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Nigeria to Receive First Dry-Leased Aircraft in 20 Years

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Nigeria is set to receive a dry-leased aircraft on October 6, after nearly 20 years, according to Festus Keyamo, minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development.

Nigeria to Receive First Dry-Leased Aircraft in 20 Years

Festus Keyamo, minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development.

A dry lease is an arrangement in aviation where a leasing company (lessor) provides an aircraft to a lessee without crew, maintenance, insurance, or other operational services.

Keyamo made the announcement on Wednesday during the foundation-laying of Air Peace’s new maintenance hangar at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.

He explained that the milestone comes through Air Peace, following Nigeria’s removal from a global blacklist as a result of implementing the Cape Town Convention.

For two decades, Nigerian airlines had relied solely on wet leases, but Keyamo noted that renewed global confidence in the nation’s aviation system had changed the narrative.

He explained that wet leases placed a heavy burden on passengers through inflated ticket prices, costly maintenance, and other overhead expenses.

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“This is the first time we are going to have a dry lease. Dry lease means that confidence has returned to the Nigerian ecosystem.

“They are giving you your plane. Control it yourself. I wrote a personal guarantee for Air Peace to get that dry lease. I put my life and my reputation on the line,” he said.

On Air Peace’s upcoming Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul, MRO, facility, Keyamo emphasized that the project would save Nigeria vast sums of foreign exchange and curb capital flight.

“What this is going to save in terms of FX to this country is incredible. Air Peace alone spends about N180 billion yearly for maintenance; imagine what other airlines are spending.

“Monies that should remain within our jurisdiction went out. That is capital flight. With this facility here, we are going to keep that within Nigeria.

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“We are now going to attract people to bring in their money, not only ours, but we are going to attract foreign inflows.

“In the whole of West Africa and Central Africa, there are no good MROs. The good thing is that this facility will accommodate wide-bodied aircraft. You do not have such in the whole of West Africa and Central Africa,” he said.

He credited President Bola Tinubu’s recent visit to Brazil for helping secure Embraer’s partnership with Air Peace in providing technical support for the new facility. According to him, supporting indigenous operators remains central to his mandate, with the Federal Government committed to strengthening local airlines.

The minister further noted that the MRO would introduce a simulator for pilots, reducing reliance on overseas training while creating avenues for foreign exchange earnings. He called on commercial banks to reinvest in the aviation sector, stressing that aircraft financing was now more secure.

Keyamo also revealed that Air Peace had secured approvals for four new international routes—Italy, Canada, Paris, and Istanbul. Still, he lamented that Nigerian carriers currently handle only about five percent of outbound international passenger traffic.

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Air Peace, in August, announced the start of its MRO project in collaboration with Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer, with completion expected within 12 to 15 months.

The facility will allow Embraer jets to be serviced locally, cutting costs and turnaround time.

Chairman Allen Onyema said, “By September 17, we are going to inaugurate the commencement of construction of our new MRO, and Embraer will operate maintenance for Embraer jets. You will now be able to do it here, and people will also come to Nigeria to do the same.”

Onyema emphasized that the airline’s planned Nigeria-Brazil route, scheduled to begin in the third quarter of 2025, was secured on merit and capacity, not just investment in Embraer.

He added, “In Brazil, they signed several MoUs, but what really impressed me was their partnership approach, one that respects our sovereignty and is mutually beneficial… President Lula’s warmth showed a genuine eagerness to work with Nigeria.”

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Keyamo also stressed the importance of connecting both countries: “Brazil is the biggest economy in South America, and of course, Nigeria is considered the biggest economy in Africa. So connecting these two economies was very key to both presidents,” he said, pointing out that bilateral trade had dropped from $10 billion to $2 billion in the past decade.

The unveiling of Air Peace’s MRO facility and the arrival of the dry-leased aircraft mark a turning point for Nigeria’s aviation sector—boosting confidence, reducing reliance on expensive wet leases, retaining foreign exchange, and positioning the country as a regional hub for aircraft maintenance and services.

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Court Remands Akujobi, Ex Access over alleged Theft of N294.5m

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Chinonso Akujobi, former staff of Access Bank in Lagos, has been remanded in Ikoyi prison after she was arraigned on a five-count charge bordering on stealing to the tune of N294.5m.

Court Remands Akujobi, Ex Access over alleged Theft of N294.5m

Akujobi who is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) was arraigned before Justice I.O. Ijelu of the State High Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos.

EFCC alleged that Akujobi stole the money between January and December 2025 while under the employment of Access Bank Plc.

