FEBRUARY 08, 2022

Airlines have prevailed on governments globally to review mandatory COVID-19 test requirements for vaccinated passengers to ease the burden of cost and lift artificial barriers to air connectivity.

The airlines, under the aegis of International Air Transport Association (IATA), said scientific evidence no longer supports the safety objectives of pre-departure COVID-19 tests for all travellers. Same for blanket quarantine, self-isolation at destinations, coupled with travel bans in some parts of the world.

Findings showed that in Nigeria and few others, the COVID-19 racketeering has assumed a revenue-driven motive for the government and private sector operators rather than for public health purposes.

The implication is severe on the travelling public that pays an average of N200, 000 for four sessions of COVID-19 testing, per trip.

Currently, a return-trip overseas requires four sessions of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests. At the rate of N50, 000 per test in Lagos, a traveller will spend additional N200, 000 on the trip.

Travel expert at Dart Travels and Tour, Yinka Ladipo, said there are many customers that are discouraged by the COVID-19 test-induced hike in air fares.

IATA noted that the costs of COVID-19 test on family travel is even more severe. Based on average ticket prices of $200 for domestic travel and average low-end PCR testing ($90) twice each way, a journey for four that would have cost $1,600 pre-COVID could nearly double to $3,040—with $1440 being testing costs.

IATA, in partnership with Airlines for America (A4A) and 28 U.S. and international aviation and travel and tourism stakeholder groups, therefore, urged the U.S. government and others to remove the pre-departure testing requirement for fully vaccinated air travellers flying to the United States.

The airlines argued that the vaccinated traveller population adds no additional risks to the domestic U.S. population, especially. Increased immunity levels, the pervasiveness of COVID-19 in all 50 U.S. states, rising vaccination rates and new therapeutics, all point to removing the testing requirement for fully vaccinated travellers.

IATA’s Director-General, Willie Walsh, said the experience of Omicron made it clear that travel restrictions have little to no impact in terms of preventing its spread.

“Moreover, as Omicron is already broadly present across the U.S., fully vaccinated travellers bring no extra risk to the local population. International travellers should face no additional screening requirements than what is applied to domestic travel.

“In fact, at this stage of the pandemic, travel should be managed in the same way as access to shopping malls, restaurants or offices,” Walsh said.

Indeed, more than 74.3 million people – meaning at least 22 per cent of the U.S. population –have had COVID-19, and that is almost certainly an undercount owing to asymptomatic infections and limited testing early in the pandemic. When combined with an adult population that is 74 per cent fully vaccinated, it is clear that the U.S. is developing very high levels of population immunity.

The organisations also noted that the European Union (EU) has recommended that its member states remove COVID-19 travel restrictions for travel within the EU, and the United Kingdom has announced the removal of COVID-19 pre-departure testing for vaccinated air travellers to enter the country. The UK concluded that the cost to both passengers and airlines of the testing mandate could no longer be justified, as there was no evidence the regime protected the population from COVID-19.

Recent research by Oxera and Edge Health in Italy, Finland, and the UK all support the conclusion that travel measures do little to control the spread of COVID-19 when it is already broadly present in the local population.

The studies found that, if implemented at a very early stage, travel restrictions may at best delay the peak of a new wave by a few days and marginally reduce the number of cases.

Furthermore, IATA’s most recent air traveler survey showed that 62 per cent of respondents support removing a testing requirement for those who are fully vaccinated.

“Removing the pre-departure testing requirement for fully vaccinated travellers will greatly support the recovery of travel and aviation in the U.S. and globally without increasing the spread of COVID-19 and its variants in the U.S. population. There is no use in closing the barn door after the horse has bolted,” Walsh said.

Travel consultant, Sunday Olumegbon, yesterday noted that raising the cost of any product will significantly stifle demand.

“We have seen that impact globally, not only in Nigeria. The impact is greatest for short-haul trips (up to 1,100 km), with average fares of $105, the tests will cost more than the flight. That’s not what you want to propose to travellers as we emerge from this crisis.

“Testing costs must be better managed and already due for review. That’s critical if governments want to save tourism and transport jobs; avoid limiting travel freedoms to the wealthy,” Olumegbon said.

