Monday, March 13, 2017

Abuja airport shutdown 'hugely embarrassing,' say critics

(CNN)-It is the gateway to Nigeria's capital and seat of government. It is a vital resource for public officials, VIPs, and business travelers.

Abuja's Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport handled almost 5,000 domestic flights in December alone, making it the second busiest airport in the country. But it will shut down for six weeks from Wednesday, March 8.
The shutdown is expected to cause severe disruption. But the decision has been forced by the increasingly decrepit and dangerous condition of the airport's sole runway, which has ruptured in several places.
"The runway was designed for 20 years, but it has been in use for 34," says Henrietta Yakubu, general manager of corporate affairs at the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN). "It has decayed so much that there is a need to shut down the airport for complete rehabilitation."
Mend and make do
FAAN considered options to keep the airport open such as night-only repairs, says Yakubu, but this was deemed insufficient given the urgent and extensive work required.
International airlines had complained that the runway was causing damage to their aircraft and threatened to suspend their services to Abuja, she adds.
An $18 million contract has been awarded to Abuja construction firm Julius Berger, and Yakubu is confident the task will be completed on schedule.
"(Julius Berger) has given assurance to the federal government and the public that the airport will be open for business on April 19, and we are holding them to their word of course," she says.
Temporary home
During the closure, flights will be re-routed to the much smaller Kaduna airport around 200 kilometers north.
The government has conducted rapid upgrades to the runway and facilities, with ongoing work up to and beyond the closure of Nnamdi Azikiwe. There have also been improvements to the road between Kaduna and Abuja, with security and medical personnel stationed along a route through areas that have seen regular violence.
A free shuttle bus service to Abuja will be provided for arrivals at Kaduna airport. Passengers can also take advantage of a new train line.
There is cautious optimism within the travel industry that the arrangement can work.
"The option we were given was Kaduna and we did not have a choice but to run with it," says Bankole Bernard, president of the National Association of Nigerian Travel Agencies (NANTA). "However, all the facilities to make Kaduna operate like a standard airport have been provided, the inspection has been done, the airlines are on deck and making the best of this alternative."
Domestic carriers have agreed to use Kaduna, but many international carriers will not. British Airways, Turkish Airlines, and Lufthansa are among the airlines to decline the alternative airport, citing security and infrastructure concerns.
'Lasting damage'
Despite contingency measures, there are fears that closing the capital's airport will cause severe economic damage and worsen Nigeria's ongoing recession.
"We cannot underestimate the damage and revenue loss the government will face in these six weeks," says Bernard. "Business travel is going to be worst affected... Many people were flying to Abuja in the morning and going back in the evening. Now that is very difficult, and the economic impact could be enormous."
"The effects of the closure will impact negatively on business not just in Abuja but the country as a whole," says Tony Ejinkeonye, president of the Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry. "Primarily, the hotels and businesses that depend on visitors will have to scale down or shut down their operations."
"Business visitors have either postponed or canceled visits. In an economy that has recorded negative growth, this is a decision that was taken at a wrong time. The closure will be for six weeks, but it will take more like a year for businesses to recover from the effect of the closure."
The many businesses that operate around Nnamdi Azikiwe will be particularly hard hit. Airport services group Skyway Aviation Handling Company (SAHCOL) anticipates losses of over $250,000 each day.
Reputation risk
However, economist Nonso Obikili believes that the bleakest predictions are exaggerated.
"Flying to Kaduna is inconvenient but not impossible (and) businesses have had time to plan around this," he says, adding that the six-week period covers holidays including Easter, which will lessen the impact.
Obikili believes the worst effect may be an image problem.
"This will be a drop in the ocean compared to the economic problems of the past year," he says. "But I think it is hugely embarrassing that the nation's capital will have no airport for six weeks -- that's the disaster."

