan to pay baggage fees and try to fit enough belongings into your luggage, you also need to make sure the items you pack are not prohibited on flights

These are some suggested Q & As that we think should be able to guide you:

Q. Are liquids and gels permitted in my checked baggage?

 A. Yes. The liquid/gel restrictions only apply to carry-on baggage.

Q. May I bring liquids and gels in my carry-on?

A. Yes, but only in limited amounts. Liquids and gels must be in individual containers of 3.4 ounces (100 millilitres) or less and placed inside one clear, quart-size, plastic, zip-top bag.  Containers should fit comfortably into your bag, and only one bag is permitted per passenger. If you need to bring more than 3.4 ounces of any liquid or gel substance, it should go into your checked luggage or be shipped ahead.

Q. May I pour shampoo and other liquids or gels into unmarked, travel-size containers?

Yes.

Q. What are the rules for makeup?

A. Makeup is subject to the same liquid and gel rules as all other substances — so if you’re bringing liquid mascara, lip gels or other liquid- or gel-like items, they will need to be placed in your quart-size plastic bag in 3.4-ounce or smaller containers. Lipstick, powders, solid lip balms and other solid beauty products are not subject to the rules, and may be carried in your hand luggage without restriction.

Q. What food items are allowed for passengers leaving Nigerian Int’l airports?

A. Meat, dairy and other animal products are not allowed into the EU countries from countries outside of the EU. Moreover, meat are very cheap in Europe, you really don’t need to bring them.

Q. Are these food items permitted?

Egusi, ogbonor, Local Crayfish, Okporoko, Mangara, Dried fish, Ukazi, Oha, Ugwu ,Kuli Kuli, Fufu, Groundnut Oil, Palm Oil, Egusi, Garri, Pepper – soup condiments, Beans, Atanla (red hot chilli pepper) and many more

A.  Yes

• Make sure your Egusi is well blended dried and well wrapped.
• Traveling to the US? Do not travel with wet food items. Usually, wet food stuff can contain organisms not native to the US. Chicken is prohibited because of Bird Flu and beef because of Mad Cow disease.
• Palm oil is allowed but only in small quantity and should be in branded packages if possible.
• Dried/smoked fish should properly wrapped also in order to avoid unpleasant odours

Even though some food items are permitted in the countries you are visiting, some overzealous Nigerian customs officers would not allow you travel with some items except you part with some money.

Note: What you can carry depends on the country you are traveling to, but you will still have to declare all food items you are carrying regardless of country anyway.

 What has been your experience when traveling with food items, use the comment box below to share.

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When is Hajj 2014?

As per the estimates of the Fiqh Council of North America, Hajj 2014 will fall between October 1 and October 6, insha-Allaah.

The Hajj takes place from the 8th to the 12th of Zul-Hijjah which is the last month of the Hijri calendar.
 
The Islamic or Hijri Calendar is a lunar calendar based on moon sightings.

The actual advent of each month depends upon the physical sighting of the new moon. The corresponding Gregorian dates are estimates based upon astronomical calculations,

endorsed by the Fiqh Council of North America. The Gregorian dates for Hajj change from year to year.

The Islamic day begins at sunset.
The days of Hajj 2014 are estimated to be as follows:

Yaumut Tarwiyah	8th Zul-Hijjah	Begins: Sunset, Oct 1	Ends: Sunset, Oct 2
Yaumul Wuquf	9th Zul-Hijjah	Begins: Sunset, Oct 2	Ends: Sunset, Oct 3
Yaumun Nahr	10th Zul-Hijjah	Begins: Sunset, Oct 3	Ends: Sunset, Oct 4
Ayyamut Tashriq	11th-12th Zul-Hijjah	Begins: Sunset, Oct 4	Ends: Sunset, Oct 6

Jonathan Flags Off 2014 Hajj At Dutse International Airport

President Goodluck Jonathan on Saturday at the Dutse International Airport, Jigawa State flagged off the 2014 hajj to Saudi Arabia.

Jonathan, who was represented by Vice President Namadi Sambo, urged Nigerian pilgrims to pray for the country to surmount the challenges facing the nation.

“I believe all pilgrims are aware of the challenges facing our country. These challenges require not only dedication of the leadership but also prayers from every pilgrim. We should therefore be persistent in our prayers for peace, progress and prosperity of our beloved country,” he said.

He reminded the pilgrims of their spiritual obligations, saying as they perform the Hajj pilgrimage they must dedicate themselves to the spiritual revival of their souls so that they could achieve “good life on earth and aspire for eternal bliss in the hereafter.

He prayed for their safe airlift and and successful hajj, even as he urged them to conduct themselves with decorum while on pilgrimage.

