Broadcasting
JAAIDS, CFC Promote Safe Motherhood in Nigeria
Communicating for Change (CFC) and Journalists Against AIDS (JAAIDS) recently hosted a roundtable discussion on Safe Motherhood in Nigeria, also considering the role of HIV and Aids in infant and maternal health.
Globally, Nigeria has one of the highest maternal mortality rates, with 1,100 deaths per 100, 000 live births and a lifetime risk of maternal death of 1 in 18; consequently approximately 1 in every 9 maternal deaths worldwide occur in Nigeria alone. For women infected with HIV and Aids, the benefits of using Anti Retroviral Therapy
(ART), or in Preventing Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT) are lost if a mother goes on to die in childbirth.
To help address these issues, JAAIDS and CFC invited the media, various civil society organizations as well as medical practitioners to discuss the issue of Safe Motherhood in Nigeria and the role of HIV and Aids. The panel at the roundtable comprised of Dr Akerele, Unicef consultant, Dr Adeyanju, physician at Adeoyo Maternity Hospital, Abosede Oladayo of Hope Worldwide Nigeria and Olayide Akanni, executive director, JAAIDS. The roundtable was chaired by Eugenia Essell, general manager, CFC.
During the discussion, many factors that jeopardize women’s safety were considered, including unsafe abortions and a lack of education and awareness, with many women using unskilled traditional birth attendants instead of professionally trained midwives and doctors.
When available, the cost of medical care and the accessibility of healthcare centres are often barriers to women using their services, especially for those living in remote rural areas. Additionally, poverty and a lack of good nutrition can also cause infant and
maternal mortality and low weight births. Also, many women do not have the authority to demand healthcare for themselves, but are instead reliant on their families’ approval, often waiting for a complication to occur before seeking medical attention. All of the
attendees present at the roundtable agreed on the urgent need to address maternal mortality, where thousands of women die for exercising their natural right to procreation.
Whilst there has been some improvement in maternal healthcare and HIV/Aids, for example, the introduction of Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT) programmes and the implementation of a national Integrated Maternal Newborn and Child Health (IMNCH) strategy, more still needs to be done. The 2015 deadline for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is gradually looming and Nigeria still has a
long way to go to before meeting goals 5 and 6, to reduce child mortality and to improve maternal health.
Dr. Tajudeen Akerele Unicef HIV/Aids consultant, said: ‘Nigeria ranks 9th highest in the world in terms of maternal mortality, however many deaths can be averted with knowledge and low cost precautions. If women receive appropriate care during and after their pregnancy, both at home and at the community level, the chances of
maternal and infant mortality are significantly reduced.
Additionally, to reduce maternal and child mortality, it is important that healthcare providers deliver quality services in a child and mother friendly way, that mothers are provided with a regular supply of quality drugs, and that infants receive proper immunization.’
Dr. Adeyanju of Adeoyo Maternity Hospital, Ibadan, said: ‘It is important that men take an interest in their partners and offer support as male involvement can make a positive difference to maternal health; all too often, women seek medical support only in
the event of an emergency and as a last resort, which causes delays to receiving treatment. All women expecting to be pregnant should consult their doctor to diagnose and treat any pre-existing conditions, before they become detrimental to the health of the
mother and her baby. Finally, I am calling for improved capacity in healthcare centres and labs, with the establishment of effective patient tracking systems, so infections and complications can be effectively monitored and treated.’
Abosede Oladayo, Aids Ambassador, Hope Worldwide Nigeria, said: ‘I am an HIV positive woman, who is married and has given birth to my children without passing on HIV; I use my experiences to encourage other women who have faced discrimination and stigma as a result of their HIV and Aids status. Many women are afraid to disclose their
condition to their husbands and families which means they do not receive appropriate medication, either for themselves or their children, which results in unnecessary and avoidable deaths. I am calling for increased awareness and information of HIV and AIDS, in order to promote discussion and visibility, limit maternal mortality and reduce the stigma associated with HIV and Aids.’
Netflix has expanded its language options for television viewers, allowing users to select from the full list of available subtitles and dubbing languages for any title.
This update aims to make Netflix’s global catalogue more accessible, especially as nearly a third of its viewership comes from non-English language shows.
Previously, TV users could only choose from a limited selection of languages based on their location and settings.
Now, they can access the complete range of available languages for any title, similar to the flexibility already offered on mobile devices and web browsers.
For instance, a user can watch an English title like “Bridgerton” with Spanish dubbing and Korean subtitles, or opt for Japanese dubbing with Portuguese subtitles.
Netflix offers subtitles in 33 languages and audio dubbing in 36 languages across its catalogue, though the exact number of available languages may vary by title. This change responds to numerous user requests for more language options on TV platforms.
This move reflects Netflix’s commitment to enhancing accessibility and catering to its diverse global audience by providing more inclusive viewing experiences.
Broadcasting
AMCON Gets Boost as Arik Air Records 2.2M Passengers, 10,699 Flights in 2024 – NCAA Report
Arik Air in 2024, airlifted 2,239,176 passengers between January 1, 2024, to December 31, 2024, a report sourced from the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has confirmed.
The airline, which has been under the receivership of Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) since 2017, despite its challenges, also operated 10,699 flights within the year under review, making it the second most active airline in terms of passenger traffic and flight operations in Nigeria, after Air Peace.
According to the report, the total number of air travellers in the domestic scene in 2024 was 11, 549,443 with inbound at 5,727,700 and outbound passengers at 5,821,743. This figure shows that Arik Air captured 19.3 per cent of the total passenger traffic for 2024, while it had 15.1 per cent of the total 70,543 flights operated by the 15 domestic airlines in the year under review.