FEBRUARY 09, 2022

BY: Victoria Ojeme

The British High Commission in Nigeria on Tuesday said its visa and immigration process for applicants seeking to visit the United Kingdom will take six weeks.

British High Commission in Nigeria on its official Twitter handle issued by the UK Visas and Immigration office.

The UKVI office said that they are working on reducing the current processing time as quickly as possible.

The increase in processing time is due to unpredictable demand across all visa centres, a fallout of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and the global travel restrictions.

What the UK Visas and Immigration office is saying The statement from the UKVI reads, ‘’Due to the ongoing impact of COVID-19 and global travel restrictions, UKVI is experiencing unpredictable demand across all visa routes.

Standard visitor visa applications are taking on an average of six weeks to process. UK Visas and Immigration are working to reduce the current processing time as quick as possible. You should bear this in mind when making travel arrangements.”

The UKVI advised applicants against unnecessary visits to the Visa Application Centres (VACs) unless they were invited, stating that applicants whose passports were ready for collection would be contacted by officials at the centre for pick up.

It, however, stated there would be a consideration for extremely compassionate or compelling circumstances such as medical emergencies, although that would come at an extra cost.

It said, “You will be contacted by the Visa Application Centre (VAC) when your passport is ready for collection. Please do not attend the VAC until you have been invited to do so,” it said.

“Where there are extremely compassionate or compelling circumstances (for example, a medical emergency), we may consider expediting specific cases. However, the bar for this is high and will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.

“If your request is exceptionally urgent you can contact UK Visas and Immigration for help. Please note that this is a chargeable service for overseas customers. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.”

FEBRUARY 09, 2022

Warns Nigerians to be aware of fake travel websites.

The US embassy has stated that visa facilitators and agents operating in Nigeria, especially in Lagos are operating with impunity for their financial gains, warning that Nigerians will continue to pay high fees if they work with visa facilitators to get appointments at the embassy.

This was disclosed by Susan Tuller, Country Consular Coordinator of the US Embassy in Nigeria in a press briefing with newsmen on the No-interview U.S visa renewal services launched in Nigeria.

She warned that Nigerians should also be aware of fake websites, as all information can be found in official US government immigration websites.

What Tuller is saying about visa processing

Tuller disclosed that the visa appointments system is manipulated by facilitators and agents, especially in Lagos.

She added that unfortunately the visa facilitators here (Lagos) operate with impunity, and for financial gain, and as along as Nigerians continue to pay the very high fees to them to get appointments, that will make it hard for the Consulate to control the number of visa appointments that they make available.

“So unfortunately, visa facilitators and agents, manipulate our systems for their own financial gain,” she said

She urged that there is no reason to pay any high additional fees to any visa facilitators or travel agents.

“As of right now there are thousands of appointments available, for this new no interview renewal programme and available right now and as long you meet the criteria and follow the procedure, there is no reason to pay someone to get the appointment.

“One of the real challenges with paying someone for the appointment is that the visa facilitators use vague information to book these appointments.

“When you buy a slot from them you don’t know the information they have put in the system,” she said.

Tuller disclosed that they see a lot of people who paid a facilitator and who don’t even know what was used to book their appointment. And then they come in and the embassy is not able to see their details because the information in the system does not match the information on their passport.

She urged that one criterion to participate in the programme is to do the process themselves, citing that all information is available on official immigration travel websites.

What you should know no-interview U.S visa

• Nairametrics reported earlier this month that the U.S. Consulate-General announced that from February, it will start the No-interview U.S visa renewal services to aid non-immigrant visa applicants in Nigeria who qualify to renew their visas.
• The new procedure which entails no-interview visa renewal will commence at the U.S. Consulate in Lagos and will be extended to the U.S embassy in Abuja thereafter.
• The processing time for the program is expected to be up to two months and applicants will not be able to retrieve their passports during that time.
• Each applicant must individually meet the criteria and minors can apply without an interview only if they meet the eligibility criteria on their own.

FEBRUARY 09, 2022

The Federal executive council has approved Nigerian citizenship for 286 foreigners out of 600 applications.

The Minister of the Interior, Rauf Aregbesola disclosed this on Wednesday after the council meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari.

According to him, the number of those whose citizenship was approved by naturalisation stands at 208, while 78 applicants were approved by registration.