Commending the improvement in airlifting of pilgrims to the Holy Land where Nigeria had been able to meet her deadline, he said, “I am glad to note that the days when Nigeria requested for extension of time from Saudi Arabia because of our inability to to meet the airlift deadline for the closure of the King Abdulazeez International Airport are gone for good.”

He further commended the Nigeria Hajj Commission for their improved performance in been able to surmount the numerous challenges they were confronted with.

“We note the improvement in performance of Hajj operations in Nigeria. I urge the leadership of the Hajj Commission to see this improvement as a motivation to propel it to greater height so that Hajj operations in Nigeria will tow the line of international best Practice,” he said

He added that their administration has always supported the welfare of all Muslims through the Hajj commission by assisting the pilgrims with consular, medical and exchange support services.

Hajj 2014: Medview Air to begin airlift on Saturday

One of the designated carriers for the 2014 Hajj exercise to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Med- View Airline, yesterday took delivery of two of its aircraft, Boeing 767-300ER, at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, MMIA, Lagos, for the commencement of this year’s operation on Saturday.

During the arrival of the aircraft at  Lagos International Airport, the Managing Director, Med-View Airline, Alhaji Muneer 

Bankole, said that the carrier would airlift 5,303, pilgrims to the holy land for the exercise.

Bankole said that the carrier would airlift pilgrims from South West, South South and South Eastern zones of the country, just as he disclosed that the exercise would commence with the airline this Saturday from the Ilorin Airport.

He added that pilgrims from the South West except Ekiti, Ondo States and the Armed Forces would be airlifted from the Lagos Airport, while the South South and South Eeast passengers would be airlifted from Port Harcourt and Enugu Airports respectively.

He said, “We are at the moment using four airports and we are picking the eastern people from Enugu, South South pilgrims from Port Harcourt, Ondo and Ekiti from Ilorin and other parts of the South West from Lagos. We are taking 5,303 passengers in all except other cities outside the West African countries, which we do support.

“We are going all flights direct to Medina, which is 100 per cent fulfillment of our commitment to our pilgrims. So, what this means is that we are taking away the stress where pilgrims would be dropped in Jeddah and would be using buses to carry them to Medina thereby exposing them to risks for about six to eight hours on the road. So, we are dropping them directly in Medina. We have fulfilled that now in the last two years and they are very happy about that.”

Bankole also dismissed the reports in some quarters that the Saudi Arabian authorities in Nigeria would not issue entry visas to intending pilgrims due to the outbreak of the infectious Ebola Virus Disease, EVD, which was recorded in the country in July, maintaining that the embassy in the country had commenced the issuance of visas to intending pilgrims since Monday

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Nigeria’s new 117-room Protea Hotel Select opens its doors this week in Ikjea, Lagos

The Mariott hotel group continues on its expansion in Nigeria with the new 117-room Protea Hotel Select which opened last month in Ikeja. Accommodation at the new Protea Hotel caters for corporate travellers with a variety of room types as well a restaurant, bar and conference facilities for close to 60 people.

President and Managing Director (Middle East and Africa) of Marriott International, Alex Kyriakidis said, “Marriott International’s fast growing footprint across the Middle East and Africa is a response to the potential we continue to observe in the region. At present we are seeing strong GDP growth across Sub-Saharan Africa which translates into opportunity for our industry.

“Nigeria is one of our key markets and presents tremendous opportunity for us with the existing hotels we have in Lagos, as well as the strong pipeline of hotels that are coming up by 2018.”
The accommodation options at the Protea Select incllude 75 classic rooms, eight twin bedrooms, 24 deluxe rooms, eight suites which feature open plan lounge and dining rooms separate from the bedrooms, and two universal accessible rooms.

The hotel’s restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner and has a strong focus on local and continental cuisine, while the bar is open 24 hours a day, including round-the-clock room service.

Other facilities include a shuttle service, secure open parking, laundry service and free Wi-Fi access.
Protea Hotels Director of Sales, Marketing and Revenue, Danny Bryer, says Nigeria’s rapidly growing economy is prompting the need for more hotels.

“Nigeria is Africa’s largest economy with numerous industries supporting ongoing economic expansion.
We consider Nigeria to be one of our most important development markets and we’d like to at least double the number of Protea Hotels there in the next five years.

“We have absolutely no doubt that the hotel will be running at close to capacity within a couple of months.”
Protea Hotel Select is a stone’s throw away from the Ikeja City Mall and the Lagos State Secretariat and five kilometres away from the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.

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Amsterdam Schiphol Airport rolls out free WiFi

Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport is now offering all passengers free unlimited wifi.

The airport had previously, since 2010, provided complimentary internet access for up to one hour.

But from the beginning of this month, anybody travelling through the Dutch hub can connect to the airport’s wifi network 24/7 and for as long as they want.

