Following the resolutions reached at the EARLIER meeting of the Major Oil Marketers of Nigeria (MOMAN) and the National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) renewal workshop held on 24 September, 2020 at IBETO Hotel Abuja in the face of frequent cases of road traffic crashes involving petroleum tankers and trucks leading to wanton destruction of lives and property in the country, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha directed that a meeting of strategic stakeholders be held on Monday, 23rd November, 2020.
At the meeting held at the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), National Headquarters Abuja, the Corps Marshal of FRSC, Dr Boboye Oyeyemi represented the SGF.
According to the press release signed by the Corps Public Education Officer, Assistant Corps Marshal Bisi Kazeem, the meeting which had in attendance, Executive Secretaries of MOMAN and NARTO and Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation took some far reaching resolutions aimed at tackling the menace of petroleum tanker crashes in the country. Kazeem disclosed that the meeting recommends that the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) to consider securing a Presidential Directive for urgent intervention in the provision of soft loans for truck renewal, using similar template as applicable to pharmaceutical companies and other sectors of the economy at the peak of COVID -19 .
He added that as a long term solution to the safe, efficient and sustainable transportation of petroleum products across the country, the meeting stressed the need for NNPC to re-activate failed and vandalized pipelines in the country to reduce the burden on the transportation of petroleum products by road. “Members further called for a timeline to be set for the enforcement of the maximum load capacity of 45,000 litres of petroleum products by trucks operating from the Tank Farms across the country,” he added.
Kazeem further disclosed that the meeting resolved that enforcement of all safety standards including anti-skid, anti-rollover and anti-spill (safety valves) be prioritized within a given time frame as outlined in the similar communiqué reached in 2018. He said “Government to consider issuing directives on enforcement of the 10-year policy on importation of trucks, so that any articulated vehicle that is beyond 10 years of age should not be allowed into the country.”
Part of the resolutions, according to him was that, FRSC, MOMAN and NARTO are to organize a joint enlightenment campaign for articulated vehicle drivers including production and placement of jingles in different languages on radio and television stations, production of handbills and also convene a press conference within two weeks
The resolutions were endorsed on behalf of the relevant stakeholders by Clement Isong and Aloga Ogbogo, Executive Secretaries of MOMAN and NARTO respectively and the Corps Marshal of FRSC.
Emirates customers can now plan their travels and fly with even greater assurance and peace of mind, with the airline’s latest industry-first initiative to provide expanded, multi-risk travel cover on top of its current COVID-19 cover.
Provided by Emirates at no additional cost to its customers, and provided by AIG Travel, this cover is the first of its kind in the airline and travel insurance industry. It is designed to provide all Emirates passengers a truly unique offer for stress-free and hassle-free travel.
This new multi-risk travel insurance and COVID-19 cover will automatically apply to all Emirates tickets purchased from 1 December, and extends to Emirates codeshare flights operated by partner airlines, as long as the ticket number starts with 176.
HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Emirates Chairman and Chief Executive said: “Emirates was the first airline to offer complimentary global COVID-19 cover for travelers back in July, and the response from our customers has been tremendously encouraging. We’ve not rested on our laurels and instead continued to look at how we can offer our customers an even better proposition. We’re very pleased to be able to now provide this new multi-risk travel insurance and COVID-19 cover, which is another industry first, to all our customers.
“We see a strong appetite for travel around the world, especially heading into the winter holidays as people seek warmer climates and family destinations like Dubai. By launching this new multi-risk travel insurance and COVID-19 cover, we aim to give our customers even more confidence in making their travel plans this winter and moving into 2021.”
Emirates customers will be covered when they fly to any destination, in any class of travel. Highlights of the coverage include:
Out-of-Country Emergency Medical Expenses & Emergency Medical Evacuation up to US$500,000, valid for COVID-19 (contracted during the trip) and other medical emergencies while traveling abroad; Trip Cancellation up to US$7,500 for non-refundable costs if the traveler or a relative (as defined in the policy) is unable to travel because they are diagnosed with COVID-19 before the scheduled trip departure date, or for other named reasons – similar to other comprehensive travel cover products.
The package also offers Trip Cancellation or Curtailment up to US$7,500 if the school year is extended due to COVID-19 beyond the departure date, and the traveler or a relative (as defined in the policy) is a full-time teacher, full-time employee, or a student at a primary or secondary school. Trip Curtailment up to US$7,500 for non-refundable trip costs and additional costs to return to their country of residence if the traveler or a relative (as defined in the policy) falls critically ill, for instance, contracts COVID-19 while traveling abroad.
