Nigeria fines Virgin Atlantic and British Airways

Nigeria's government has fined air carriers British Airways $135 million and Virgin Atlantic Airways $100 million over what it describes as unfair trade practices that hiked up airfare prices in the oil-rich nation, an official told The Associated Press on Thursday.

The official said the fines came after a six-month investigation into fuel charges added to fares from Lagos' Murtala Muhammed International Airport to London's Heathrow Airport. The official said the two airlines acted together to inflate prices as far back as 2004.

The official spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity as the Nigerian government did not want to publicly acknowledge fines as negotiations with the two carriers continue. Nigerian newspaper ThisDay published a story Thursday saying the government had levied the heavy fines.

British Airways, which is run by International Consolidated Airlines Group PLC, rejected the allegations in a Thursday statement. British Airways has been flying to Nigeria, a British colony until 1960, for more than 75 years.

"We are vigorously defending our position," the statement read.

Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd. issued a statement Thursday saying it had been contacted by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority over the fuel-charge investigation.

"We have fully assisted the NCAA with its inquiry and we do not believe we have breached Nigerian law," the statement read. "We will be robustly defending any suggestion to the contrary."

The airlines also will be required to provide compensation for affected passengers, which could mean millions of dollars more in losses, the official said.

The fuel charges appear to have spiked in just over a year, from 2.50 pounds ($4) in 2004 to 30 pounds ($47) in 2005, according to an analysis done by the Nigerian government and obtained Thursday by the AP.

The fee "was nothing but an additional fare," the analysis read.

In trading Thursday, IAG stock dropped 2.10 pounds ($3.30) to 141.40 pounds ($222).

The Nigerian government's push to accuse the two airlines of price fixing has precedent abroad. In the U.S., 21 airlines have paid more than $1.7 billion in fines over artificially inflating passenger and cargo fuel charges, one of the largest criminal antitrust investigations in U.S. history. Both British Airways and Virgin Atlantic found themselves ensnared in that probe, with British Airways fined $300 million in August 2007.

However, the fines come as Nigeria is engaging in talks with the United Kingdom over Nigerian carrier Arik Air's loss of spots at Heathrow. The Nigerian airline said a government agreement entitles it to 21 slots at U.K. airports, but the airline refused to pay increased rates for some Heathrow slots, which are administered by a private company.

The Nigerian official denied the fines came as a response to the conflict, which has seen the Nigerian government threaten to cut British Airways flights in Lagos in retaliation.

Other foreign carriers also fly in and out of Lagos' international airport, a major hub for West Africa. That airport alone saw 2.3 million passengers pass through it in 2009, according to the most recent statistics provided by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria.

The official said authorities will continue their investigation to examine the high prices charged by other foreign airlines as well.

AP

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Nigeria has the fifth largest user base in the world of Opera mini mobile browsers

Recent figures by Opera Software Company shows that Nigerians are first in Africa and fifth largest users of Opera Mini browsers in the world. With this latest ranking, Nigeria has surpassed more tech-savvy countries such as the United States and China.

According to StatCounter, internet browsing from mobile phones in Nigeria grew by over 25% between October 2010 and October 2011. In the same period, according to StatCounter, internet browsing from desktops decreased by more than 25%.

Nigeria has an estimated 93 million mobile phone users, and is ranked as having the largest mobile subscriber base in Africa. A key information in the StatCounter data is that Opera Mini browser is the most popular mobile internet browser in Nigeria. About 90% of Nigerian users of mobile internet browsers use Opera Mini. The upsurge in internet browsing from mobile phones among Nigerians has been explained as due to the fact that accessing web content from a mobile browser is much cheaper than accessing the same content for a desktop.

Nigeria was first listed among the world's top ten users of Opera in March 2009. The growth of Opera Mini usage in Nigeria is breathtaking, increasing by 1,150 per cent between July 2010 to October 2011. One of the factors in Nigeria's advantage is her population, now estimated at over 160 million, with a massive bulge in the 15-35 age-group.

The average mobile web user in Nigeria views about 345 pages every month, and uses his mobile browser almost exclusively for accessing social networking sites and for emailing services. The most popular sites for users of mobile browsers in Nigeria are Facebook, Google and Yahoo. Opera Software says it's mobile browsers are flexible. Opera Mini may be used on more than 3,000 different mobile-phone models, from ordinary feature phones to Smart phones. Nigerians agree on this point.

Professor S. Ajayi, Dean of Sciences at Caleb University, Lagos says; "Using a mobile browser is cheaper, faster and very convenient especially when you are on the move. Most Nigerians use the internet for social networking and email services. Mobile browsers are exceptionally adapted for such functions."

When asked why he thinks Nigerians have taken to mobile browsing so readily, Tolu, a Nigerian and internet entrepreneur says, though millions of young Nigerians use the internet regularly, most use it only superficially, checking updates and messages on their Facebook page and looking up latest email messages.

In spite of his views, Tolu thinks mobile browsers will continue to grow in popularity, especially among young Nigerians, whose notions of essential services are dictated by peer fashion trends.

Daily Trust

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Sex slaves from Nigeria evacuated from Mali

Nigeria has evacuated from Mali 104 of its citizens, mostly women, either made to work as “sexual slaves” or suspected of involvement in human trafficking, officials said on Tuesday.

The National Agency for the Prohibition of Traffic in Persons (NAPTIP) evacuated 93 alleged victims of human trafficking, nine suspected traffickers and two babies, the agency's head, Beatrice Jedy-Agba, told reporters.

The babies, aged between six months and a year, were born in Mali, she added.