The applicants from every part of the world including Europeans, Americans, North and South Australians, etc. were thoroughly scrutinized by agencies such as the department of states services, foreign affairs, Nigeria’s immigration service, and the state of domicile of the foreign individuals.

FEBRUARY 10, 2022

BY Leke Baiyewu

A bill seeking to prescribe a jail term of seven years and/or a fine of N500m for officials who spend public funds on foreign medical trips narrowly passed second reading at the House of Representatives on Wednesday.

Sponsored by Sergius Ogun (PDP, Edo), the proposed legislation is titled, ‘A Bill for an Act to amend the National Health Act, 2014; and for related matters’.

Leading the debate on the bill, Ogun noted that the objective of the proposed law was to amend the Act “so as to make provision for sanctions against any public officer, who violates the provisions of the Act, especially Section 46 of the Act”.

The section reads, “Without prejudice to the right of any Nigerian to seek medical check-up, investigation or treatment anywhere within and outside Nigeria, no public officer of the government of the federation or any part thereof shall be sponsored for medical check-up, investigation or treatment abroad at public expense, except in exceptional cases on the recommendation and referral by the medical board and which recommendation and referral shall be duly approved by the minister or commissioner of Health of the state as the case may be”.

Ogun said, “This bill, which seeks to amend the National Health Act, is borne out of a desire to discourage medical treatment abroad at the detriment of our indigenous health institutions. The need to revamp the poor state of the health care sector in Nigeria, among other things, is the reason for introducing this bill.

“It is no news that Nigeria’s health care system is in a deplorable state and needs urgent attention. There is paucity of infrastructure, dearth of medical personnel, poor standards and many other challenges that need to be addressed. The intent of this bill is to spur public officers to pay more attention to our health care sector and take drastic steps to develop and improve on the sector.”

The lawmaker urged members of the House to look at the merits of the bill and let it pass “in the interest of our nation, which is currently going through trying times and requires drastic steps to bring it back on its footing”.

Ogun listed the merits of the bill to include reduction of the exodus of doctors from Nigeria to other countries.

“If this House passes this bill into law, it will curtail the excessive medical trips of public officers abroad and direct their attention to fixing the poor state of the country’s health sector. This will in turn lead to the development of the health sector and improved remuneration for medical doctors, thus attracting Nigerian doctors abroad to come back home,” he stated.

The lawmaker also noted that the bill, when passed into law, would demonstrate the government’s commitment to the welfare of citizens, “in the sense that funds, which were hitherto expended on foreign medical trips, will be redirected into building an efficient and effective health care system in the country. This will in turn positively impact the lives and wellbeing of the people”.

Ogun also cited reduction of capital flight abroad, saying, “This bill, as stressed above, will stop the export of cash abroad and redirect the same to the development of our economy.

“All of this cash, which flies abroad in the disguise of one medical trip or the other, will be retained here in our country and be used to develop our nation.”

While Ogun was making his presentation, the Deputy Speaker, Ahmed Wase, interjected him, asking if the lawmaker was sure of what he was saying.

Responding, Ogun noted that the Act prohibited unapproved spending of government funds on foreign medical services, but it failed to prescribe punishment for disobeying the law.

“I read the Act and the gazette is here. I was not in this Assembly then. It is an Act; it is a law of the land today. What I am basically doing…, my amendment is saying that there should be punishment for flouting that Act, which the Act did not capture. It could be (due to) an oversight,” he stated.

The lawmaker, therefore, proposed insertion of Clause 2(2) to read, “Any public officer of the government of the federation or any part thereof, who violates the provision of sub-section (1) above shall be guilty of an offence and liable on conviction to a fine of N500,000,000 or to an imprisonment term of seven years, or both”.

The proposed punishment, however, generated murmurs in the chamber.

FEBRUARY 10, 2022

BY  Jonathan Prynn

London starting salaries are rising at their fastest rate on record in the latest signal that the capital’s economy is roaring back to life.

Huge demand from employers combined with a severe shortage of skilled staff sent wages racing higher in January at their fastest rate in the 24-year history of a monthly survey published on Thursday.

Employers have been firmly in recruitment mode since the last lockdown ended last Spring and most restrictions were lifted in the summer.

The Plan B measures, including the work from home guidance in December and January, are increasingly looking like a short-term blip in London’s recovery rather than a major setback.

