Arik Airline Shuts Down Operations

Hundreds of air travellers booked on Nigerian Arik airline are currently stranded across the country, following the inability of the airline to airlift them to their destinations.

Since early morning today, none of the airline’s aircraft has been operated to any destinations in Nigeria, West Africa and other routes.
SaharaReporters learnt that the massive debts of the airline to major oil marketers who regularly supply aviation fuel is partially responsible for the current situation of the airline. A source told our reporters that in addition to the airline's inability to buy for fuel, its insurers in Europe and elsewhere had withdrawn insurance cover from the airline forcing the airline to stop flight operations altogether.

A source close to the oil marketers told our correspondent that the airline is a bad debtor as it currently owes at least N3 billion to all its suppliers, a situation, which has made them not to supply Jet A1 to the airline.

The sordid situation may also affect the airline’s long-haul operations to Heathrow Airport in London and New York in the United States of America.

Some of the early morning flights of Arik Air include Lagos-Abuja at 6:45 am and 7:30, Abuja-Lagos at 8:00 and 9:00. Others are Benin, Port Harcourt, Asaba, and Kano.

A passenger with the airline, Chris Amokwu told our correspondent that he had been at the airport as early as 7:00 for a 7:30 am flight to Abuja, but as at 1 pm, he was yet to know if he would eventually make the trip to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

According to him, the airline attributed its inability to operate to the scarcity of Jet A1 and poor weather condition.

But, SaharaReporters can confirm that Jet A1 is available in the local scene as airlines like Med-View, Air Peace and Landover Airways have been operating since morning despite the alleged scarcity of aviation fuel and poor weather by the airline.

When our correspondent contacted the spokesman of the airline, Ola Adebanji, he said he was not aware of the development as he was still bereaved, having lost his mother over the weekend.

Arik Air is the third airline to shut down flight operations in Nigeria in the last three weeks following the suspension of flight by Aero Contractors and First Nation.

How to Cook Afang Soup As A Bachelor

Today, I would like to share with us the easiest way to cook afang soup especially if you're a bachelor like myself. Afang soup is native to the Ibibios, Efik and generally people from Akwaibom and Cross-River States of Nigeria but enjoyed by all Nigerians. The soup is also very nutritious as it consists mainly of vegetables. Personally, I don't mind eating  this soup every day. So lets go

Ingredients For Afang Soup

• Waterleaf
• Stock Fish
• Afang/Okazi 
• Palm oil
• Kanda
• Goat meat
• Crayfish and pepper
• Maggie cubes
• Salt
• Periwinkles
• Onions
• Smoked fish

Before You Start Cooking

1. Wash drain and slice the waterleaf  into tiny pieces, grind or pound the sliced afang leaves. However, the sellers of the afang leaves in the market can help you to slice and grind the afang leaves before taking it home.
2. Cut the onions into tiny pieces, grind your crayfish and onions, wash the stock fish and probably boil it for a while to soften it a bit, wash your smoked fish as well.

Cooking Directions

1. Boil the goat meat, kanda and stock fish with the diced onions, pepper and stock cubes in a very small quantity of water.  When done, add the smoked fish and cook for about 5 more minutes.
2. After the peppers have properly cooked into the meat, add the periwinkles then the vegetables - the water leaves should be hand squeezed to remove excess water, add the afang leaves.
3. Allow the vegetable to boil for around 10 minutes or so on a medium heat to soften the vegetables - bear in mind that spinach easily gets soft when immersed in heat.
4. Add a cup of palm oil, taste for salt and add some if necessary. Allow all to boil together for another few minutes while you gently mix all content from top to bottom and around. 
5. Leave to simmer for about 5 minutes. Your afang soup is ready.

You can enjoy your afang soup with fufu, semo, eba, and wheat. 

24 Ways To Be Successful In Life

When I got this, it was simply too good for me alone to read and be blessed! It's a MUST read for self development!

1. Make friends with successful people and occasionally buy them gift and surprise them with lunch because successful people always give and hardly get, so when you give them, they value the gift a lot.

2. Get a mentor and follow his instructions and respect the relationship. Never beg your mentor for money or disrespect his or her privacy.

