News
What to do When Your Last-minute Flight is Cancelled
By Adeniyi Ogunfowoke,
You’re sitting at the airport, waiting to fly to your destination, watching the departures board, and you see that your flight has been delayed. Only an hour – no big deal. But then after that hour, it’s delayed another hour, then another, then another, until finally, you see the big cancelled sign next to your flight number. This can be very depressing and confusing as you don’t know what actions to take. Read on to know some of the actions to take if your last-minute flight is cancelled.
Be nice and stay calm
This rule’s a rather obvious one. If you show up to the attendant’s desk screaming and causing a fuss, they’re going to be less likely to help you and more likely to call airport security. Raising your voice is just going to make the people around you uncomfortable and the people who actually can help you, not to care. The people working at the airline attendant desk didn’t single-handedly decide to cancel your flight, so don’t take it out on them.
Check what your rights as a passenger are
Air tickets don’t just entitle you to get from destination A to destination B alive. They can also come with perks in the event of circumstances like flight cancellations and long layovers. The first thing you should do is to approach an airline representative and ask them what benefits you can claim in light of the delay or cancellation. For instance, most airlines are obliged to give you food vouchers if a flight is delayed by a certain number of hours. You might also be able to claim accommodation for overnight delays or be redirected to another flight or mode of transport.
Make the right calls
If you are travelling for a business meeting and your flight which you booked on Jumia’s hotel and flight marketplace is cancelled, you should immediately inform your business associates about your flight status. And if you plan to make the alternative arrangement you should not keep them in the dark.
Check what benefits your travel insurance offers you
If you have a travel insurance policy, you will most likely be entitled to some kind of compensation if your flight is cancelled. Most policies will also offer you compensation for long enough delays. You should always bring along a copy of your travel insurance policy so you can check on the go what you’re entitled to. If you’re not sure, don’t hesitate to contact your travel insurer on the phone. Your insurer will tell you what you can make claims for and how to submit the claims afterwards. This can be a huge relief if it means being able to book a hotel room instead of sleeping on an airport floor.
Hold onto your documents
When you arrive at your final destination, make sure to keep copies of your boarding pass and other travel documents. Some airlines will reject a legitimate claim for disrupted flights if you don’t have these documents, so it’s important not to keep these documents until you’ve successfully completed your journey without any hiccups
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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