Travel Abandonment up to US$7,500 if the traveler fails a COVID-19-related test or medical screening at the airport and is required to abandon the trip.
Furthermore, customers will get US$150 per day per person, for up to 14 consecutive days if, while outside of their country of residence, the traveler tests positive for COVID-19, and if they are unexpectedly placed into a mandatory quarantine outside their country of residence by a governmental body.
“We have enjoyed a long-standing relationship with Emirates and we are excited to work with them to tailor this product to meet the needs of Emirates customers worldwide,” said Jeff Rutledge, CEO, AIG Travel. “Our hope is to help alleviate some of the concerns travelers may have when planning travel during this time.”
Similar to other multi-risk travel insurance products, Emirates’ generous cover also has provisions for personal accidents during travel, winter sports cover, loss of personal belongings, and trip disruptions due to unexpected air space closure, travel recommendations or advisories. Customers do not need to register or fill in any forms before they travel, and they are not obligated to utilize this cover provided by Emirates.
Emirates’ booking policies offer customers flexibility and confidence to plan their travel. Customers who purchase an Emirates ticket for travel on or before 31 March 2021, can enjoy generous rebooking terms and options, if they must change their travel plans. Customers have options to change their travel dates or extend their ticket validity for 2 years.
Emirates has implemented a comprehensive set of measures at every step of the customer journey to ensure the safety of its customers and employees on the ground and in the air, including the distribution of complimentary hygiene kits containing masks, gloves, hand sanitizer and antibacterial wipes to all customers.
Dubai is now definitely open for international business and leisure visitors. From sun-soaked beaches and heritage activities to world class hospitality and leisure facilities, Dubai offers a variety of world-class experiences for visitors. In 2019, the city welcomed 16.7 million visitors and hosted over hundreds of global meetings and exhibitions, as well as sports and entertainment events. Dubai was one of the world’s first cities to obtain Safe Travels stamp from the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) – which endorses Dubai’s comprehensive and effective measures to ensure guest health and safety
Pragmatic Homes, a diversified real estate investment, development and Management Company based in Lagos Nigeria last Thursday unveiled popular Fuji Singer Alabi Pasuma and top crossover Nigerian actress, Iyabo Ojo as the company new brand ambassador in a 3-in-1 event held at their new Lagos office located on highbrow Omole Estate Phase 2.
The new ambassadors who were full of praise explained that the professionalism and ingenuity of the Pragmatic home team in meeting the demand of their teaming customers influence their decision to join the movement.
It was stated further by the new ambassadors that they will be working tirelessly to make sure many of their celebrity colleagues are encouraged to own properties with trailblazing and credible organization knowing that the creative industry does not promise retirement benefits.
While addressing the newsmen, Iyabo Ojo noted that it was important for entertainers and other people to own properties saying “As a new landlady, it is my desire and dream to see people of all ages get their properties. At Pragmatic Homes, they have proper documentation for all their properties. And one does not need to have all the money at once before getting the properties. They can pay in instalments.”
The event which also serves as the official launch of the company’s new state-of-the-art office edifice in Omole also serves as the kick-off of the publicity towards their new estate “Berry Courts” in Abeokuta, the company which prides itself as an real-estate company with properties in choice areas rather than most with lands in towns out of the main town.
Speaking on behalf of Pragmatic Homes, Dr. Shobowale the Managing Director explained that the company strategies in making sure anyone who come in contact with them smiles home with their choice property is by not only making the property affordable but also making payment flexible, it was also revealed that the company in other to make savings for property easy are in the process of establishing a mortgage bank that will be giving mortgage facilities to their customers.
A Sunday report by an online media, claiming there was another attack by Boko Haram on the convoy of Borno Governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum, is false. There was neither an attack on the governor directly nor on any component of his convoy.
Zulum’s spokesman, Malam Isa Gusau, in a statement issued on Sunday, said Zulum traveled to Baga, spent a day supervising the distribution of food and other relief to thousands of residents and returned to Maiduguri safely with no hitch whatsoever.
“For the record, we write to quickly clarify that contrary to a “breaking news” by an online news medium, Governor Babagana Umara Zulum was neither attacked nor was any component of his convoy attacked by anyone.
“The governor was actually in Baga from Saturday to Sunday, during which he supervised the distribution of food and cash support to 5,000 residents and he assessed major reconstruction and resettlement efforts with no hitch whatsoever.
