Headlines
Meet New FAAN MD, Captain Rabiu Yadudu
The Federal Government on Monday appointed Captain Rabiu Hamisu Yadudu as Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).
Until the appointment, the pilot with considerable industry experience was Director of Operations at FAAN.
He replaces Saleh Dunoma, who had spent over three decades at the aviation agency before he was appointed many years ago.
Yadudu’s entry, according to industry watchers, is another attempt by the outgoing Minister of State for Aviation, Hadi Sirika, to entrench some interests in the sector.
Yadudu hails from Kano State while Dunoma is from Borno State.
A statement by the Deputy Director of Press and Public Affairs in the Ministry of Transport, Aviation, James Odaudu, said the appointment takes immediate effect.
The statement reads: “President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the appointment of Captain Rabiu Hadudu as the new MD of FAAN.
Yadudu, an ICAO/ACI-accredited Airport Professional, holds professional certifications in Avionics, Airport Safety Management Systems, Airport Security Management, among others.
He is a seasoned aviator with considerable experience in domestic, regional and inter/trans-continental scheduled passenger, charter, cargo and, most recently, Aero Medical operations.
The pilot was also the Director of Airport Operations (DAO) at FAAN.
Yadudu also holds a current NCAA and FAA licences as Captain-in-Command on Boeing 747,200/300, Learjet 45 XR and Cessna Citation Sovereign – CE-680 aircraft.
He graduated from the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT) in 1993 as a Licensed Aircraft Maintenances Engineer (AVIONICS) and later trained at Delta Aeronautics in Forth Worth, Texas, United States of America (U.S.A), where he obtained his Commercial Pilot Licence in 1995.
Yadudu started his career in the industry with the Nigeria Airways as an Avionics Maintenance Engineer but later left for Kabo Air, where he joined as a co-pilot and rose to become a Captain in 2007.
In the course of his career at Kabo Air, he served at different points – as the Safety Pilot, Head of Safety and Chief Pilot.
Yadudu is married and has children.
By Eric Elezuo
The Presidency has announce that President Bola Tinubu will be departing Abuja to (Wednesday) for Paris, France, on a ‘short working visit’.
A statement to the effect, signed and released by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, was however silent on the shape of international relationship the working visiting the president was embarking on will take, but noted that Tinubu will use the ‘retreat’ to review his administration’s mid-term performance and assess key milestones, as well as review progress of ongoing reforms.
While acknowledging that the president will spend ‘about a fortnight’ on the trip, the statement added he would supervise administration while away.
The statement in details
PRESIDENT TINUBU TO EMBARK ON WORKING VISIT TO PARIS
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will depart for Paris, France, today on a short working visit.
During the visit, the President will appraise his administration’s mid-term performance and assess key milestones.
He will also use the retreat to review the progress of ongoing reforms and engage in strategic planning ahead of his administration’s second anniversary.
This period of reflection will inform plans to deepen ongoing reforms and accelerate national development priorities in the coming year.
Recent economic strides reinforce the President’s commitment to these efforts, as evidenced by the Central Bank of Nigeria reporting a significant increase in net foreign exchange reserves to $23.11 billion—a testament to the administration’s fiscal reforms since 2023 when net reserves were $3.99 billion.
While away, President Tinubu will remain fully engaged with his team and continue to oversee governance activities.
He will return to Nigeria in about a fortnight.
President Bola Tinubu has sacked the Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL, Mele Kyari.
Tinubu also dissolved its board, removing the Chairman, Chief Pius Akinyelure.
Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on information and strategy, announced this in a statement on Wednesday.
Onanuga said Tinubu invoked his powers under section 59(2) of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021 to carry out the sweeping reconstitution, citing the need for “enhanced operational efficiency, restored investor confidence, and a more commercially viable NNPC”.
He announced that Tinubu has now approved a new 11-man board, which has Engineer Bashir Bayo Ojulari as the Group CEO and Ahmadu Musa Kida as non-executive chairman.
According to the statement, “Adedapo Segun, who replaced Umaru Isa Ajiya as the chief financial officer last November, has been appointed to the new board by President Tinubu.
“Six board members, non-executive directors, represent the country’s geopolitical zones. They are Bello Rabiu, North West, Yusuf Usman, North East, and Babs Omotowa, a former managing director of the Nigerian Liquified Natural Gas( NLNG), who represents North Central.
“President Tinubu appointed Austin Avuru as a non-executive director from the South-South, David Ige as a Non-executive director from the South West, and Henry Obih as a non-executive director from the South East.
“Mrs Lydia Shehu Jafiya, permanent secretary of the Federal Ministry of Finance, will represent the ministry on the new board, while Aminu Said Ahmed will represent the Ministry of Petroleum Resources.”
He added said that all the appointments are effective today, April 2.
President Donald Trump claimed on Monday that Americans want him to run for another term, a step banned by the US constitution but which he continues describing as possible.
“People are asking me to run,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office when asked about the possibility of a third term.
“I don’t know. I never looked into it. They do say there’s a way you can do it, but I don’t know about that, but I have not looked into it,” Trump said.
Trump was asked about the prospect of a race pitting him against former president Barack Obama, who served two terms.
“That would be a good one, I’d like that,” Trump said.
“I’m not joking” about the idea of seeking a third term, Trump said Sunday in an interview with NBC News.
The 78-year-old Republican served from 2017 to 2021 and began his second term in the White House on January 20.
The first US president, George Washington, established a tradition by not seeking a third term after completing his second one in 1797.
But this tradition was not formally added to the US constitution until after World War II, with the ratification of the 22nd amendment in 1951.
It says no one can be elected president more than two times.
