General News
FAAN Sensitizes Workers, Deploys Shuttle Buses @ MMIA
The Airport Rescue and Fire Fighting Services (ARFFS) of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) recently conducted a fire simulation and prevention exercise for the FAAN workers and other stakeholders operating at the Domestic Terminal 1 of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Ikeja, to prepare them for fire emergencies at the airport.
Similarly, transportation between the local and international terminal of Murtala Muhammed Airport Lagos, recently received a boost with the deployment of four shuttle bus to ply the route by FAAN in partnership with Skyplus Contracts and Logistic Limited.
The fire simulation and prevention exercise which was led by Mrs. Dorothy Egwu, the terminal’s fire officer, was also designed to ensure that fire safety standards are regularly maintained within the terminal.
Egwu emphasized that fire safety was based on the principle of keeping fuel sources and ignition sources separate.
She said that oxygen, heat and fuel, which are combustive materials, work together to produce the chemical reaction that result in fire and stressed that the three components must be removed for fire to be extinguished.
She explained that the three common types of fire extinguishers were water, carbon dioxide and dry chemical powder extinguishers, adding that fire had four categories namely category A, which is for solids that are not metals e.g. paper and wood.
“This category” she said “could be extinguished with air pressurized water and dry chemical powder. Category B, fire is for flammable liquids such as gasoline while category C is for energized electrical equipment. These two groups, she said could be extinguished with carbon dioxide and dry chemical powder. Category D fire which is for metals such as potassium and aluminium, she said, required special extinguishing agent”.
While demonstrating how to use the fire extinguisher, Mrs. Egwu enjoined all participants to remember the acronym PASS which means – Pull the pin, Aim at the base of the fire, Squeeze the top handle, Sweep from side to side until the fire is completely out.
Mrs. Dorothy Egwu advised that in the event of a fire, people should leave the building through the nearest exit and assist any person in immediate danger to safety without risking their own lives.
Furthermore, Mr. Yakubu Dati, coordinating general manager (Aviation Parastatals), also said that the 30-seater shuttle buses were deployed by FAAN in partnership with Skyplus Contracts and Logistic Limited.
Dati quoted Mr. Tayo Adewakun, FAAN’s general manager commercial, who unveiled the buses on September 1, 2014, at the car park of MMA’s Domestic Terminal 1, saying the deployment of the vehicles was not to compete with regular car hire operators but to ease the movement of transit passengers from domestic to international terminals and vice versa.
Accompanied by other commercial staff of the Authority, Adewakun disclosed that the buses would pick passengers from DT1 and drop them at MM2 and international wing without stopping on the road.
He added that the shuttle bus would not pick any passenger on the road but at DT1 and MMIA. The buses would only drop passengers at MM2.
Speaking during the launching of the shuttle bus, Mrs Shobayo, managing director of Skyplus Contract and Logistics, said she was motivated into partnering with FAAN because of her experience as a frequent flyer.
Shobayo noted that the deployment of the shuttle buses would bridge the gap between the local and international airport terminals, adding that getting a drop for passengers on transit was always risky.
She commended FAAN’s management for the accelerated approval given to her company for the shuttle service.
The shuttle buses are fully air-conditioned with enough room legs for the comfort of passengers. They also have luggage compartments where passengers’ luggage could be accommodated.
Nigeria’s Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) market is on a fast-growing trajectory and is predicted to be valued $2.61 billion by 2030, up 83% from $1.42 billion in 2024, owing primarily to the rapid emergence of fintechs in the country.
This observation was stated in EnterpriseNGR’s State of Enterprise 2025 report, which focuses on how fintechs are reshaping Nigeria’s business landscape through digital innovations, accessible credit systems, and mobile-first financial tools.
As a credit system, BNPL allows users to stagger payments for products and services, making it a key development driver in Nigeria’s developing digital economy.
From 2021 to 2024, the BNPL experienced a compounded annual growth rate of 23.1%. Fintechs have contributed to the rapid growth by providing a range of flexible loan alternatives for e-commerce, retail, and services, bridging financial gaps for millions of disadvantaged Nigerians.
The report highlights how fintechs have contributed to Nigeria’s flexibility and resiliency by simplifying digital payments, automating invoicing and payroll systems, and democratising credit through platforms such as Renmoney and FairMoney.
