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NANTA Asks for Bailout As Airlines Are Grounded, Postpones 2020 AGM
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By Eric Elezuo
The National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies (NANTA) has announced the postponement of its earlier scheduled Annual General Meeting (AGM) billed for the city of Kano, Nigeria, saying that the association is “concerned about our people, their health and future wellbeing during and after when this plague.”
Making the announcement before newsmen penultimate weekend, the National President of the group, Mr. Bankole Bernard, declared that the postponement is in response to the spread of the dreaded Coronavirus disease currently ravaging the world.
Lamenting the desire to take such a decision, Bernard noted that it is imperative to understand that the decision was not taken out of fear as it is not his ‘style to enthrone fear where there is none’, but as a precautionary measure to put safety first, adding that it was a veritable time to explain the devastating blow the impact of the disease codenamed COVID-19 has had on the global travel business to which Nigeria is a veritable member. He noted that travel agencies were no longer ‘distributing inventory of our end users who are the passengers’.
He said: “NANTA is not unmindful of the consequences of COVID -19 economically to the wellbeing of our members and our principles but we are more concerned about the health of our industry players and consumers. We therefore, crave for understanding and urge all NANTA members to obey all government rules and regulations concerning the management of this pandemic. We are not alarmed or in panic mood but sufficiently aware to follow directives of the Federal Government task force on COVID -19, daily updates from Centre for Disease Control and daily monitoring of activities at our airports.
“Having taken into consideration, the effective consequence of the development, the EXCO and members of our association directed that our Kano AGM next week in Kano be postponed to a later date. It was a hard decision having assured you all two weeks ago that we are good to go. We are bent to be on the side of caution and not panic. We should know what COVID -19 is all about since we are at the Centre, the engine room of the travel business which is presently grounded globally.”
The president, who is a stickler to laid down rules, however, noted that the transfer of mandate to a new administration will still hold during a private ceremony in order not to cause a constitutional breach as officers for the various offices of the association have already been elected.
“Next week, in Lagos, the board of Trustees and the EXCO… will be here to witness the hand over to a new EXCO which should have been done in Kano but for COVID-19 watch regulations,” he informed.
Describing the airline industry as the hardest hit in the current crisis, Bernard said that the industry has lost a whooping sum of $200 billion and still counting owing to cumulative impact of loss of packing and landing fees and use of terminal charges among others.
Consequently, the association called for a bailout from the Federal government of Nigeria and the International Association of travel Agencies (IATA). This bailout, Bernard noted, should come in the guise of access to soft interest free loan and overdraft from the banks, and relaxation of payment circle even if there is a default.
Lending their voices to the call, the trio of Mr Yinka Folami of Travel and Logistic Agency; Mr. Daisi Olotu of Dees Travel and Mrs. Adelola Adewole of Tifa Travels, acknowledged the Federal Government for releasing N1.3trn to businesses as a relief to the impact of the Coronavirus scourge, but said that the travel agency industry was not captured in the spread. They therefore, variously asked the government to as a matter of urgency come to their aid.
“Let me reiterate that NANTA is not in panic or jumpy but in prayers that this sad period shall not remain a permanent feature. We are strong, hopeful and prayerful and at the same time, in sync with all established protocols to keep safe and avoid unnecessary past-time that may hinder the speedy return to normal life and business not only in Nigeria, but also all over the world,” Bernard concluded.
Accomplished media entrepreneur and chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Chief Dele Momodu, has said that nobody trusts President Bola Tinubu to conduct a free and fair election, including the President’s own supporters.
Momodu also noted that there is a belief that if the President does not win in 2027, he will not want to relinquish power.
He added that if Tinubu refuses to step down, he would be chased out of the Presidential Villa.
Momodu made the revelations while speaking on Arise News Prime Time belt.
“If you ask an average Nigerian today about Tinubu, ‘Do you trust Tinubu to conduct a free and fair election?’ I can tell you, 90 per cent of them will say no.
“Look, nobody trusts Tinubu to run a free and fair election, including his own supporters. They will tell you, ‘Oh, we are going to win. There is no way we won’t win.’ Ask them why, and they will say, ‘Oh, you know our oga now.’
“In fact, some people are even suggesting that if Tinubu loses the election, he will not agree to step down. I say, why won’t he agree? We will chase him away.
“Look, you do not know the determination of Nigerians. And now, I’m not resting my confidence on just my party. I’m talking about the ordinary man on the street who cannot imagine Tinubu coming back again. They just can’t.
