We’ll fight Bagbin if he dares contest Mahama – Former Asokore Mampong MCE
A member of the Ashanti Region wing of the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has cautioned the Speaker of Parliament Alban Sumana Bagbin to refrain from contesting former John Mahama during the party’s congress ahead of the 2024 elections. This caution to the Right Honourable Speaker of Parliament was spearheaded by former Municipal Chief Executive for Asokore Mampong Nurudeen Hamidan. Speaking on Akoma FM’s weekend political show Wonsom, the former MCE dared: “Let anyone decide to contest John Mahama in our upcoming congress, not even the Speaker of Parliament, he shouldn’t dare else some of us will fight them head-on.” He also indicated that “if he has been privileged to be elected as Speaker of Parliament, he should concentrate in Parliament and leave the presidential race to the former president to take NDC to the Promised Land in 2024.” The former MCE, who was a member of the NDC’s regional campaign team for last year’s elections, further added that “the former president has been able to brand the NDC into attractive entity and he has been the most popular personality in the party so it will be in the interest of the NDC for John Mahama to unopposedly go through the congress and once again lead the NDC into victory come 2024 but we will fight Alban Bagbin if he dares contest John Mahama”. According to Nurudeen Hamidan, his argument is based on intelligence circulating that the some key members of the party have harbored the conviction to contest John Mahama ahead of the 2024. Although the NDC is contesting the legitimacy of the 2020 presidential election results, the 2024 flagbearer race has already been heated as most of the grass-roots and key leadership of NDC in Ashanti Region have been praying for John Mahama to go through unopposed. 3news Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 0555568093
Nigeria civil aviation gets world commendation
Nigeria civil aviation in the last one week has been receiving world commendation. The sector which was recently rated as having one of the highest number of unserviceable aircraft in the world is suddenly being seen as one with the highest potentials on the Africa continent, capable of competing with the best in world civil aviation. This sudden world applause is due to the delivery of the first of the 13 brand new Embraer E195-E2 Nigerian Air Peace airline placed order for in April 2019 at the Embraer Business Meeting at Port Louis, Mauritius. The order include purchase rights for additional 17 E195-E2 jets. If fully executed, the contract has a value of about N640.5 billion naira or $2.12 billion dollars based on the current price list. Data from Planespotters.net shows that four more E195s are already in production in Embraer factory for Air Peace. Commenting on the acquisition of the new Embraer E195-E2 jet by Air Peace in a statement titled “Air Peace’s First E195-E2 Has A Groundbreaking Business Cabin”, Mr Pranjal Pande, a renowned Indian Aviation writer and commentator said , “ Nigeria’s Air Peace has taken delivery of its first Embraer E195-E2 this week. While the delivery of any new aircraft type is notable, the business cabin on this E195 is particularly unique, offering all passengers direct aisle access”. “Usually, business class on regional jets isn’t a notable experience, with relatively narrow seats in a 1-2 or 2-2 configuration. However, Air Peace’s new E195 fleet shatters this idea of not having direct aisle for all business passengers”. “The carrier has given every passenger direct aisle access by offsetting each seat from the one next to it. This allows passengers to enter and leave their seats without disturbing or needing to hop over their seat neighbors” “Registered 5N-BYF, the new E195 marks the first delivery for Air Peace and the first E2 jet to any African airline. The leading Nigerian carrier will deploy the aircraft on regional routes, taking advantage of the plane’s impressive 2,600 nautical mile range”. Speaking during the ceremony to receive the new Embraer aircraft at the Nnamidi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, the Brazilian Ambassador to Nigeria,, Mr Ricardo Guerra de Araujo, said the feat of Air Peace was a remarkable one for Nigeria and Africa. He revealed that Air Peace is the ” launch customer of this aircraft type in Africa”. The ambassador also expressed optimism that Air Peace would consider direct flight between Nigeria and Brazil as it has demonstrated ability to operate into any destinations during its evacuation flights at the peak of coronavirus pandemic. Explaining why the airline is purchasing 13 of the aircraft type, the chairman of Air Peace , Barrister Allen Onyema said : “The E195-E2 is the perfect aircraft to expand our domestic and regional operations. We are aware of the aircraft’s impressive economic performance as well as its unique configuration, the major reasons we placed an order for this aircraft. ”The E195-E2 aircraft will further help us actualise our ambition of connecting not just the whole of Nigeria, but the entire African continent, while feeding long-haul flights from our Lagos hub.” “It is also great that we will be the first E2 operator on the African continent. We already have the ERJ145s in our fleet. So, we