Air Tanzania Partners With SAHCO To Handle Its Ground Services For The First Time In Nigeria

By Fidelia Okafor
The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) on Tuesday conducted an Aircraft Emergency Table Top Exercise to enlighten aviation stakeholders on how to manage aircraft emergencies and disasters.
The Exercise which took place at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Conferences center brought key stakeholders in emergency management and Search and Rescue Units drawn from all the aviation agencies.
Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Department of State Security (DSS), Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Federal Fire Service (FFS), National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Lagos State Emergency Management (LASEMA), Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), Lagos State Ambulance Services (LASANBUS), Nigerian Police Force (NPF), etc.
L-R : Representative of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority Authority (NCAA), Alhaji Safo Baba Jiya, Head of Search and Rescue Unit, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Lagos Operations Office), Mrs. Ibitayo Adenike, Regional General Manager, South West, FAAN, Mr Olatokunbo Arewa, Search Mission Coordinator, MMIA, Igberaese David and an official of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Engr Jamin Olayinka Salami during the Aircraft Emergency Table Top Excercise conducted by NAMA on Tuesday at the MMIA, Lagos.
Declaring the exercise open, the Director of Air Traffic Services (ATS) at the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) John Tayo urged all stakeholders who attended to take the exercise seriously.Tayo equally urged the media to take the exercise serious and report it widely, pointing out that other agencies had done similar exercise but was not adequately captured in the media space.
Emphasizing that Search and Rescue (SAR) is everybody’s business, he said, “This morning, we are going to combine two things. To get fruitful result, we want to separate stakeholders meeting and the aircraft emergency Exercise”.
The Director, who was represented by the General Manager, SAR, NAMA, Mr. Sunday Iwalaiye streamlined the Emergency Table Top Exercise into two sessions: “Search and Rescue Units and Responsibilities” and “Arrangement Into Groups of Search And Rescue Units According To Their Responsibilities” said
“We cannot start the exercise without knowing clearly the responsibilities of each agency. Any Search and Rescue involving an aircraft is aeronautical emergency”.
“This is a thing we should all support. Although, no one want emergencies to happen but it does happen. I want all stakeholders to take notes to what so as to know what to do when emergencies occur”, Arewa added.
Alhaji Safo Baba Jiya, a representative of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) also commended the coordinators.
Jiwa, who dwelt elaborately on the importance of safety said, “Safety is paramount for us at NCAA. We are here to learn. Let us be mindful on what we are doing here today”.
In his remark, Quality Assurance Manager (QAM) , MMIA, Onohwoakpo Chris said that, although, many stakeholders don’t want emergency situations but that, “”We gathered here to learn on what we don’t ever want to happen in aviation”.
Head of Search and Rescue Unit, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA, Lagos Operations Office), Mrs. Ibitayo Adenike equally commended the exercise.
Ibitayo said, “Last disaster in global aviation wasn’t expected. We have representatives of practically all airlines. I appreciate the efforts put in this exercise. Let us put our minds together to synergise and identify areas of shortcomings and make progress so that whenever we there is an emergency, we will do the right thing”.
To Engr Jamin Olayinka Salami of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), he was very pleased with the exercise as it is something that stakeholders need to be doing often.
Salami, however, insisted that, what most importantly is how do we prevent disasters. It will help us to prepare more for eventually.
Explaining the essence of the exercise, Search Mission Coordinator, MMIA, Igberaese David who coordinated the exercise said that NAMA have been they conducting joint operation with National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) NIMASA, they decided to come together for a better performance when incidence occurs.
Igberaese said, “The goal is rescuing the greatest number of people in the shortest possible time.
According to the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), 24 hour watch must be provided in the Search and Rescue operations”.
“Search and Rescue is everybody is everybody business because when it occurs in remote areas, the farmers eventually become the first responders.”, Igberaese added.
High point of the event was the activation of Search and Rescue scenario which was terminated after some minutes of demonstrations before debriefing of the exercise.
A former Executive Director at Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON), Mr Abbas Muhammed Jega, on Wednesday, June 4th, appeared at the Special Offences Court in Ikeja, Lagos, to testify in the ongoing case between the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) vs the ex-AMCON MD/CEO, Ahmed Kuru, Kamilu Omokide, a former receiver manager of Arik Air Ltd; Captain Roy Ilegbodu, the airline’s CEO; Union Bank Ltd; and Super Bravo Ltd.
Jega appeared as the third prosecution witness in the ongoing trial of the former AMCON boss, Mr. Ahmed Kuru, and four others, who are standing trial over alleged financial misappropriation amounting to N76 bn and $31.5m. The matter is presided over by Justice Mojisola Dada.
Providing the court with the details of what he could recollect about the Arik Air/Union Bank business relationship that went bad, Jega recalled that following the directive of the Central Bank regarding the dumping of non-performing loans to AMCON, Union Bank had informed AMCON then that the CBN informed them to collapse the guarantee of Arik into loan because of the huge amount involved in the Union Bank had exceeded the single obligor limit allowable by the apex bank.
