Airport Reporters

Edo female drug trafficker gets 10 years with hard labour  The Federal High Court sitting in Benin City has sentenced a twenty-nine-year-old female drug trafficker, Owoeye Tobi, to ten years imprisonment with hard labour. This is in connection with multiple drug charges involving unlawful possession of illegal substances, including Cannabis Sativa, Heroin, Cocaine, Tramadol capsules, and Methamphetamine. In his ruling, Hon. Justice B. O. Quadiri sentenced Owoeye Tobi to ten years with hard labour or an option of a twenty-five million naira fine. According to Quadri, “After reviewing the facts of this case, you are hereby sentenced to two calendar years' imprisonment with hard labour on each count or to pay an option of a fine of five million on each count.” NDLEA Edo State commander Mitchell Ofoyeju, while reacting to the judgement, noted that such strict penalties are essential in deterring potential offenders and reinforcing the ongoing efforts to combat drug trafficking. “I am p...

  NCAA ,ICAO launch workshop to strengthen aviation security oversight  In a renewed effort to strengthen Nigeria’s aviation security framework, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), in partnership with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), has commenced a five-day national quality control workshop for the Universal Security Audit Programme Continuous Monitoring Approach (USAP-CMA). The technical workshop, which kicked off on Monday, July 21, 2025, at the NCAA’s Lagos Regional Office, aims to sharpen the country’s Aviation Security (AVSEC) oversight system by addressing audit findings and enhancing quality control mechanisms through global best practices. Speaking at the opening ceremony, the Director-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Capt. Chris Najomo—represented by the NCAA Lagos Regional Manager, Barr. Olubukola Aduragbemi Terriba—described the workshop as a strategic response to gaps identified during the ICAO USAP-CMA audit conducted in March 2024....

  NCAA reads riot act to airlines in enforcing currency declaration laws  Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has directed all international airlines flying into Nigeria to ensure strict compliance with currency declaration laws.  The  directive by the apex civil aviation regulatory body is contained in a letter dated July 21, 2025 and signed by its  Director, Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Mr. Michael Achimugu. The authority stressed that this order reinforces an earlier directive (Ref: NCAA/CPD/ABV/298, dated April 24, 2025).  It mandates  airlines to  inform inbound passengers of legal currency reporting obligations as part of Nigeria’s broader anti-money laundering reforms. In the letter, the NCAA explained that the directive is tied to Nigeria’s ongoing efforts to strengthen its Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) framework.  These efforts, the NCAA said   aligns  with internatio...

  Nigeria Week Ahead: CBN decision, ECB , USD in focus By Lukman Otunuga This will be a week defined by high-impact events and corporate earnings from the largest companies in the world. Nigeria’s central bank is expected to hold interest rates on Tuesday. This decision is likely based on still stubbornly high inflation despite price pressures easing in recent months. Inflation slowed to 22.2% year-on-year in June, its third consecutive decline. A CBN rate cut could be on the cards in H2, but this will be on the back of persistently falling price pressures. Looking at the NGX All Share Index, it has gained almost 10% month-to-date – pushing 2025 gains to nearly 30%. This means the NGX is currently outperforming the S&P500 and Nasdaq100 who have gained roughly 7% and 11% this year respectively. The Naira spot has held its ground against the USD this year after depreciating almost 70% in 2024. Outside of Nigeria, earnings season is in full swing with US banks reporting strong res...

Keyamo Receives Egyptian Foreign Minister .....Signs Strategic MoU for enhanced BASA   Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo  has  received the Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Badr Abdellatty, in his office in Abuja for the formal signing of a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and an Enhanced Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) between the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Arab Republic of Egypt. The agreement, which was initially conceived during the 2024 International Civil Aviation Negotiations (ICAN) Conference, marks a significant milestone in the deepening of bilateral cooperation between both nations in the field of civil aviation. Speaking during the brief but symbolic ceremony, the aviation Minister described the signing as a “strategic breakthrough” that reflects the mutual commitment of both countries to strengthening connectivity, facilitating technical exchange, and opening new investment opportunities wit...

 How to improve airports’ revenue, by experts Experts in the air travel and airports’ management ecosystem have prescribed sustainable models to grow non – flight related sources of revenue for aerodromes littering the country, urging the governments in Africa to adopt a paradigm shift by evolving from public liabilities to private powered prosperity engines. Speaking in an interview, the Acting Chief Operating Officer (COO), Bi- Courtney Aviation Services Limited, (BASL), Mr Remi Jibodu, said the air travel sector must see airports not just as transit points or places to catch a flight, but as a critical infrastructure playing a vital role in driving economic growth and ensuring national connectivity. Jibodu said airports as economic engines, trade facilitators,  tourism enablers and job creators have not attracted significant revenues from many sources due to ageing infrastructure, low service efficiency and sub – optimal resource allocation. The BASL COO said the parad...

  NSIB reaffirms  commitment for safer transportation modes  The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) has reiterated its resolute commitment to enhancing transportation safety across all modes in Nigeria - air, marine, rail, and other forms of land transport, through a standardised, independent, and forward-looking investigative approach. Its Director of Public Affairs and Family Assistance, Mrs Bimbo Olawunmi  Oladeji disclosed this in a statement. She said with its expanded mandate as enshrined in the NSIB Act 2022, the Bureau is pioneering a new era of multimodal safety oversight, underpinned by globally recognised investigative practices and a clear mission: to prevent accidents by learning from them. As part of this strategic vision, the Bureau is finalising two critical regulatory frameworks, the NSIB Casualty Investigation Regulations for the Maritime Mode of Transport and the Rail and Track Accident Investigation Regulations for the Rail sector. These ...