President Buhari sacks 4 heads of Nigerian aviation

The President Muhammadu Buhari led government has sacked four heads of agencies and colleges in Nigeria’s aviation industry, a government statement said.

This is contained in a statement issued by the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Transportation, Sabiu Zakari, on Monday in Abuja.

Zakari, in the statement, added that President Buhari has approved the sack and the appointments of new chief executive officers to run the agencies.

Those relieved of their jobs are the Managing Director of Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, NAMA, Emma Anasi; and the Director General of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency, NiMet, Anthony Anuforom.

Others are the Rector of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology, NCAT, Zaria, Samuel Caulcrick; and the Commissioner of Accident Investigation Bureau.

While Fola Akinkuotu has been named the new Managing Director of NAMA.

Mr. Akinkuotu was described in the statement as a seasoned transport pilot, flight and aircraft maintenance engineer, airline chief executive officer as well as a trained aviation industry regulator.

Also, Sani Mashi, a professor of Geography with specialty in Environmental Application of Remote Sensing will hold sway in NiMet as Director-General.

According to the statement, Mr. Mashi is currently a Deputy Vice-Chancellor at the University of Abuja.

Abdulsalam Mohammed, a renowned civil aviation trainer and examiner with accreditation by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority and the Federal Civil Aviation Administration, is the new Rector of NCAT, Zaria.

Similarly, Akinola Olateru, described as engineer of international repute, will take over as the head of the Accident Investigation Bureau.

Mr. Olateru is a trained air accident manager and certified safety officer with aircraft maintenance engineering licenses in Nigeria, U.S. and the United Kingdom.

360nobs

Video - Leader of Bring Back Our Girls campaign speaks with Al Jazeera

Sunday marks 1,000 days since the mass kidnapping of schoolgirls in Chibok in northeast Nigeria.

A total of 276 girls were taken on the night of 14 April 2014, and nearly 200 are still in captivity.

In a message to mark the 1000th day since the abduction, President Muhammadu Buhari vowed to bring back the remaining girls.

Joining us from Abuja is Aisha Yesufu, one of the leaders of Bring Back Our Girls campaign, to discuss when families can expect their daughters back.

Suspected Boko Haram suicide bombers kill three over the weekend

Two separate attacks by suspected Boko Haram suicide bombers - one by a female duo, the other by three men - have killed three people in northeast Nigeria, police said on Monday. All the attackers died.

The bombings late on Sunday in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state where the Boko Haram insurgency began, followed a bloody clash on Saturday in which five soldiers and more than 15 jihadist fighters died in neighboring Yobe state.

The violence marks a resurgence in attacks weeks after President Muhammadu Buhari said Boko Haram fighters had been pushed out of their last stronghold in the northeast where they have been trying to set up an Islamic state.

Maiduguri police said the women bombers claimed two victims there late on Sunday evening shortly after the male group had killed one person in the city. Nobody has claimed responsibility for the attacks but they bear the hallmarks of the group.

The deaths in Yobe state came in Boko Haram attack on an army base in the remote town of Buni Yadi.

The frequency of attacks had slowed down in the last few months, but security analysts say the spate of bombings in the last few weeks has coincided with the end of the rainy season, when movements in the bush are limited.

A man claiming to be Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau has appeared in a video denying Buhari's statement that the group had been pushed out of the region.

Boko Haram's seven-year-old insurgency, which is aimed at creating an Islamic state in the northeast of Africa's most populous nation, has killed about 15,000 people and displaced more than 2 million people.

In early 2015, Boko Haram controlled an area about the size of Belgium. It has been pushed out of most of that territory over the past year by Nigeria's army and troops from neighboring countries, moving to a base in the Sambisa forest, a vast former game reserve in Borno state.

Security analysts say the group's ability to carry out attacks in neighboring Niger, Cameroon and Chad suggests it has multiple bases.

Reuters

Video - Interrogation of captured militants leads authorities to missing girl

Ongoing interrogation of Boko Haram suspects have bourn fruits as one of the Chibok Girls captured --has been found. The Nigerian military confirmed this on Thursday. Rakiya Abubakar and her 6-month-old baby's identity were discovered in the course of grilling of over one thousand suspects captured in the Sambisa forest. Jubilation rang through amongst parents of the missing girls upon hearing the news and renewed optimism that more good news would soon follow. In May 2016, one girl fled captivity as the government negotiated the release of 21 girls in October. Another was freed in November when the army raided their camp in the Sambisa forest. It's been nearly 3 years since 300 girls vanished from a government school in Chibok in northern Borno State-most of whom still remain in captivity.

John Mikel Obi to make move to China

Midfielder John Mikel Obi has left Chelsea to join Chinese Super League side Tianjin TEDA.

The 29-year-old Nigerian has played 372 times for Chelsea since joining in 2006 but has not featured this season.

He said it had been "an honour" to play for the Stamford Bridge club but it was time to "seek a new challenge".

Mikel has won two Premier League titles, four FA Cups and the 2012 Champions League during his time at Stamford Bridge.

"I haven't featured as much this season as I would have liked and I still have many years in the game ahead of me," Mikel wrote on Twitter in a message to Chelsea fans.

"With this in mind, I feel now is the time to seek a new challenge.

"I'm delighted to be joining Tianjin TEDA FC at a time that the Chinese Super League is really taking off, and I look forward to helping Tianjin TEDA FC continue to grow.

"To play in the Premier League is every professional player's ambition.

"But to play for Chelsea, to become part of the Chelsea family to work with some of the best managers and players in the world, has truly been an honour.

Mikel is the second Chelsea player to move to the Chinese Super League in recent weeks following Oscar's transfer to Shanghai SIPG.

BBC