understand the high standards of Embraer products. “The E195-E2 aircraft will strengthen Air Peace’s drive to deploy the right kinds of planes to under-served and unserved domestic and regional routes under its no-city-left-behind project.” Air Peace is now the biggest in West Africa. The coronavirus pandemic has , however, slowed its long-haul ambitions as the airline already has approval to operate into Mumbai, India, Tel Aviv, Israel, London, Houston, USA amongst others. It currently operate Lagos – Johannesburg, South Africa direct route and Lagos-Sharjah, Dubai, UAE route which it has just resumes again in February. Recall the airline had launched the no-city-left-behind initiative sometimes last year with scheduled services into Yola, Jos, Minna, Calabar, Akure, Ibadan, Kebbi, Asaba and other domestic destinations . The acquisition of eight Embraer ERJ145 50-seater jets has helped it to actualise this initiative. It has also acquired four Boeing777 aircraft for its international operations into South Africa, Dubai, and up coming routes like Beijing, India, London, Israel and the U.S., among others. All these acquisition of aircraft and routes expansion are happening within the last Six years the airline has operated. The Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika who was a special guest of honour during the delivery ceremony of the new aircraft at Abuja Airport commended Air Peace for keying into the Aviation Roadmap of the federal government. According to Sirika, the aviation roadmap of the current administration encourages airline operators to buy new aircraft as it was the right way to go for “a modern commercial carrier that wants to compete, survive and endure”. He said Nigeria has had its fair share of airlines using the wrong aircraft type, earning the nation the bad reputation of being among countries with the highest number of unserviceable aircraft. The Minister said : “We must never forget that the propensity to fly is determined by the price of the ticket, and in turn the choice of equipment. The equipment type determines the profitability and sustainability of operations. There is no way an airline that has invested in the wrong equipment can compete with one that has new aircraft. A new aircraft is fuel-efficient, requires minimal maintenance, the low workload on pilots and higher profit; all of which wrong equipment does not have”. “I will urge other operators to rethink their type of equipment for sustenance, following the example of Air Peace. Air Peace has keyed into the sectoral roadmap of aviation and it is commendable.” Speaking at the Customer Experience Centre of Embraer Aircraft Manufacturing Company in San Jose, Brazil while receiving Air Peace inspection team to the factory, Mr. Francisco Gomes Neto, Embraer’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), said that Air Peace had made history
I regret my accusation against Mahama – Napo
Energy Minister-designate Mathew Opoku Prempreh says he regrets his accusations against former President John Mahama during the SHS computerised placement chaos in 2017. The then Education Minister accused the NDC leader of busing parents and underaged children to the placement challenge centre at the Black Star Square in Accra in order to sabotage the Free SHS programme, which had been started by the NPP administration. The comment came in the wake of frustrations expressed by some of the concerned parents who had spent days at the centre in the attempt to have their wards placed in Senior High Schools. Some of the children collapsed at the centre. Appearing before the Appointment Committee of Parliament Friday, the Manhyia MP said he does not have the evidence to back his claim against Mr Mahama. When the Tamale North MP Alhassan Suhunyini asked if he had evidence to back the accusation, the nominee said: “No, I don’t. Mr Chair, I actually said that I’d use different words and I do regret it”. Pressed further by the Minority leader Haruna Iddrisu, the Energy Minister-dsignate said: “Honorable member, you asked me to do something and I did it. If those words I used hurt him, I do withdraw and I apologise to him”. Starrfm Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 0555568093
Organisers of BBNaija clear air on audition for season 6
Organisers of the Big Brother Naija, BBNaija reality TV show have denied reports that auditioning for the next edition of the show has begun. MultiChoice Nigeria (DSTV) in a statement on its verified Twitter handle on Saturday, advised Nigerians to ignore ongoing calls for auditions for BBNaija season 6. The tweet reads: “Our attention has been drawn to a call for auditions for Big Brother Naija, BBNaija season 6. “Please note that this report is false and members of the public are called to ignore this misleading information.” They revealed that detailed information would be made public through credible platforms and official social media handles at the appointed time. “We have not announced the next edition of BBNaija. As always, we will keep our customers and fans of the show notified through our official social media handles and other credible news platforms,” it said. Daily Post Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 0555568093
NDC asks: Would NPP’ve been happy if Afari-Gyan hadn’t testified in 2013?
