News
Golden Tulip Denies Ejecting Turkish Airlines’ Passengers
The management of Golden Tulip Hotel in Apapa, Lagos has cleared the air on the reported rumour making the rounds in the media that it ejected Turkish Airlines’ passengers lodging in the hotel.
According to the management, such report is malicious, adding that nothing of such happened as the hotel took great care of the passengers.
Some Lagos-Instanbul bound Turkish Airlines’ passengers were lodged in the hotel on January 7, 2017, following the airline’s inability to carry its passengers due to bad weather in Instanbul, Turkey.
Reacting to the media reports, Mr. Paul Okojie, rooms division manager of Golden Tulip, said the hotel did not eject its Turkish Airlines’ passengers and had no reason to do so for “one of its most valuable clients.”
He, therefore, described the media reports as “false, unfounded, mischievous, a tissue of lies and a figment of the writers’ imagination.”
According to Okojie, “We were bewildered to read the reports in some newspapers. Let me state clearly that those reports were absolutely wrong and false, as we took care of the passengers lodging in our hotel providing them with befitting accommodation, breakfast, lunch and dinner. We also lodged the crew and Turkish Airlines staffers who came regularly to visit the lodging passengers.”
While stressing the need to always verify the facts before rushing to the press, Okojie said, “The intent of the journalists who published the story remain unclear, as the hotel management was not contacted by the journalists to confirm their reports before going to press. This is totally unfair and unprofessional, as the flight disruption affected all Turkish Airlines passengers heading for Instanbul, where the airline was experiencing bad weather.”
He explained: “Our hotel has a very solid and one of the most outstanding partnerships since inception with Turkish Airlines. So, we did not have any reason to eject our client’s passengers. The passengers were 232 and came in batches through Saturday 7th and Sunday 8thJanuary, 2017. This is contrary to rumour as reported by some newspapers that the passengers were totaling 410.
“As a matter of fact our sellable rooms in the hotel including those already being occupied by existing customers are 345. So, where do we get extra rooms to lodge 410 rooms?” he queried.
He explained that “What Turkish Airlines has done by keeping its passengers in a hotel due to the bad weather in Europe until it could guarantee their safety to be flown was within international standards as prescribed in the aviation industry.”
Okojie reiterated the hotel commitment to an enduring working relationship with Turkish Airlines, which he described as one of the most patronised airlines in Nigeria as a result of its affordability and high focus on safety.
“So far, most of the passengers have been air-lifted and only about 30 of them are still with us in the hotel and they are expected to be flown out of Lagos by Saturday, January 14, 2017,” he said.
It will be recalled that, Turkish Airlines could not pick passengers to their destinations via Istanbul on January 7, citing weather condition in Europe, especially in Istanbul and this affected its passengers leading to lodging them in hotels in Lagos.
Turkey is facing the harshest snow in 10 years which affected all flights coming into Instanbul, as the ‘heavy snow’ of 1.2 meter above sea level, has resulted in loss of lives.
The airline provided two reliefs for its passengers in Lagos advising them to proceed to its Head Office at 1, Adeola Odeku Str. Victoria island Lagos for a change of ticket to other available dates or ask for a full refund at their ticket purchase units, mostly at different travel agents, where they had purchased their ticket.
Turkish Airlines connects 243 international destinations and Istanbul, as the only city in the world having settled on two continents, serves as the main hub of the global carrier. It offers transcontinental advantages of its location in Eurasia and makes connecting flights to destinations all around the globe easier than ever.
News
Students Loans’ Beneficiaries to Start Repayment 2 Years after Graduation- NELFUND:
Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has said that students in tertiary institutions and approved vocational centres would start repayment of the loan two years after graduation.
However, NELFUND management specifically stated that the repayment of the loan would commence if the students secured a job or went into business.
Mr. Akintunde Sawyerr, managing director, NELFUND, said the Act specify a moratorium of two years after graduation for the students to begin repayment of the loan.
Sawyerr said if the students start work, his employer would be expected to remit 10 percent into NELFUND dedicated account.