To login, users need to select Schiphol Airport_WiFi on their devices.

Originally, you could connect to the Amsterdam Airport wireless network free of charge an hour, but it seems that the need to be connected is one that Amsterdam Schiphol recognises.

Whilst you could probably expect the WiFi to be a bit slow, it will provide connectivity – which at the end of a long flight, or when you’re about to set off can provide that last useful moment to download some documentation, or send that selfie, tweet or something to show the world that you’re going off on an adventure, or returning safely from one.

British Commissioner slumps, dies at Lagos airport

The British Deputy High Commissioner to Nigeria, Ambassador Peter Carter Leslie, slumped and died Tuesday from a possible heart attack on arrival at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.

Late, Peter Carter Leslie

The deceased who was said to have arrived Lagos on a United Airlines Flight UA143 at 3.50 pm local time slumped in the avio-bridge while he was alighting from the aircraft.

The British High Commission and the Port Health Services tried to resuscitate him with oxygen but the effort failed.

It was learnt that as the deceased started gasping for breath as soon as he was disembarking the aircraft and needed oxygen which was brought to resuscitate him but failed to recover.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs as well as the British High Commission is yet to give a public statement.

However, a letter written by the Federal Ministry of Health Port Health Services, which was made available to reporters stated: “The Port Health Services was called today (2/9/14) by a FAAN (Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria) medical nurse at about 4.07 pm from the D arrival screening point to see a passenger (the deceased) said to have arrived onboard a United Airlines flight from Houston, Texas. “It was reported that after disembarking, the passenger was observed to be clutching his chest and asking for help.

“In the course of examination, he was asked if he was Asthmatic, and he said ‘MAY BE’.

“On examination, he was found to be pale, in respiratory distress (gasping for breath), his pulse was rapid and thready. Based on his response to the question if he was asthmatic, a Ventolin inhaler was administered, but was not effective, as the patient was restless and threw off the inhaler to the floor. He was placed on the left lateral position and at the same time, oxygen was called for.

“Efforts were made to administer oxygen, while a second doctor was called and suction applied via a suction machine to clear the airway.

“Subsequently, the patient suffered a cardio-pulmonary arrest; the radial and carotid pulses were no longer palpable and patient was observed to be cyanosed. Attempts at resuscitation proved abortive. Pupils were fixed and dilated and patient was certified dead at 4.26 pm.”

Government Should Support Travel Agencies With Loans – Ozolua

Mrs Olubunmi Ayodele Ozolua

Mrs. Olubunmi Ozolua, General Manager Links & Tours, in this exclusive interview with FLYNAIJA’s correspondent speaks on the responsibilities of the government in the travel industry and what separates her agency from others. Excerpts:

Links and Tours provides a one stop – shop for your travel needs i.e. reservation, ticketing itinerary buildup, visa advisory, hotels and meet and greet, for individual, corporate , religious & educational institutions.

What are your comparative advantages in the increasingly growing travel market?

At Links and Tours, our services are highly professional, personal & prompt. We do not only reach customers through the electronic media but also offer come to you personally to deliver the services when necessary.

 

What challenges do you think should be addressed by government in the sector in order to have a robust and more profitable service to your clients?

The government should through the Central Bank give the travel agencies (Registered and IATA Certified ones) access to loans at lower interest rate to help the business grow, just as the Bank of Industry (BoI) is doing for SMEs (The agent is an employer of labor). Also, the government should supervise the activities of the airlines in order to let agent get maximum returns for their investment, a situation where airlines are competing  with the agent through their websites and approach corporate organization with discounts that are not given to agents should be discouraged.

So what stands you out?

What stands us out is our knack and keen interest in educational and stress free travel. We believe in educating people about the cultures of wherever they go to broaden their horizon. This is why yearly we package tours to destinations in line with our core objective. We have in the past organised tour packages to the UK, Egypt, Ghana, South Africa, Dubai and others. We are also able to do specific and tailor-made tours when necessary.

How has the business been since you commence operation?

The business has grown over the past 7 years from manually operated systems to electronically operated systems that makes our service delivery efficient and more effective.

How do you plan to become a top travel management company in Nigeria?

We hope to draw up more marketing strategies, develop more robust web presence to allow us reach our clients both home and abroad with ease.

Tell us about yourself and your passion for this industry?

I am Olubunmi Ayodele Ozolua born some 50+ years ago with a B.Sc from university of Ife (now OAU), a PGD (Management) from Lagos State University (LASU) and an MBA (management) at the National Open University (NOUN). My work exposure in the service industry over the years has actually prepared me for this present position and i see this industry as where my experience would come to play. The industry is wide and challenging and I love to take up challenges. I am fulfilled when a passenger completes a trip without hitch.