“While we continually accord respect to all media organizations as supportive partners, we importantly clarify that we have no knowledge of the breaking news” in question.
As members of the public can testify, it is the culture and principle of Professor Zulum to say things as they are, and in this case, it is what it is- no attack whatsoever.
Any media organization that wants further clarification may wish to contact the Nigerian military. Meanwhile, Governor Zulum appreciates all well wishers, and he gratefully commends armed forces and civilian volunteers for the relentless efforts to fully regain lasting peace in Borno State” the statement said.
Following the cross examination that happened at the Lagos Judicial Panel, Brig.-Gen. Ahmed Taiwo, Commander of the 81 Division, Military Intelligence Brigade, Victoria Island, clarified that the army went to the tollgate with both blank and live ammunitions.
While being cross-examined, Brig.-Gen. Ahmed Taiwo insisted that that the military acted within the Army’s Rules of Engagement in keeping up with professionalism.
Reacting to the statement by Major Osoba Olaniyi, Acting Deputy Director, Public Relations, 81 division, titled, “Re-Cross Examination of Brig General Ahmed Taiwo on Blank and Live Ammunition by Troops of 81 division, Nigerian Army”, he emphasised that carrying both blank and live ammunition is part of the table of Equipment for internal Security Operation as well as part of the rules of engagement for soldiers during such IS operations.
He advised Nigerians and stakeholders to beware of the antics of agents of both local and foreign destabilization who are bent on using the EndSARS plant seeds of discord in the nation.
The statement reads,“ The attention of the headquarters 81 division, Nigerian Army has been drawn to news items on both the social and mainstream media insinuating the troops of the Nigerian Army contradicted its evidence of firing blank ammunition when it also carried live ammunition for internal Security on the 20th October 2020.
“We hereby state unequivocally that carrying both blank and live ammunition is part of our table of Equipment for internal Security operations.
“It is part of the rules of engagement for soldiers on internal Security operations to carry both blank and live ammunition .
“The use of any of these ammunition as stated in our rules of engagement depends on the level of threat at the operational area.
“Please note that one of the principles of internal Security operations is the use of minimum Force. Minimum Force itself is a function of the assessment of the Commander on ground.
“In this circumstances, ie; the Lekki Toll Gate, the Commander on ground assessed that there was no need to use live ammunition. That was why only blank ammunition was used at the Lekki Toll Gate.
“The blank ammunition was fired into the sky and not at the protesters.
“The results are all glaring as there was no fatality recorded. This has been corroborated by BBC reports and other reputable news media outfit.
“The use of blank ammunition/minimum Force achieved the aim of dispersing the hoodlums and crowd.
“It is pertinent to reiterate that the Nigerian Army is a law abiding institution that actis in tandem with her rules of engagement.
“We therefore wish to advice all stakeholders to guide against being used by local and foreign agents of destabilization who do not wish this country any good.
Named Africa’s Leading Business Hotel for the Sixth Consecutive Year
Transcorp Hilton Abuja has been honoured with four (4) awards including Africa’s Leading Business Hotel for the sixth consecutive year at the 27th annual World Travel Awards.
The hotel, which is owned by Transcorp Hotels Plc, the hospitality subsidiary of Transnational Corporation of Nigeria Plc, also won the awards for Nigeria’s Leading Hotel, Nigeria’s Leading Business Hotel and Nigeria’s Leading Hotel Suite (the Presidential Suite).
Commenting on the award, the General Manager of Transcorp Hilton Abuja, Kevin Brett, said, “We are delighted once again to receive the World Travel Awards in various categories. It is a testament to the fact that the hard work and commitment our team put in daily is recognised and appreciated”. Speaking further, he said “I thank our guests who through their continuous patronage and feedback have helped us retain the number one position in the Nigerian hospitality industry”
The Managing Director, Transcorp Hotels Plc, Dupe Olusola, in her remarks, highlighted the significance of receiving such an award during the COVID-19 Pandemic. She said, “It is such a pleasure to receive the ultimate seal of excellence in the global tourism and hospitality industry from the World Travel Awards. At a time were travellers are exploring only the best hospitality products, the significance of this recognition is truly important”
According to the organiser of the award, this year’s World Travel Awards nomination programme reported record and never before seen visitor traffic and engagement from the public voter (the all-important tourism consumer) despite the incredible challenges faced by our industry over the course of 2020. This shows that as the global recovery begins, the appetite for tourism has never been as keen and offers hope and much-needed encouragement to us all.