3. Make new positive friends as often as possible and ensure you keep the communication line open. Create a network of friends and not just connections.

5. Show kindness to everyone. Some small boys today will be big boys tomorrow. The biggest dog in the neighborhood was once a puppy. And keep the information/secret to yourself.

6. Always plan ahead and be proactive. He that plans the future work less in the future.

7. Listen to speeches and messages from great teachers. Both religious and educational.

8. Attend seminars and training on any area you need to improve yourself. Train the trainer, personal development, public speaking, sales etc.

9. Have the habit of keeping a pen and a writing pad handy because ideas come in the form of flashes. The smallest pen is bigger and better than the biggest brain.

10. Make sure at every point in time you are reading a book. If you spend 20 minutes reading daily, for 52 weeks you would have consumed 1,000,000 words.

11.Stay away from television as much as possible. You can watch educational channels. Men with big TV sits in front of them to watch men with big library.

12 Put control over your mouth, never say evil of any man, what you are not certain of should not be said. Say good of all men.

13. Always show appreciation for any good deed you received.

14. Always help someone in need.

15. Live a debt free life. What you can’t pay cash for is not your size.

16. Give out loans that you can part with as gift, so that you don’t destroy your business and relationship.

17. Create legitimate multiple source of income.

18. Save at least 10 percent of your income.

19. Invest a portion of your income. And be patient to see it grow. If what you have in your hands is not good to be called a harvest then it’s a seed, sow it.

20. Keep a good financial record of all income and expenses, so you won’t ask later “where did my money go”

21. Be involved in community service. Control traffic, free lesson class for students etc.

22. Keep getting better on your daily goals and dream, develop yourself on them and make sure you get to the top 10 % of your industry.

23. Make sure you engage in exercise. It keeps your brain alert and your body fit to enjoy your success.

24. Pray often, and know that for every success, there is a stronger being that made it possible.

FirstNation To Resume Flight Operations September 15

FirstNation Airways has said it will resume normal flight operations by September 15 and assured its traveling passengers of better and improved services.

The Head, Corporate Affairs of the airline, Mr Rasheed Yusuff, who stated this in a statement, said that the carrier’s current fleet was undergoing engine maintenance for safety operations, in line with global practice in the industry.

It denied reports that the company was on the verge of folding up, stressing that taking aircraft out for maintenance was not the same as winding up operations.

“FirstNation is not on the verge of folding up. In reality, since the airline launched services in 2011, the airline has built a strong followership and has been rated consistently as market leader on safety and schedule integrity.

“This reputation was reinforced by Firstnation’s achievement of International Air Transport Association (IATA) Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) certification, which is the airline industry global bench mark for world class safety standard in record time of 12 months,” it added.

The statement further stressed that the award of IOSA certification, within 12 months of application by FirstNation remains unrivalled in West and Central Africa.

It noted that this international attestation of FirstNation’s safety and operational standard, was contrary to the false and damaging impression that the media attempted to paint in the publications of Sept. 1.

The statement emphasised that the planned maintenance was orderly arranged with advance notification to passengers.

It stressed that service would be reinstated on or before September 15, 2016.

“We are working to grow the fleet as well. All our aircraft have recently undergone C-Check and returned contrary to the blatant lies contained in the said publication.

Source: http://leadership.ng/news/549321/firstnation-to-resume-flight-operations-sept-15?utm_source=&utm_medium=twitter

Alamieyeseigha’s Chelsea Hotel In Abuja Rots Away

Almost seven years after the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) handed over the N2.8billion Chelsea Hotel to the government of Bayelsa State, the hitherto money-spinning edifice is rotting away in Abuja.

The hotel was seized from the state’s first civilian governor, the late Diepreye Alamieyeseigha.

A Federal High Court, Lagos in 2007 ordered the forfeiture of the hotel by Alamieyeseigha after the ex-governor was sentenced for corruption.

Besides the hotel, the EFCC sold other Alamieyeseigha assets in Nigeria and realised N3, 128, 230, 294.83billion; $441,000; E7, 000 and £2,000.

The money was remitted to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), in accordance with the law, for onward delivery to the state government as ordered by the court.