CNN, March 08 2017
http://www.herbalkeluargaharmonis.com/

Brexit rebel Lord Heseltine sacked from government role

Conservative former Deputy Prime Minister Lord Heseltine has been sacked as a government adviser after rebelling over Brexit in the House of Lords.
Lord Heseltine backed the demand for a parliamentary vote on the final deal to be written into Brexit legislation.
Lord Heseltine learned hours later that he had been fired from five government advisory roles he had held.
He said he accepted Number 10's right to sack him but "sometimes there are issues which transcend party politics".
Lord Heseltine told the Lords that the UK was facing "the most momentous peacetime decision of our time".
The peer said he was having dinner with his wife when he got a call from the chief whip, and went to the Lords to be told he was being sacked.
Lord Heseltine told the BBC: "This is not my judgment, this is the prime minister exercising her perfectly legitimate right to get rid of opposition in any way she finds appropriate.
"Whether it's a wise thing to do is a matter for her not for me.
"I have been hugely proud of the work I have done for David Cameron and now for this prime minister, and if they don't want me to go on they must sack me."
He continued: "I did write a newspaper article the other day setting out exactly what I intended to do so I think they could have told me this would be the price but let me make it quite clear; I would still have voted as I did tonight.
"Sometimes in politics there are issues which transcend party politics; in the end you have to be your own person. I believe our interests are intertwined with Europe. I am not prepared to change.
"Every Conservative prime minister I worked for has told me, including this prime minister before the referendum, that we were essentially seeking British self-interest in Europe."
"It's not perfect but it's much better than anything that happened before the Second World War."
Ministers have said they aim to overturn the two defeats peers inflicted on them in the Lords on the Brexit bill.
When the bill becomes law it will give the prime minister the legal permission she requires to begin the process of leaving the EU.
Brexit Secretary David Davis has said some in the Lords are seeking to "frustrate" Brexit but it was the government's intention to ensure that did not happen.
When the bill returns to the Commons next week ministers will have some persuading to do but Theresa May remains on course to trigger Article 50 and begin Brexit negotiations before the end of this month.
Like Ken Clarke in the Commons, Lord Heseltine was determined to remain vociferously pro-European both before and after the referendum.
BBC political correspondent Chris Mason says Lord Heseltine's sacking illustrates Downing Street's determination to pointedly press ahead with Brexit.
Lord Heseltine, 83, served as a minister in Margaret Thatcher's government in the 1980s.
He was brought in by former Prime Minister David Cameron to advise the government on a range of projects, including schemes in east London and Swansea.
Three-hour debate
Peers voted by 366 votes to 268 in favour of an amendment to the bill to have a "meaningful" parliamentary vote on the final terms of the Brexit deal.
The previous defeat was on the issue of guaranteeing the rights of EU citizens.
After a three-hour debate on Tuesday, the turnout for the vote was the largest in the Lords since 1831, according to Parliament's website.
As well as Lord Heseltine, 12 other Tory peers defied the government to vote in favour of the amendment, including former ministers Lord Deben and Viscount Hailsham.
Mrs May has said she wants to trigger Article 50 by the end of March but the Commons is unlikely to have an opportunity to consider the changes made by the Lords until the middle of next week as four days have been set aside for debate on the Budget.

BBC, March 08 2017

China Calls on U.S., North Korea to Avoid `Head-on Collision'

China’s foreign minister urged North Korea to halt its nuclear activities and the U.S. to suspend nearby military drills, as a way to quell growing tensions and get Kim Jong Un back to the negotiating table.


“The two sides are like two accelerating trains coming towards each other, with neither side willing to give way,” Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Wednesday in Beijing. “The question is, are the two sides really ready for a head-on collision? Our priority now is to flash a red light and apply brakes on both trains.”

Wang’s push for revived North Korean talks came during an annual news conference on the sidelines of the National People’s Congress in which he also praised his new U.S. counterpart, Rex Tillerson, and reaffirmed China’s opposition to protectionism. China has come under pressure to help stop Kim’s pursuit of more powerful nuclear weapons, with the U.S. setting up a missile-defense system in South Korea that Beijing views as a threat.

“This is the usual approach from China,” said Andrei Lankov, a history professor at Kookmin University in Seoul and author of “The Real North Korea: Life and Politics in the Failed Stalinist Utopia.” “China wants to show that it is neutral and both sides are to blame for the situation in North Korea.”
After Wang’s remarks, the South Korean won reversed course to strengthen 0.2 percent to 1,143.54 against the dollar as of 12:34 p.m. in Seoul.While the U.S. military has said its Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system is aimed solely at stopping North Korean missiles, Wang said “everyone knows” its deployment was intended to endanger China’s security. China has suspended the operation of around 40 Lotte Mart stores after the South Korean retail conglomerate agreed to sell land for the system, and ordered travel agents to stop selling tour packages to South Korea.

Wang called on South Korea to “step back from the precipice and stop the deployment.”
Kim has accelerated his efforts to acquire the ability to hit the continental U.S. with a nuclear warhead since six-party talks collapsed in 2009. North Korea warned this week that U.S.-South Korea war exercises were leading the region to the brink of a “nuclear disaster.”

‘Suspension for Suspension’

Wang said there was a chance for a breakthrough, if both the U.S. and North Korea halt moves seen as aggressive. “This suspension for suspension can help us break out of the security dilemma and bring the parties back to the negotiating table,” he said.

The U.S. has pushed China to implement sanctions against North Korea, and has ruled out talks until Kim halts provocations.

“Given North Korea’s recent behavior, we’re not at the point where we’re looking at direct engagement with them,” State Department spokesman Mark Toner told reporters in Washington on Tuesday. “We’re not rewarding that behavior in any way, shape, or form.”

Shi Yongming, an associate research fellow and Korea specialist at the China Institute of International Studies in Beijing, said China’s role would be limited if the U.S. and North Korea refuse to budge. “If the U.S. shows the willingness to downscale its military drills with the South, China can be in a better position to persuade the North back to the negotiation table,” Shi said.

Trump, Tillerson
Wang touched on range of topics during the almost two-hour-long news conference.Here are some highlights:

Relations with the U.S. are moving in a positive direction after “close communications,” including a phone call between U.S. President Donald Trump and counterpart Xi Jinping. The two sides are preparing for a face-to-face meeting between the two heads of state
Tillerson, Trump’s secretary of state, appears to be a good listener and interested in in-depth communications. Wang predicts they can establish a good working relationship
China wants to see a more united, stable and prosperous European Union. The region’s current challenges could present an opportunity for it to mature
China will continue to uphold multilateralism and economic opening in the face of rising protectionism.

Bloomberg, March 08 2017
http://www.herbalkeluargaharmonis.com/