Jega whose directorate in AMCON was in charge of the transaction (as Executive Director, Credit) disclosed that it was in a certain meeting held in London that we ‘first knew that what Union Bank sold to us was not a loan but a guarantee given to some foreign lenders, that in the event Arik died or burnout, Union Bank will pay the instalments.’
He said, “When we came back to Nigeria… we now invited the Union Bank to explain why AMCON should pay for the guarantee. At the end of the deliberations, AMCON agreed with Union Bank that the money paid should be returned to AMCON, so that if Arik does not pay any instalment, AMCON will make the payment on behalf of Arik. We (AMCON) invited Arik to resolve the issue with Union Bank.
However, AMCON sources have confirmed that the arrangement disclosed by Jega never existed. AMCON, being a recovery agency of the federal government of Nigeria, was never in a position to take over the repayment of an obligor’s exposure to foreign lenders, particularly when it never had any concrete arrangement with the obligor for the same.
Jega also disclosed that the Chairman of Arik, Sir Johnson Arumemi-Ikhide, was avoiding a discussion with us (AMCON), probably because he believed he shouldn’t be talking to AMCON, because he didn’t have an NPL with Union Bank. But he didn’t realise that some of the measures put in place by the system were that if AMCON takes over your loan, you cannot borrow in the banking industry. This forced him to come to the table. We signed some agreements on how to restructure the loans.
He said that after the restructuring agreement, AMCON gave Arik even more money to help them sort out their working capital problems. As a result, AMCON created additional loan facilities for Arik, but Arik still failed to meet their repayment obligation to AMCON.
He added that, “At the time AMCON took over Union Bank that the guarantee was performing, but since AMCON took over Arik, it stopped performing because the nature of the facility had changed, and Arik was not amenable to that change. It was unable to source its working capital from the money market. This complicated both the relationship between Arik/AMCON and the ability of Arik to honour its obligations.
“We tried in AMCON to save the situation through a debt equity swap, but the burden in AMCON’s books cannot be sustained by the airline. We also proffered a solution where AMCON becomes a shareholder in Arik, and the legacy owners will lose some control. We took steps to implement this option, but Arik refused.
“The second option was to have management control in Arik. To appoint MD and CFO, so that AMCON can have both oversight and financial control. Initially, Arik agreed. But they dragged in the implementation. This was the stage at which the matter was when I left AMCON.”
Upon cross-examination, Jega confirmed that Kamilu Omokide and Capt Ilegbodu never played any role in the purchase of the loan from Union Bank, nor did they play any role in the so-called London meeting between Union Bank, AMCON and Arik’s foreign lenders.
Jega also confirmed during cross-examination that Arik’s inability to repay was a result of over-trading by Arik, that is, stretching beyond its capacity and leading to their inability to service existing and due debts. He confirmed Arik’s indebtedness to AMCON as at the time of his exit in 2015 was over N100bn, and the same remained unpaid.
He further disclosed that the Arik loans acquired by AMCON were not limited to Union Bank but also included Keystone Bank. But the Zenith Bank loan was purchased after his exit, leading to the level of exposure Arik had to AMCON.
The matter was adjourned to 30th June, 1st and 2nd July 2025 for the continuation of cross-examination of Abass Jega.
As part of its ongoing commitment to social impact and child-centered advocacy, Air Peace Limited has sponsored and attended the Parkland Amusement Center Children’s Fiesta and Raising Star’s This Ability 4.0 in celebration of Children’s Day 2025.
These dual engagements were centered on a shared goal: honouring children and creating inclusive spaces where every child’s voice is heard and valued.
At the Parkland Children’s Fiesta, children from various underprivileged schools gathered for a vibrant day filled with fun activities, games, and refreshments. The event, held at Parkland Amusement Park, Lagos, brought together children from diverse backgrounds in a celebration of unity and happiness.
Air Peace sponsored 40 children to attend the event, ensuring they experienced the joy and excitement of the day. Alongside prominent brands like Chocolate City, Mavin Records, Ryno Auto, and others, Air Peace stood out for its commitment to celebrating the voices and dreams of Nigerian children.
Simultaneously, Air Peace also lent its support to Raising Star’s This Ability 4.0, an annual advocacy event held at The Darlington Hall, Ilupeju, Lagos, and designed to spotlight and celebrate the abilities of children living with disabilities. With the powerful theme “Empowering Every Voice,” the event focused on inclusion, awareness, and empowerment.
This Ability 4.0 featured an art exhibition session showcasing the creativity of children with disabilities, a talent competition including fashion, music, and visual arts showcase, a dance competition involving inclusive schools, and seminars for parents, advocates, and tutors of children living with disabilities, as well as financial grants to support youth-led SMEs and young adults with disabilities.