However, there are fears that the shortfall in skilled staff fuelled by Brexit and what has been termed “the Great Resignation” as people reassess their lives could hold back London’s bounce back.

The survey found that 59 per cent of London employers found that starting salaries increased during the month while 41 per cent saw no change. This is the highest reading for the index since it was first compiled in October 1997.

City lawyers are the latest profession to see starting salaries pushed to all-time highs with pay for newly qualified lawyers rising by up to 50 per cent to as high as £150,000.

Other roles proving particularly hard to fill included chefs, accountants, security guards, compliance officers, software engineers, nurses, social workers and shop assistants, according to the survey.

Across the UK there were a record of 1,247,000 job vacancies in the three months to December, an increase of 462,000 from pre-pandemic levels, according to latest figures from the Office for National Statistics, but the problem is most acute in the capital.

Anna Purchas, London office senior partner at consultants KPMG UK, which publishes the survey with recruitment body REC, said: “As the capital looks to recover, the severe candidate shortage has driven starting salaries in London to an unprecedented level. This, combined with the other rising cost challenges, is placing pressure on the profitability of businesses in the capital, and risks hampering their ability to grow.

“There is huge competition for talent in London and sourcing those skills locally is a challenge. Whilst addressing our skills shortage starts with our young people in schools, colleges and universities - ensuring they have the skills employers are looking for - there remains a huge task to reskill those workers in the capital who are unemployed and those whose roles are changing either due to automation or because of new skills required to meet our environmental commitments.”

Neil Carberry, chief executive of REC, said: “The jobs market is still growing strongly at the start of 2022. Recruiters are working hard to place people into work as demand from employers continues to rise.

“With competition for staff still hot, companies are having to raise pay rates for new starters to attract the best people. And the cost of living crisis means there is also more pressure from jobseekers who want a pay rise. But pay is not the only important factor - companies must think about all aspects of their offer to candidates to ensure they get the staff they need. This will be important as firms’ spending is under pressure from inflation as well.

“Government’s role is to manage inflation, but also to ensure that they do not discourage investment - that is what will drive the economy to grow through this year. Now is the wrong time to be raising National Insurance, the biggest business tax.

“But politicians should also be thinking about longer-term workforce planning, making sure we have the skills the country needs for the future. This will take a collaborative effort between the public and private sectors, and the recruitment industry stands ready to help.”

FEBRUARY 10, 2022

Abike Dabiri-Erewa received UK-based Nigerian radiologist, Reuben Obaro, who is in Nigeria to donate medical equipment in Ekiti State.</sub>

The Chairperson of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has said a new Nigeria can be built through collaboration between Nigerians at home and abroad.

Mrs Dabiri-Erewa stated this on Wednesday during a meeting with a UK-based Nigerian radiologist, Reuben Obaro, who was at the NiDCOM office in Abuja to share his plans of donating medical equipment to selected healthcare facilities in Ekiti State.

The NIDCOM chairperson commended Mr Obaro for his concern for events at home and his contributions to Nigeria, assuring that the Commission is always ready to render its support to his future projects.

She said the likes of him are part and parcel of nation-building and his actions are worth emulating.

In his remarks, Mr Obaro said Nigeria is blessed with many human, material and intellectual resources to attain the development level of countries like Israel, India and China and lead the world's black people.

He also commended Ms Dabiri-Erewa for her efforts in putting the Nigerian Diaspora on the global map and projecting people in the country in general as trailblazers.

Mr Obaro, who said he has lived in the UK for over 40 years, is a radiologist with the King George's Hospital in the UK.

FEBRUARY 10, 2022

Nigerian airlines are facing huge problems and receiving little support from the government.

BY LUKE BODELL

Nigerian airlines have warned that their survival may be at risk if the Nigerian government fails to aid them. Airlines in Nigeria are contending with multiple problems, including high fuel prices and exchange rate fluctuations, forcing them to raise airfares to offset increased operating costs.

Nigerian domestic aviation in trouble

The Nigerian domestic aviation industry could be in serious jeopardy should current trends continue. Industry insiders have warned that rising fuel prices and a lack of responsible government oversight could lead to many Nigerian carriers going defunct.

