Air Peace'll meet with Emir of Kano soon over missed flight - Onyema – Newstrends
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Air Peace’ll meet with Emir of Kano soon over missed flight – Onyema

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The management of Air Peace has said that it will meet with Aminu Ado Bayero, the Emir of Kano and the emirate very soon in a bid to resolve the misunderstanding arising from last week’s missed flight by the emir and his entourage.

The airline said that it would not like the issue to heat up the polity, maintaining that it would continue to preach peace and unity of Nigeria.

Allen Onyema, the Chairman, Air Peace, made the statement on Monday when Independent Newspapers’ team led by Mr. Don Okere, the editor, Daily Independent, paid him a courtesy visit in his office at the Government Reserved Area (G.R.A) Ikeja, Lagos.

Independent Newspapers selected Mr. Onyema as the Businessman of the Year 2021 in its annual award slated for Saturday at Eko Hotels and Suites, Lagos.

Fielding questions from the editorial team, Onyema regretted the altercations that arose from the missed flight, but described the emir as a quiet and a peace loving man who would not encourage violence of any sort.

He also cautioned the public, especially the media, against escalating the issue, assuring that the airline would resolve the issue amicably. He said: “I don’t want to be used to heat up the polity.

“I don’t want Air Peace to be a source of rancour in the country. Air Peace has always been known as an airline that was borne out of peace.

‘I have been a very peaceful person and I have been pursuing tenets of peace all my life and I have been pursuing peace and unity of this country selflessly right from my teenage years.

“So, I cannot allow myself to be used or to be involved in anything that will tear the country apart.

‘And the Emir of Kano I know is a peace loving man. I have always known him as a prince when the late father was still alive.

“I have paid homage to the father several times. He may not remember me, but when I bring pictures of me and his father and him also, he will realise that I have been paying homage to his father.

“I have always known him as a very quiet and unassuming person and nothing has changed.

“I don’t think the emir of Kano will want to be involved in what is happening and I can tell you he is a very respectable man.

“We are going to meet any day. He’s not a troublesome person and I am sure he will like to meet with me and I will also like to meet with him, too.

“There is nothing at stake, we are all one Nigeria. We don’t want people to capitalise on this to start fanning embers of disunity in the country. People should play it down; the media should play it down.

“The fragile peace we have in this country should not be toyed with in any way. Air Peace will not allow itself to be a source of rancour in the country.”

Recall that Isa Bayero, the cousin of the emir, had on Saturday issued a three-day ultimatum to Air Peace to apologise for allegedly “disrespecting” the monarch.

He had earlier written a letter of complaint to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), asking the regulatory body to take action against the airline for allegedly disrespecting the emir and the people of Kano.

He purported that the airline turned down his request to delay the Lagos-Kano scheduled flight after they were delayed in Banjul, Gambia, to Lagos.

Also, Onyema lauded President Muhammadu Buhari, Sen. Hadi Sirika, the Minister of Aviation, and Capt. Musa Nuhu, the Director-General of NCAA, for putting national interest forward during the faceoff with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) over his airline’s slots issue with the Middle East country.

He said the airline on Tuesday recommenced flight services to Dubai through the Dubai International Airport.

“Yes, we are returning to Dubai tomorrow (Tuesday). I cannot be a prouder Nigerian with what the Federal Government did as it concerns our flight operations into Dubai; Nigerians of all works of life and ethnicities were proud of the way the government stood behind Air Peace.

“The government was even ready to sacrifice the diplomatic relationship with the UAE if they didn’t do the right thing.

“I thank President Muhammadu Buhari for providing that kind of leadership where every Nigerian is protected no matter where you come from and no matter who you are,” he said.

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Defamation: Court orders arrest of prophet, two others

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Defamation: Court orders arrest of prophet, two others

Justice Olaolu Olanipekun of Oyo State Magistrates’ Court 7 sitting in Iyaganku, Ibadan, has issued a warrant for the arrest of a prophet of a Cherubim and Seraphim (C&S) church, Ojo Amos (aka Elewuogbo).

Justice Olanipekun ordered that Elewuogbo and his two sureties be arrested and detained for jumping bail.

Elewuogbo is on trial for alleged defamation of character of the Founder of One Love Family, Sat Guru Maharaj Ji.

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Elewuogbo and a Lagos-based blogger, Gbenga Asabe, had, through publications, accused Maharaj Ji of selling human body parts for money rituals.

The court also granted request for consolidation of the cases against Elewuogbo and Asabe brought by Maharaj Ji’s counsel, Dapo Akinosi.

Akinosi prayed the court that since the facts were related, they should be merged. The court granted the application and adjourned the case till April 30.

Defamation: Court orders arrest of prophet, two others

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Students drag university to court over payment of registration fees

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Students drag university to court over payment of registration fees

Three students of one of the universities in northern part of the country, Al-qalam University, Katsina, have dragged the institution to a High Court in Katsina over payment of registration fees.

The applicants, Hauwa’u Sani-Barda, Rabi’atu Sani-Barda and Hafsat Sani-Barda, all students of the respondent, got admission in 2018 and 2019, and graduated in 2022 and 2023.

They, however, claimed that the respondents had refused to mobilise them for the mandatory National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), because they had not settled all fees due to the institution.

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During the proceedings on Thursday, the applicants’ counsel, Muhammad Mukhtar-Lawal, told the court that his clients had filed an exparte motion in pursuance to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).

Mukhtar-Lawal said that the application sought the leave of the court to apply for judicial review.

After the counsel’s submission, the judge, Justice Abbas Bawale, said that the applicants should have filed a motion on notice.

Bawale, however, granted a leave order to the applicants to apply for judicial review by way of mandamus.
He said after that, processes would be served on the university and enable the court to hear the case.

Students drag university to court over payment of registration fees

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NAFDAC busts fake Eva water factory, arrests suspect

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NAFDAC busts fake Eva water factory, arrests suspect

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has exposed a counterfeit bottled water operation in Port Harcourt, specifically targeting the renowned brand Eva water.

Following a tipoff, NAFDAC officials conducted a raid on a derelict shop situated on Pipeline Road, Eneka.

The establishment disguised as a pool house and served as the hub for producing the fraudulent water.

During the operation, authorities discovered that used Eva plastic bottles were being refilled with contaminated water sourced from a paint bucket.

The water was then filtered through unhygienic rubber funnels covered with cloth.

Counterfeit Eva labels were affixed to the bottles, which were subsequently sealed with fake Eva corks.

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One suspect, identified as Chibunna James, was apprehended while in the process of loading the adulterated water for distribution. However, the mastermind behind the operation remains at large.

The confiscated products were promptly evacuated to the NAFDAC office for further investigation and analysis.

Cyril Monye, NAFDAC’s Public Relations Officer for Rivers State, disclosed that the scheme of the perpetrators involved repackaging contaminated water in used Eva bottles, employing makeshift filters made from unsanitary materials, and applying fake labels and corks to deceive consumers.

While efforts are underway to locate and apprehend the ringleader of the syndicate, NAFDAC urges the public to provide any relevant information that could aid in their apprehension.

Furthermore, Monye revealed that thirty packs of the counterfeit products were confiscated and transported to the NAFDAC office in Port Harcourt for thorough investigation. To prevent the circulation of the counterfeit water, the uncorked bottles were emptied and disposed of.

NAFDAC busts fake Eva water factory, arrests suspect

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