Former EFCC Chairman Mrs. Farida Waziri on September 7, 2009 handed over the hotel to ex-Governor Timipreye Sylva in Abuja. The thinking was that it would be a source of revenue for the state.

Seven years after the asset was returned to the state government, the hotel has become a haven for miscreants, men of the underworld, rodents and reptiles.

Shady activities are being perpetrated at the abandoned hotel, which poses danger to some shopping malls and banks in the Central Business District of Abuja.

Some of the miscreants have stripped the hotel of vital materials, which has no security.

An EFCC source, who spoke in confidence, said: “As at the time we handed over the hotel, in 2009, the asset was worth N2.8billion. We returned the hotel to Bayelsa State with another asset at No. 2 Marscibit Street, Off Aminu Kano Crescent Wuse II Abuja which was valued at N210million.

“We took a step further by instructing Diya Fatimilehin and Co., former managers of the hotel to provide the state with detailed inventory of assets of the hotel.”

“It is unfortunate that nothing has been done in the last seven years. The land where the hotel is sited attracts either up to N800million to N1billion in Abuja. Yet the asset is allowed to lie fallow. “To the source, the fate of the once throwing hotel is a typical case of how the anti-graft war is being “frustrated and rendered meaningless”

“A former Chairman of EFCC, Mr. Nuhu Ribadu worked day and night to bring Alamieyeseigha to justice but the efforts have come to naught,” he said.

Asked if the EFCC can query the state government on why the hotel has been abandoned, the source said: “Well, there is not much we can do because we have done our best.

“The state’s funds were looted and used to buy the hotel; we traced the loot and recovered the assets. It is left to the state to live up to its pledge to make judicious use of the asset or sell it.

“We have been expecting a status report from Bayelsa State on how it has spent the recovered funds and the utilisation of the returned assets.”

Upon the receipt of the hotel in 2009, Sylva said: “The Bayelsa State Government will not be able to manage the assets by itself. The fund that the state government will receive will also go to building what is called the Transparency Plaza, in the middle of the Yenagoa Central Business District, so that this plaza will be a monument that will be a constant reminder of today.

”As soon as the fund is accessed, we will like to ask you to come to Bayelsa State to lay the foundation of this plaza.

“We will welcome your close monitoring of the expenditure of this fund, after all without the instrumentality of EFCC, we would not have accessed this fund, so it is only good that you know exactly what we are doing. We are running an open government; our budget is on the website, anybody can access it. We are fully committed to transparency and to partner fully with EFCC.”

As at press time, rodents, reptiles, rodents, miscreants, drug addicts have taken over the hotel.

It was gathered that many posh cars and Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs) massed up in darkness at the hotel at night for what a source described as “nocturnal deals”.

A concerned bank executive said: “The activities of some miscreants at the old hotel premises constitute security threats to commercial entities in CBD, including choice malls and banks nearby.

“Security agencies and the police should have more than a passing interest in some activities at the old hotel.”

Source: http://thenationonlineng.net/alamieyeseighas-n2-8b-hotel-rots-away-abuja/

From Abuja to Lagos, My Hilarious First Flight Experience.

I had just been employed as a Regional Sales Executive in an IT firm in Lagos, and I was to travel by air for the sales training. Prior to this time, I've never traveled by air though I've been to the airport once or twice when I was in high school during one of our school's excursion to the airport.

So, it was a dream come true for me when my operations manager called to inform me that I'll be travelling by air to Lagos. As soon as he ended the call, I don't know what exactly came over me but all I can remember was that, I started dancing without music in the room, I jumped on the bed several times shouting " I don hammer o! Levels don change" and other things I can't remember now. Still in that mood, I called my very good friend Amos to inform him of my new level, the guy started laughing seriously, at me, called me a bush boy  and told me to calm down till I get to Lagos, he told me not to get too excited before my new employers change their mind and tell me to use night bus. I called other people to inform them of my new status.

Throughout that night I couldn't sleep as I was thinking of how I'll get into a plane and fly to Lagos. I imagined myself sitting close to a pretty lady and possibly getting her number, I thought of the beautiful sight at the airport, and was really happy with life. Even when I finally fell asleep, my thoughts followed me to the dream world.