The main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has wondered if the New Patriotic Party (NPP) would have been happy had Dr Kwadwo Afari-Gyan elected not to testify in the 2012 election petition in which Nana Akufo-Addo challenged the presidential results at the Supreme Court. A member of the NDC’s communication team, Mr Twum Barima, posed the question on Class91.3FM’s current affairs programme ‘The Watchdog’ hosted by Eugene Bawelle after a member of President Nana Akufo-Addo’s legal team in the ongoing election petition in which former President John Mahama is challenging the presidential results of 2020, wondered why Mr Mahama was not happy that the first respondent in the case, Electoral Commission Chair Jean Mensa, has elected not to testify in the matter. Nana Adjoa Adobea Asante had told the show that: “The petitioner should actually be happy and we still don’t understand why the petitioner is not happy that ‘you have adduced evidence, we are not going to adduce any evidence to poke further holes in your evidence but you are not satisfied’”. She added: “We are a bit surprised that the petitioner is not happy that the first and second respondents do not want to adduce any form of evidence and that is why it is very important to remember what the court said: the strength of your case is not based on the weakness of your opponent’s case”. “It is a tried principle of law that you cannot use your opponent to prove your case”, she stressed. On Thursday, 11 February, the seven-member panel of Justices ruled, unanimously, that the EC Chair cannot be forced to testify against her will. The legal team of Mr Mahama, led by Mr Tsatsu Tsikata, prior to the ruling, had put up a spirited legal fight through arguments to attempt to convince the judges to sway their gavel in their favour but to no avail. Rather, Adobea Asante recalled, the court “reminded the petitioner that the onus of proof, the burden of proof, lay on the petitioner and not on the first or second respondent”, insisting: “So, you have brought us to court, you are the one who gave evidence first, you have given your evidence, you should believe that you have proven your case and on the preponderance of the probability that the judgment will be in your favour”. “But you cannot seek to rely on the evidence that you want the first respondent to give, to prove your case”, she told Bawelle. Advancing a counter-argument on the same show, Mr Twum Barima, said: “I have a different opinion to what my learned friend just said when it comes to whether we should not be happy because the first respondent in this matter has decided not to give any evidence to the court and that by virtue of that, if it doesn’t harm our case, why are we not OK, why are we not happy?” “I wish to give a comparative question: in the sense that: can we say that the NPP would have been very happy if Dr Afari-Gyan had not mounted the witness box in 2013?” he asked. “The answer is capital no”, he said, explaining: “Because the issues that were under determination which they [Akufo-Addo and the NPP] raised in 2013, the only way the court could understand – don’t forget, inasmuch as the court is going to give a ruling on the issue, the court, as they are there, they are learning; that is why they are keeping note of everything that you are saying because when it comes to elections, excuse me to say that we don’t go to the election grounds or field or the strong room with our judges. So, the time that they get to know what really happened is where we are telling them what really happened”. ClassFMonline Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 0555568093