Dr. Obiora Okonkwo, Chairman of United Nigeria Airlines, said,

"The aviation industry will collapse. The airline business is the live wire of the entire aviation value chain. If airlines don’t fly or the airlines are in comatose, NAMA (Nigerian Airspace Management Agency), NCAA (Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority) and FAAN (Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria) will not get the required revenue to run their operations."

Nigerian airlines are struggling to cope with high operational costs. Photo: Anna Zvereva via Wikimedia Commons

On top of dealing with COVID-related problems, Nigerian carriers have witnessed a steep rise in the price of aviation fuel. Prices have more than doubled in the space of a year, shooting up from N180 ($0.43) per liter in February 2021 to N400 ($0.96) today.

Fluctuating exchange rates

Volatile exchange rates have hit the aviation industry hard as airlines and aviation authorities rely heavily on the US Dollar. The Nigerian Naira hit record-lows at the turn of the year and has progressively weakened every year since 2012.

Captain Shehu Usman Iyal, former Special Adviser to the President on Aviation, said,

"There is not a single bolt that you put in an airplane that you manufacture in Nigeria; you will have to buy abroad in dollars. Even the charges being paid to the government have to be a bit high because the government also buys airport equipment using the dollar."

The Nigerian Naira hit record lows at the beginning of 2022. Photo: Anna Zvereva via Wikimedia Commons

Industry professionals have called upon the government to assist the aviation industry, which contributes around 4% of Nigeria's GDP.

Airfares on the rise

Domestic fares have been rising as Nigerian airlines clamber to make up for their high operating costs. In November 2021, fares were up by 20-40 % compared to the previous month on many major domestic routes. Airlines fear that raising their fares even more will discourage customers from flying.

Dr. Okonkwo added,

"From the ticket, salaries paid to staff have increased, costs have increased but tickets have not increased that much compared to the cost of operations. Operators are looking for solutions to many of these things. We can’t talk about safety without looking at rising costs."

Nigerian startups haven't had the desired effect on airfares. Photo: Airbus

Steeper prices are a reality despite several new entrants, such as Ibom Air and Green Africa Airline, to the domestic aviation scene in recent years. Fares were expected to drop with more competition but this hasn't happened.What are your thoughts on the future of the Nigerian domestic aviation industry? Let us know your insights in the comments.

FEBRUARY 10, 2022

(Bloomberg) -- Four people were wounded in a drone attack targeting an airport in Saudi Arabia’s southern city of Abha, television channel Al Arabiya reported.

Authorities destroyed the drone, however the people sustained light injuries from shrapnel, according to Al Arabiya, which cited a Saudi-led military coalition. Yemen’s Houthi fighters have repeatedly used drones to attack Saudi Arabia in the past, including Abha International Airport.

Tensions have been rising in Yemen’s war recently, where a the coalition is spearheading a bombing campaign against the Iranian-backed Houthis. U.S. President Joe Biden called Saudi King Salman on Wednesday to discuss the Yemen war, among other topics.

FEBRUARY 10, 2022

(Bloomberg) -- Manhattan apartment rents skyrocketed in January, coming close to an all-time high for the month.

The median rent jumped 23% from a year earlier to $3,467, according to a report Thursday by appraiser Miller Samuel Inc. and brokerage Douglas Elliman Real Estate. That’s just shy of the record for January of $3,472, reached in 2020 before the pandemic exodus sent rates sliding.

Now, New Yorkers are flooding back to the city and grabbing whatever deals are left before costs rise even further. January’s median rent was just 2.1% below the record for any month in more than a decade of data-keeping by the firms: $3,540, in April 2020. 

The leasing frenzy has whittled down a mountain of listings. In January, the supply of available apartments tumbled 83% from a year earlier to 4,316. Landlord concessions, essential to luring tenants during the height of the pandemic, were offered in just 25% of new leases last month -- a near-normal rate for the market. 

While rents overall are roughly back to where they were two years ago, the lower and higher ends of the market remain polarized, according to Jonathan Miller, president of Miller Samuel. The median rent at doorman buildings is up 6.9% from January 2020, but costs at non-doorman properties, which tend to be cheaper, are still 5% below where they were two years earlier.    

That suggests there’s “a lot of additional room to rise at the lower half since it hasn’t reached parity with pre-pandemic levels,” Miller said. “But most of the upside potential for the high end has probably already occurred.”