On the day of my departure, though the flight was scheduled for 17:45(pm) I woke up before everybody else in the house around 4 am, took my bath and dressed up waiting for the driver that will take me to the airport. When my dad came out of his room by 8 am and saw me sitting in the living room with my luggage, he couldn't help but laugh. He asked me what I was doing with my luggage in the living room at that time when my flight was for 17:45. I told him I didn't want to miss my flight o and that am waiting for the driver to come and take me to the airport, he couldn't control his laughter now as he laughed harder that tears was even coming out of his eyes.

At exactly 12 pm, the  driver took me to the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja, because I was really disturbing everyone in the house about how I'll miss my flight if I don't get to the airport early.However, when I got to the airport, I went straight to get my boarding pass and then proceeded for the security checks after which I started waiting for my flight. I waited and waited and waited for the flight attendant to announce the boarding time for my flight all to no avail. I unconsciously became a time keeper, checking the time every now and then for 17:45, then I started getting hungry and frustrated at the same time. The only question I kept asking myself  was, "who send me come airport by this time?"Well, in other to keep myself busy, I called some of my friends and immediately asked them to guess where I was, before they even start guessing I'll tell them that am at the airport waiting for my flight.

Finally, the flight attendant announced the boarding time for my flight at exactly 17:44 and those of us for that flight joined a queue were our means of identification was checked before joining the airline's shuttle bus which was waiting to convey us to where the plane was. I got into the plane feeling like a king, I was living the life mehn! located my seat number and sat down. I started observing what other people were doing in the plane because I didn't want to embarrass my entire generation, I was told at home how to fasten my seat belt in a pane but I still waited for the man sitting next to me to buckle up first so I can learn from him. Few minutes later the flight attendants started forming busy, asking people to buckle up and demonstrating to the passengers how to use the oxygen and parachute, something I forgot in less than a minute. After that, the pilot made some announcement and the plane began to taxi on the runway then we took off.

It was really amazing seeing myself in the sky, I sat close to the window so I was able to see the cloud clearly, I felt fulfilled and started praying and speaking in tongues because to me, I was closer to heaven and that was the best time to commune with God. The man sitting next to me was just staring at me, am sure he must be saying in his mind "what is wrong with this boy?" I didn't mind his stare as I was just feeling myself and enjoying the moment.

In less than an hour we touched down at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport Lagos. I disembarked from the plane and followed others till I got out of  the terminal. I got into one of the airport's taxi and asked the driver to take me to the hotel where my operation manager made my reservation.

THE END!

Grand Opening Of Grand Cubana Hotels Abuja. (PICS)

Date: Saturday 3rd September 2016
Time: 4pm prompt,
Address: No 6 Ebitu Ukiwe Street off Mike Akhigbe Way Jabi District, Abuja.

The Grand Cubana Hotels brand covers your maximum hospitality needs, spectacular architectural masterpiece, very intimate and welcoming at the same time offers discreet personalized services and sophisticated facilities, complimented by highly skilled manpower with integrity and high ethical standard.



OUR AMENITIES
80 Luxury rooms ,Suites with kitchen net
Presidential Suites
Gymnasium with modern equipment, Well over 20 channels on Dstv available in each room
Olympic size swimming Pool,2 Banquet/Conference Halls, Restaurant(African, Continental and Chinese cuisine),Executive/Cocktail Bar ,24 Hours Power with our 500KVA and 200KVA Generators, Water tight security, Water Treatment Plant,CCTV Camera 24 hours,
Ticketing /Travel Agent, Free group airport pickup, Spaservices, Business Center
24 Hours WIFI (Fibre Optic), Salon and Ample Parking space.

We invite you and your organization to visit us for a mutually benefiting and fruitful business relationship.

Contact Us@
Grand Cubana Hotels
No. 6 Ebitu Ukiwe Street Off Mike Akhigbe Way Jabi Abuja
Telephone:08111114846,08133380666,09085888844
E-Mail:info@grandcubanahotels.com

reservations@grandcubanahotels.com

www.grandcubanahotels.com