As stated in one the charges, the defendant stole the money through unauthorized payments from the general ledger of Access Bank to her account number 0036668871 with the name Chinonso A., Uchechi A. and Florence A., thereby committing an offence of stealing, contrary to Section 280 and punishable under Section 287 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.

‎The defendant pleaded “not guilty“ to the charges when they were read to her.

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‎In view of this, S.M.Yabo, prosecution counsel, asked the court for a trial date and also prayed for the remand of the defendant in a Correctional centre.

Justice Ijelu, thereafter, adjourned the case till October 8, 2026, for the hearing of the bail application and the commencement of trial.

The Judge also ordered that the defendant be remanded in the Ikoyi correctional Centre.

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NSIB Faults Runway Identification, Reveals Cockpit Disagreement in Asaba Jet Incident

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The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) says the flight captain of the VMO Aero aircraft that landed on a roadway near Asaba Airport in Delta State told investigators that the observer pilot mistakenly identified the paved road as the runway before touchdown.

The bureau disclosed this in a preliminary report released on Thursday on the June 10 incident, which prompted the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to ground the private jet.

The aircraft had seven people on board, including the pilot-in-command (PIC), second-in-command (SIC), an observer pilot, a cabin crew member and three passengers.

According to the report, the aircraft was cleared by Air Traffic Control (ATC) to approach Runway 11 at Asaba Airport after the crew requested a right orbit.

The crew initially discontinued the approach, executed a missed approach and repositioned for a second landing attempt.

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NSIB said the crew reported that the aircraft’s navigation systems indicated it was correctly established on the published RNAV Runway 11 approach.

“The PIC and SIC reported that the observer pilot identified the paved surface ahead as the runway,” the report stated.

However, the observer pilot gave investigators a different version of events.

According to NSIB, he said the aircraft remained inside cloud until late in the approach and that the Ground Proximity Warning System (GPWS) repeatedly issued “TERRAIN, TERRAIN, PULL UP” alerts.

He also said he observed a telecommunications mast directly ahead and instructed the flight captain to abandon the approach and climb immediately.

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The bureau further disclosed that a cabin crew member reported that one of the passengers became concerned after overhearing discussions among the pilots and asked whether one of them was undergoing training. The passenger was reportedly reassured that all three pilots on board were experienced captains.

NSIB said no abnormal events were reported in the cabin before touchdown.

The aircraft eventually landed at about 8:57 a.m. on an under-construction paved roadway near Asaba Airport instead of the designated runway.

The bureau said its investigation into the incident is ongoing, while the preliminary report highlights conflicting accounts among the cockpit crew over the circumstances that led to the erroneous landing.

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EU warns Meta over addictive Facebook, Instagram designs, threatens fines

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European Union has warned Meta Platforms Inc. that it could face a significant financial penalty unless it changes what regulators describe as the “addictive design” features of Facebook and Instagram.

EU warns Meta over addictive Facebook, Instagram designs, threatens fines

The European Commission issued the warning in preliminary findings released on Friday, saying Meta had failed to sufficiently address risks posed by its platforms, particularly to children and vulnerable users.

The Commission said features such as infinite scrolling, personalised content recommendations and automatic video playback were designed in ways that encouraged excessive engagement with the platforms.

EU Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, Henna Virkkunen, said protecting the physical and mental well-being of European citizens should be a priority for social media companies.

The Commission said Meta should consider introducing design changes, including disabling autoplay and infinite scrolling by default, providing effective screen-time reminders and adjusting recommendation systems to reduce the focus on maximising user engagement.

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The findings were issued under the European Union’s Digital Services Act (DSA), which sets obligations for major online platforms to address risks associated with their services.

Meta, however, rejected the Commission’s conclusions, saying it disagreed with the findings but would continue engaging with European regulators.

The company said it had already implemented measures aimed at protecting younger users, including Teen Accounts that allow parents to manage screen time limits and restrict access during night hours.

The EU said its investigation, which began in 2024, found that existing time-management tools on Facebook and Instagram could easily be bypassed, while parental controls required technical knowledge that limited their effectiveness.

Regulators also expressed concerns over children’s nighttime use of the platforms and the possibility that features such as Reels and Stories could encourage compulsive behaviour.

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If the Commission’s preliminary findings are confirmed, Meta could face a fine of up to six per cent of its annual global revenue under the DSA.

The warning comes as the EU steps up efforts to strengthen online safety measures for children, with an expert panel established by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen expected to present recommendations on protecting minors online.

Several EU member states, including France, have also supported discussions on restricting social media access for children, following Australia’s decision to ban users under 16 from accessing social media platforms.

Meanwhile, the Commission is continuing a separate investigation into whether Meta’s recommendation algorithms create “rabbit hole” effects by directing users towards increasingly extreme content.

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