Jedy-Agba said they were brought back home on Saturday after investigations by the agency showed that “Nigerian girls are sold for two million naira (about $12 000) each and made to work as sexual slaves”.

The investigations started in September last year, she said.

Many brothels in the capital Bamako and the cities of Mopti (centre), Kayes (west), Sikasso (south) and Gao (northeast) were populated by mostly Nigerian girls, victims of human trafficking, aged between 14 and 17 years, Jedy-Agba explained.

NAPTIP found out that thousands of Nigerian citizens have been deceived and transported to the francophone West African nation on the pretext that they would be taken to Europe.

“Some of them in their hundreds are deported from Algeria and Morocco back to Mali after failed attempts to cross to Europe,” she stated.

The agency has started the process of their rehabilitation and re-integration into the society for the victims, while the suspected traffickers would be prosecuted after their interrogation.

iol news

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President Goodluck Jonathan says Nigeria is safe to visit

President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has said that the visit of the French Foreign Minister, Mr. Alain Juppe, to Kano last Saturday, as well as the trip of Ambassador Jean-Michel Dumond to Kebbi and Sokoto States has proved that Nigeria is a safe country to visit.

President Jonathan was speaking to the out-going French Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Jean-Michel Dumond, who paid a farewell visit to State House, Tuesday, November 15.

'Your visits to Kebbi and Sokoto States, after the French Foreign Minister visited Kano, all in the north of Nigeria, confirm that the country is safe to visit', he stated, recalling the visit of the French Prime Minister to the Niger Delta in 2009, when other nationals were reluctant to visit that part of the country.

The President commended President Nicolas Sarkozy for the tremendous support Nigeria and Africa have enjoyed from France, especially towards the restoration of peace, stability and democracy in Cote d'Ivoire, Niger Republic, Guinea and Liberia.

On bilateral issues, President Jonathan said the Economic Management Team was working hard to improve Nigeria's investment environment, particularly power supply, and acknowledged the contributions of Mr. Dumond in strengthening relations between the two countries.

Earlier, the out-going French Ambassador, Mr. Jean-Michel Dumond, had said his stay in Nigeria since January 2008 had enabled him to realise that misconceptions about Nigeria abroad were not justified, adding that his efforts to enlighten the French business community about Nigeria has led to the presence of over 120 French companies in the country.

He said Nigeria was the leading French trading partner in Africa, but added that there was still much to do to consummate the strategic partnership between both countries.

Mr. Dumond said France has proved many times over that Nigeria and France are strong partners, listing areas of mutual cooperation to include trade, security assistance, promotion of democracy and manpower development.

He thanked President Jonathan for the cooperation he enjoyed from the Government during his tenure.

Nigeria First

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Nigeria rejects British Airways 20% fare reductions

As negotiations on the controversial London route continues between the Federal Government and its British counterpart, the Nigerian authorities have rejected offers put forward by the latter, including a 20% reduction in the price of the lowest business class ticket to London.

This came as the ultimatum given British Airways to facilitate restoration of Arik Air's slot on Abuja-London route expired yesterday.

Vanguard gathered that Arik Air will now also operate seven frequencies from Abuja to London, instead of the five it hitherto operated, which were suspended on October 29 as a result of the current crisis between Nigeria and the UK on the matter.

Ongoing negotiations between both governments, triggered by the intervention of British Prime Minister, Mr David Cameron, was occasioned by the muscling of Arik Air off the route, which compelled the federal government to also slash British Airways frequencies in Lagos from seven to three.

Vanguard gathered, yesterday, that the negotiating team of the British government offered to cut the lowest Business Class ticket by 20 per cent, which the Nigerian team rejected outright.

Consequently, the Nigerian team was said to have asked for an outright dismantling of the regional imbalance in the fare regime of British Airways and the other British carrier, Virgin Atlantic Airways, which gives the British carriers unfair advantage over Nigerian carriers on the route.

Vanguard gathered that the Nigerian team wanted equal fare regime that would confer a balance arrangement for citizens of both countries.

ACN backs FG

Meanwhile, the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, has said it fully supports the Federal Government's stance on the issue of full respect for the Bilateral Air Service Agreement, BASA, between the country and Britain.

In a statement in Lagos, yesterday, by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party specifically hailed the way and manner the issue has been handled by the Aviation Ministry, which has responded in kind to the shabby treatment meted out to Nigeria flag carrier, Arik Air, in Britain.

It said:"'If British airlines must fly to Nigeria unhindered, under the framework of the BASA between the two countries, then Nigerian airlines must fly to Britain without hinderance."

Any move to the contrary is an attempt by one party to gain an unfair advantage over the other, and must be resisted to the hilt," it said.

ACN added: "The explanation by the Minister of Aviation that the face-off between the two countries is more about respecting the spirit and letter of the BASA between them, than any other consideration, gladdens our hearts, as it shows that Nigerians as well as the country's corporate citizens can be sure that their government will stand up to defend their rights when necessary.

"This is in consonance with what our party has always said: That the government must stoutly defend Nigerian citizens at home and abroad, to ensure that their dignity is not trampled upon anywhere. This is the only way our country and its citizens can stand tall in the comity of nations."

The party said the government must not relent in its ongoing efforts to ensure that Nigerian airlines flying into Britain are not shortchanged, and also use the opportunity presented by the development to carry out a holistic review of the Bilateral Air Service Agreements entered into with other countries, with a view to ensuring full respect for such pacts.

It said at a time the Jonathan administration is committing many unforced errors, to use a tennis parlance, due to poorly-conceived policies, the action of the Aviation Ministry represents what his government can achieve if it will only allow itself to be guided by the national interest.

Vanguard

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