The Executive Summary on International and Domestic Flight Operations 2024, as captured by the NCAA, indicated that Arik Air had 1,112,358 and 1,126,818 as inbound and outbound passengers for 2024, respectively, making it a total of 2,239,176 passengers ferried in 2024.
Monthly breakdown of the passenger traffic indicated that Arik Air had 37,772 inbound passengers and another 38,987 as outbound passengers in January 2024, totalling 76,759 passengers. For February the airline recorded 38,217 as inbound and 39,209 as outbound, totalling 77,426; March, 37,183 as inbound and 37,642 as outbound, making it a total of 74,825; April, 31,326 as inbound and 31,971 as outbound, making 63,297.
The airline in May 2024, also recorded 39,006 as inbound and 39,765 as outbound passengers, totalling 78,771 for the month, while the month of June had 37,710 as inbound and 38,617 as outbound, totalling 76,327; July, 156,146 as inbound and 159,044 as outbound, totalling 315,190; August, the airline recorded 153,080 as inbound and 144,259 as outbound, making it a total figure of 297,339 within the period.
For the month of September, Arik Air recorded 143,396 as inbound and 145,096 as outbound, making it a total figure of 288,492; October 129,506 as inbound and 133,330 as outbound, totalling 262,836; November, 252,448 as inbound and 255,578 as outbound, making it a total of 508,026, while December had 56,568 as inbound and 63,322 as outbound, making it a total of 119,890 passengers ferried within the period.
Also, a month-by-month breakdown of flights operated by Arik Air in 2024 showed that the airline had a total number of 380 flights in January, 2024; 419 flights in February and 468 flights in March 2024.
Further breakdown showed that for the month of April, the airline operated a total number of 340 flights; May, 374; June, 350, while it peaked in July, going as high as 1,403 flights in just one month.
Besides, in August, the airline operated 1,320 flights; in September, 1,352; in October, 1,266; in November, 2,442, while it operated a total of 585 flights in December 2024. The airline within the period also had a total number of complaints among the air travellers, with just 190, with the majority being resolved by the airline.
The further breakdown of complaints indicated that for the month of January, there were no single complaints from any of its air passengers ferried within the period, had just two complaints in February, while March recorded only one complaint.
April had four complaints; May, two; June, one; July, three; August received seven complaints; September, 28; October, 50; November, 67, while December 2024 recorded only 25 complaints from the flying public. Besides, Arik Air did not record a single baggage miss in 2024, with all 84 delayed baggage items, as indicated by the NCAA statistics, were handed over to their owners.
Furthermore, unlike other domestic airline operators, Arik Air had only one overbooking/denied flight in its entire 10,699 flights in 2024. This was in October 2024.
Olumide Ohunayo, General Secretary Aviation Safety Round Table Initiativs said: “Arik Air’s performance in 2024 stands out as exceptional, despite the airline being under AMCON receivership. The data released by the regulatory authority ranked Arik as second in domestic passenger traffic, moving 2,239,176 passengers—a testament to its resilience and strategic management under challenging conditions.
“With a 13.4% market share out of the 11.5 million total domestic passengers, Arik Air’s sustained dominance highlights its strong operational efficiency. This result demonstrates Arik’s operational stability under Receivership despite financial constraints, distractive litigations, fleet limitations, and regulatory challenges, the airline continued to deliver reliable air travel services, showing effective route management and passenger demand optimization.
“It should be noted that Arik Air suffered severe disruptions due to a high court order grounding some of its aircraft last year when mediation was a better option to the instantaneous grounding by the executive.”
In his comment Roland Iyayi MD of Top Brass Aviation Limited said: “Arik Air transporting 2.2 million passengers and securing the second position in Nigeria’s domestic market, ahead of competitors like Ibom Air (1.3 million), Max Air (915,918), and Aero Contractors (964,900) is a huge and massive achievement, considering the disruptions the airline had suffered under receivership.
“Arik Air’s performance is remarkable given its limited access to fresh capital, aging fleet, and regulatory hurdles tied to its receivership status.
“The Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) strategic support deserves recognition for its crucial role in stabilizing Arik Air, ensuring its continued operations, and maintaining confidence among passengers. Without AMCON’s intervention, the airline would not have remained a key player in Nigeria’s aviation industry. Arik Air’s ability to thrive under receivership reaffirms AMCON’s commitment to preserving jobs, sustaining economic contributions, and ensuring safe, reliable airline services for Nigerian travelers.”
National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has announced a milestone achievement, with over 117 million Nigerians now enrolled for the National Identity Number (NIN) as of February 28, 2025.
Lagos State emerged as the top contributor to this figure, boasting over 12.6 million registrations, followed by Kano State with 10.2 million.
According to NIMC’s latest data, male registrants outnumber female registrants, making up 56.5% of the total enrollment at 66,281,803, while female registrants account for 43.5% at 51,079,521.
The report highlighted regional enrollment trends, showing an almost equal distribution across Nigeria’s northern and southern regions.
However, Bayelsa, Ebonyi, and Ekiti States recorded the lowest enrollment figures, with Bayelsa reporting a mere 758,111 registrations.
Lagos State dominated the charts with 6,870,915 males and 5,741,419 females registered, while Kano trailed closely, boasting 5,924,126 males and 4,321,929 females in its 10.2 million total registrations.
Other notable states in the top 10 include Kaduna, Ogun, Oyo, Katsina, and Rivers. NIMC expressed optimism about further improving enrollment figures in underrepresented regions in the coming months.
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