World Travel Awards was established in 1993 to acknowledge, reward and celebrate excellence across all key sectors of the travel, tourism and hospitality industries. Today, the World Travel Awards brand is recognised globally as the ultimate hallmark of industry excellence.
Veteran song writer and Gbolaboom Records boss, MC Wraps has returned to the music scene with a new groovy track titled ‘Freestyle’.
Freestyle is a rhythmic song creatively delivered with soothing melody. Indeed, while doing justice to the beat, MC Wraps proved his dexterity as a song writer with proven integrity.
Born Gbolahan Abu, MC Wraps, an indigene of Lagos State, started his foray into showbiz by writing song/lyrics and movie scripts.
Yanke, his first single as a singer released many years ago enjoyed reasonable reviews from music buffs locally and internationally.
…Arrests 3 For Cyber-Related Offences, Uncovers 50,000 email accounts/passwords from a suspect
The Nigeria Police Force has unveiled a Cybercrime Reporting Web Portal. The portal which can be accessed by clicking on the link https://incb.police.gov.ng/ is part of efforts directed at ensuring ease of crime reportage by members of the public to enable prompt investigation, arrest and prosecution of perpetrators of cybercrime and other related offences.
The portal caters for complaints pertaining to cybercrimes. With this, victims/complainants can now report cases of cybercrime online, at any time and from any part of the world. The cases are promptly attended to by the Cybercrime Unit of the Force domiciled with the INTERPOL National Central Bureau (NCB), Force Headquarters, Abuja and the newly created Cybercrime Unit at the INTERPOL Annex, Alagbon Close, Ikoyi, Lagos. The new portal will provide updates on achievements being recorded by the Nigeria Police and will, among other things, avail the citizens knowledge of basic cyber-related issues such as emerging cybercrime trends, the modus operandi of the cyber crooks and offer tips on how citizens could make themselves less vulnerable within the cyberspace.
The Force urges potential users of the portal to ensure that only correct and accurate information, devoid of deliberate falsehood, misrepresentation and misinformation, are provided when filing their complaints.
Meanwhile, three (3) suspects, namely Onwuka Emmanuel Chidiebere a.k.a Ceeceeboss TMT 32yrs ‘m’ currently residing at Lekki, Lagos State, native of Aro-Ikpa in Abia State, Ikechukwu Ohanedozie a.k.a Dozzy 34yrs ‘m’ and Onuegwu Ifeanyi a.k.a SSGToolz 35yrs ‘m’ of Prof’s Avenue, Umudagu, Mbieri, Mba-itolu LGA, Imo State have been arrested by the Nigeria Police Cybercrime Unit, INTERPOL National Central Bureau (NCB), Abuja.
The three suspects were arrested following Intelligence report received from INTERPOL Cybercrime Directorate in Singapore on global attacks by Nigerian cyber gangs who engage in mass email phishing campaigns and distribution of malwares aimed at stealing authentication data from browsers and email headers.
Findings so far reveal that of the three suspects, Onuegwu Ifeanyi a.k.a SSGToolz specializes in creating, designing, selling of phishing links and hosting malwares on website used by the gang for phishing and hacking purposes. He collects charges running into several millions of naira from other fraudsters he mentors and improves their phishing capabilities.
Onwuka Emmanuel Chidiebere a.k.a Ceeceeboss TMT, a graduate of Business Administration from Imo State University specialises in business email compromise and hacking. A comprehensive forensic analysis reveals that he had in his laptop-computer over 50,000 email accounts and websites including passwords of various individuals and corporate entities across the world. He recruited the third suspect Ikechukwu Ohanedozie a.k.a Dozzy, a medical student of Imo State University, into the gang. Ikechukwu Ohanedozie sorts and profiles e-mail accounts to determine financial strengths of prospective victims and passes on information obtained therefrom to Onwuka Emmanuel Chidiebere. All the suspects will be charged to court on conclusion of investigation and prosecuted in line with the Cybercrime Prevention/Prohibition Act, 2015.
Meanwhile, the Inspector General of Police, IGP M. A Adamu, NPM mni reaffirms the commitment of the Nigeria Police Force in protecting the cyber space and bringing all cyber criminals to book. He reassures confidentiality of all reports and complaints made to the Police through the cyber portal.