The report also shows a significant rise in remittance inflows into Nigeria following the Central Bank of Nigeria’s 2024 policy adjustments.
According to the report, by 2024, Nigeria boasted over 400 licensed digital lenders who extend collateral-free credit to those commonly excluded by banks.
The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) strengthened bilateral relations with the Netherlands’ government through an agreement targeted at improving migration governance and border security.
This partnership was confirmed during a meeting at the NIS headquarters in Abuja, which was attended by a Dutch team led by Jurgen Bartelink, Chargé D’Affaires of the Embassy of the Netherlands in Nigeria.
The meeting focused on increasing bilateral migration cooperation and came after the comptroller general of Immigration, Kemi Nandap, paid a working visit to the Netherlands.
Under the agreement, the Dutch government pledged to continue supporting technology-driven solutions targeted at boosting Nigeria’s border control systems and improving migration management.
During the Netherlands Embassy diplomats handed over essential operational tools, such as Edison Software licence keys and the Passport Examination Programme Manual App.
According to NIS spokeswoman ACI Akinsola Akinlabi, “The partnership focuses on enhancing bilateral collaboration on migration management and reviewing ongoing capacity-building efforts.”
Bartelink, Chargé d’Affaires of the Netherlands Embassy in Nigeria, underlined the Netherlands’ commitment to helping Nigeria’s continuing border security and migration reforms.
Also speaking, Rob Bokhoven, head of international affairs, repatriation, and deportation services at the Dutch Ministry of Justice and Security, emphasised the country’s strong bilateral relations and announced plans to share a mobile border software solution with the NIS.
Receiving the equipment, Nandap said the delivery of the gadgets would boost West African country’s border security, significantly improve the service’s document verification border management capabilities and support the implementation of Nigeria’s National Migration Policy.
“The engagement will further reinforce the strategic partnership between Nigeria and the Netherlands advancing shared goals in migration governance, border security and international cooperation,” she added.
Peter Enogb, principal country economist, African Development Bank (AfDB), says the rise in global uncertainty, emanating from increases in global trade tariffs, has slowed Nigeria’s projected growth to 3.2% in 2025.
“Without this level of heightened uncertainty, our projections would probably have been somewhat higher. We’ve reduced our projections for Nigeria. We initially were projecting 3.5% – 3.6% growth in 2025.
“But given the current situation, our models are showing that we’re taking a more cautious approach. So that’s why we produced this and, of course, the main driver is uncertainty in the global economy,” Enogb said.
He said this at the launch of the 2025 Nigeria Country Focus Report (CFR) on Thursday.
AFDB projected that real GDP growth would hit 3.1% in 2026. Following the 2024 consumer price index (CPI) rebasing, with lower weights for food items, the inflation rate is expected to reduce over the medium term to 24.7% in 2025 and 17.3% in 2026.
As imports start to rise over the medium term, the current account is projected to decline to 3.9% of GDP in 2026.
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) reported that Nigeria’s headline inflation slowed for the second consecutive month to 22.97% in May. This is down from 24.48% at the start of the year
This is contrary to the World Bank projection that Nigeria’s economy would record steady growth of 3.6% despite the shift in the global trade dynamics.
Joseph Ogebe, head of research and development at Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), also said that global uncertainty had been very high in recent times, resulting from the Trump 2.0 effect.
“And also with the recent war between Israel and the international community, we’ve seen what’s happening to oil prices. Even with the call-off of the war, we’ve seen the effect on oil prices too, which has implications on the fiscal side. So it has implications for the general economy,” he said.
The head of research at NESG said that rather than focusing on just growth, what should be looked at is a strategy called growth with depth.
“Growth with depth means that your growth must be diversified, export-led, productive, and technologically driven,” he said.
Ogebe said that if the Government works towards adopting a strategy of growth with depth, there is a tendency for the government to move towards its goal of achieving a $1 trillion economy by 2030.
The report revealed that the country’s recent policy moves, including fuel subsidy removal, exchange rate unification, and tax reforms, reflect a commitment to long-term transformation.
However, it also pointed out that at about 13%, Nigeria’s tax-to-GDP ratio is among the lowest in West Africa, noting that fiscal reforms are urgent.
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