He added: “The loan does not have a specified repayment tenure. It makes it easy for students to apply for the loan. NELFUND would pay according to the documents provided by the institutions. We cannot put tenure on the loan; some will die, drop out, ‘Japa’ or refuse to pay. While those who went into business would pay into same account.
“It is a revolving a loan. We will not put students under pressure to get the loan and we are not going to state a tenure because it is not a commercial loan.’’
According to him, the loan is meant for students in public universities, polytechnics, colleges of education and vocational institutes, who apply via NELFUND portal and are expected to present their JAMB admission letter, NIN and BVN.
He explained that non-students would not have access to the loan and that NELFUND has put the necessary machinery in place to ensure that beneficiaries can be reached when the need arises.
His words: “We are using technology to run the new system. The process of application is online through our dedicated portal and we are limiting human contact as much as possible. Once you have a Bank Verification Number (BVN) and National Identification Number (NIN), which are parts of the requirements, we will have access to your data and all your accounts. This will also help us to know if you are qualified or not,” Sawyerr stated.
The MD disclosed that students already in institution are eligible to apply for the loan at any level of their study and must be at the beginning of each academic session.
He noted that such students would have to provide their admission and matriculation details in addition to BVN and NIN.
Sawyerr added that about 1.2 million Nigerian students in tertiary institutions and government-recognized vocational centres would be among the first batch of beneficiaries and that the figure would increase as time goes on.
The NELFUND boss disclosed that the scheme would be funded from one per cent of the total annual revenue by the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), which would amount to N194 billion if the agency meets its projection.
Sawyerr observed that the loan would be paid in two segments, the first, being the school fees, which would be paid directly to the institutions while stipend would be paid into students’ account for their day-to-day upkeep.
He added that the amount individual students would access varies because of the course of study, school fees and geographical location of the institutions.
“You don’t start paying back the loan until two years after your National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme and you have secured a job or business. A beneficiary can defer repayment if he has not secured a job, but if after due diligence, he/she defaulted, then the student becomes a criminal and we will work with government agency that can help us get the money back, for example, EFCC, ICPC,” Sawyerr stated.
News
GPA Raises Alarm, Says Malaria Vaccine Can Cause Meningitis
Global Prolife Alliance (GPA), global health organization, has told the National Assembly that the intended malaria vaccine currently proposed by Bill Gates, American billionaire, for Nigeria can trigger meningitis in the populace.
Dr. Philip Njemanze, chairman of GPA, gave the warning in a statement released to newsmen in Owerri, the Imo state capital.
Njemanze, known for being pro-health in the Catholic church, charged the national assembly not to be in a hurry to succumb to the pressure of the bill currently before the house.
He said the vaccine may trigger the deaths of millions of Nigerian children prone to cerebral meningitis, especially in the northern part of the country.
Part of the letter read “Among the side effects is a tenfold increase in cerebral meningitis. Nigeria is endemic for cerebral meningitis. A tenfold increase could cause the deaths of millions of children, especially in northern Nigeria.
“Please intervene and call for a public hearing, for an open public discussion on the pros and cons with expert opinions from both sides. This will help the Nigerian people to be better informed about granting or withholding consent for the vaccination.
“Your intervention could save millions of lives, especially in northern Nigeria, where meningitis is most endemic, particularly at this time of serious insecurity,” Njemanze warned.
News
NERC Cedes Regulatory Oversight of Enugu Electricity Market to State Government Agency
The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has ceded the regulatory oversight of the Enugu electricity market to the Enugu Electricity Regulatory Commission (EERC), which is owned by the state government with effect from May 1, 2024.
This is the first-ever transfer of regulatory powers from the NERC to a state government electricity regulator.
“On completion of the Transfers under subsections (2) and (3), whichever occurs later in time, the Commission shall have no further regulatory responsibility whatsoever for electricity market activities carried on entirely within the State to which regulatory responsibility has been transferred and for which the Additional Successor Company has been incorporated and conferred with assets, liabilities, employees, rights and obligations,” NERC said in a statement signed by Sanusi Garba and Dafe Akpeneye.
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