“I can’t tell you our strategy in public. What we know is that, once upon a time, Tinubu fought for himself to secure a second term as governor of Lagos State.
“So, others are also working very hard behind the scenes. We are not going to come out in public and say this, but we know what to do to make sure that he does not get that second term. We also know that some of the people pretending to support him today—and I’m not trying to trivialise this thing.
“I know some of them. They are praying fervently that they will not have to go through this situation where governors become like houseboys. Governors are scared. Judges are scared. Legislators are scared.
“So, Tinubu has become a god whom nobody is ready to confront and say, ‘Oga, you’ve done your best. Please, go home.’”
The Social Democratic Party (SDP) presidential candidate, Prince Adewole Adebayo, has urged President Bola Tinubu to go home and let Nigeria breathe.
Adebayo said this in a statement in Abuja on Wednesday.
He was responding to the President’s plan to excuse himself from the rigors of physical campaigns in some states ahead of the presidential polls.
Tinubu spoke at the inauguration of the APC Presidential Campaign Council in Abuja, urging members to take the party’s message to Nigerians across the states and local government areas while he continues to attend to matters of governance.
In response, Adebayo argued that, if Tinubu is too tired to campaign, he is too weak to govern.
In a statement signed by his Presidential Campaign’s Chief Communications Adviser, Comrade Mark Adebayo, the SDP standard bearer described Tinubu as a “president in absentia” at a time Nigeria needs hands-on leadership.
Adebayo said: “Nigeria is too complex, too dynamic, and currently too distressed to be governed by remote control.”
He cited what he called repeated instances of the President governing from a distance, including prolonged medical vacations disguised as working visits, absence during national emergencies and reliance on proxies to announce State policies.
Adebayo further said: “We have seen repeated instances when the President was visibly missing when the country needed reassurance.
“From unannounced foreign trips during critical economic decisions to his complete silence during widespread regional protests, he has consistently acted like a president in absentia. If you are too tired to campaign, you are too weak to govern.”
Adebayo alleged that the decision to stay off the campaign trail was not about strategy but fear.
“The excuse of bowing out of the 2027 campaign is a cowardly smokescreen. The truth is that the President is terrified of the Nigerian people,” he argued.
According to him, the administration’s economic policies – fuel subsidy removal fallout, skyrocketing inflation and currency instability -have made the President unpopular.
“He knows the pain his bad policies have inflicted on families. He is hiding because he cannot face public anger, and he knows any appearance on a campaign trail will be met with collective booing of a betrayed populace.”
Adebayo also said: “It is time to face reality: step aside, go home, and let this country breathe.”
He called on the administration to prioritise national interest over political survival and be transparent about the President’s capacity to lead for the remainder of his term.
Arsenal Fans Club Nigeria is set to be officially unveiled in Abuja this weekend, as the organisation prepares to strengthen the club’s fan base and promote community development through football.
Amongst the high profile personalities lined up for the unveiling ceremony include, business leaders, celebrities and notable Arsenal supporters like former Gunner, Kanu Nwankwo, former Senate President Bukola Saraki, Emir Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, Senator Dino Melaye amongst others.
The unveiling will form part of a two-day programme beginning on Friday, October 16, with delegates from state and city chapters expected to converge on the nation’s capital for the club’s second Annual General Meeting (AGM).
According to a press release issued on Monday by the organisation, the celebrations will feature sporting activities, a community sanitation initiative and a formal launch event attended by prominent personalities and Arsenal supporters.
National President of Arsenal Fans Club Nigeria, Charles Ojugbana, said the organisation draws inspiration from the achievements of Nigerian-descent footballers, including former Super Eagles striker Kanu Nwankwo and current stars Bukayo Saka, Noni Madueke and Eberechi Eze.
The former General Secretary of the Nigeria Football Association (NFA) said the club aims to improve the football fan experience while expanding support for Arsenal across Nigeria.
Activities scheduled for Saturday include aerobic sessions and a novelty football match before members proceed to Wuse Market for a clean-up campaign.
As part of the outreach, the club plans to donate refuse bins and other sanitation materials to the market’s leadership, in line with its commitment to philanthropy and community development.
Arsenal Fans Club Nigeria operates through a governance structure comprising a Board of Trustees, a National Executive Committee and a General Assembly, which serves as the organisation’s highest decision-making body.
The club also disclosed plans to promote awareness of Down syndrome among children in March 2027, as part of activities to commemorate World Down Syndrome Day.
The programme expresses the organisation’s ambition to extend its activities beyond football fandom to charitable causes and support for vulnerable members of the society.