DCP Frank Mba
Force Public Relations Officer
Force Headquarters
Abuja
First Bank of Nigeria Limited, Nigeria’s premier and leading financial inclusion services provider has announced its variant account products – KidsFirst and MeFirst – created to encourage the right savings culture among children from 0 – 17 years. The offerings have relevant enhancements including appropriate parental guidance and financial discipline for children as they grow into adulthood. Both accounts can be opened with zero balance and operated with a minimum balance of N100.00.
KidsFirst Account is designed for children between the ages of 0 and 12 years to sensitise them on how exciting saving can be. The account comes with a trendy gift item for the child when the account is opened with a minimum of N10,000.00. The account is automatically transited to MeFirst account when the child is 13 years old.
MeFirst account, on the other hand, is designed for teenagers between the ages of 13 and 17. This account is created in recognition of the need to help teenagers embrace the culture of financial responsibility and cashless payment as they develop into young adults. They have access to attractive and trendy pre-paid cards through which parents/guardians can credit weekly/monthly allowance and monetary gifts. MeFirst account holders can select from 5 exciting card design options that suites their trendy style.
The Mefirst cards are enabled to pay for micro online shopping as desired – mobile games, apple music, Spotify and local POS transactions as well. Teens are thereby exposed to the cashless culture and electronic payment activities early in life, which is expedient in today’s digital age. Parents and guardians of the child are granted access to track and control the spend pattern.
Speaking on the accounts, Gbenga Shobo, FirstBank’s Deputy Managing Director said, “we are delighted with the role we play in promoting financial literacy amongst children and teenagers in the country. Our KidsFirst and MeFirst accounts are designed to ensure that parents and guardians are able to have their wards exposed to the right savings culture and financial discipline as they evolve to adulthood.”
“With these accounts, parents are able to save and strengthen their preparedness for various financial obligations of their children like paying for school fees as they progress with their academic pursuit which is pivotal to securing the future of the children. MeFirst and KidsFirst accounts are essential gifts from parents to their children”.
Emirates which just resumed its daily flights to Lagos, has been rated the safest airline in the world in its response to the COVID-19 Pandemic according to the Safe Travel Barometer.
The airline, which has set industry-leading safety standards since the resumption of its operations back in May, has topped the ranks with a ‘Safe Travel Score’ of 4.4 out of 5.0 among 230+ airlines evaluated worldwide. The score is based on an independent audit of 26 health and safety parameters evaluating safety protocols, traveller convenience and service excellence announced by airlines.
Safe Travel Barometer is the world’s most comprehensive solution to monitor and benchmark supplier initiatives in the travel, tourism and hospitality industry for the post-COVID world. Its rating mechanism considers safety measures and hygiene standards across all touchpoints of a traveller’s journey which Emirates has consistently delivered on. At every step of the journey, Emirates has spared no effort to prioritise the care, health and safety of its customers, employees and communities.
Enhanced biosafety measures taken by the airline include the distribution of complimentary hygiene kits, protective barriers at check-in desks and immigration counters, personal protective equipment and new safety protocols for cabin crew and airport employees in customer facing roles, and elevated aircraft cleaning procedures including the frequent cleaning and disinfecting of aircraft lavatories every 45 minutes during flights, amongst many other measures.
Emirates has also led the way in traveller convenience which was another sub-category considered by the Safe Travel Barometer. The airline was first in the industry to offer its customers free Covid-19 cover to help them travel with more confidence, knowing that medical expenses of up to EUR 150,000 and quarantine costs of EUR 100 per day for 14 days will be covered if they are diagnosed with COVID-19 during their travel, while they are away from home. Emirates’ booking policies also offer customers great flexibility and confidence to plan their travel. Customers have options to change their travel dates, or extend their ticket validity for 2 years. In addition, the airline launched initiatives to help its loyal Emirates Skywards members retain their tier status and introduce new ways for them to earn and spend their Miles.
The Safe Travel Barometer was launched in 2020 to monitor global traveller health and safety measures, traveler convenience initiatives and overall traveler experience which influences traveler’s decision-making and the actual journey in the new normal. The Safe Travel Score is an industry-first COVID-19 rating initiative, created in the wake of recovery from the pandemic.
Safe Travel Barometer is a B2B solution by Safe Travel Technologies, an independent subsidiary of VIDEC, a travel industry advisory and consulting firm. The coverage includes more than 2,000 companies across 10 industry categories, 50 parameters, and traveller arrival information on more than 80 destinations.
Emirates resumed its daily service to Lagos from 1 November. The expanded schedule of daily services offers enhanced connectivity for Nigerian customers to Emirates’ growing destination network via Dubai of close to 100 destinations.
