Air Peace pilots tested positive for alcohol, cannabis after the Port Harcourt runway incident

Nigerian accident investigators said two Air Peace pilots tested positive for alcohol and cannabis after a runway excursion involving one of the airline’s jets in Port Harcourt in July.

In a preliminary report released Friday, the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) said toxicology tests confirmed the presence of intoxicants in the captain and first officer who flew the Boeing 737 with 103 people on board.

A cabin crew member also tested positive for cannabis.

The aircraft, on a domestic flight from Lagos, landed long on Runway 21 at Port Harcourt International Airport after what investigators described as an unstabilised final approach.

The plane touched down 2,264 metres from the runway threshold and came to a halt more than 200 metres into the overrun area.

“All passengers and crew disembarked safely, and no injuries were reported,” the bureau said.

The NSIB noted, “Initial toxicological tests conducted on the flight crew revealed positive results for certain substances, including indicators of alcohol consumption. A cabin crew member also tested positive for THC, the psychoactive component in cannabis. These results are being reviewed under the human performance and safety management components of the investigation.”

It added that “Toxicological screening conducted post-incident revealed that Captain and first officer tested positive for Ethyl Glucuronide, indicating recent alcohol consumption.”

Runway excursions are one of the most frequent safety risks in commercial aviation, often caused by poor visibility, pilot error or technical faults.

The NSIB said the toxicology results suggested human performance was a critical factor in this case.

Following the findings, the agency recommended that Air Peace strengthen its crew resource management training and tighten checks on pilot fitness before dispatch.

Air Peace, Nigeria’s largest airline, operates domestic and international flights across Africa and to destinations such as London, Saudi Arabia, Dakar, Freetown, Monrovia and Ghana.

The company has yet to comment on the bureau’s report.

The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) considers intoxication by flight crew a serious breach of global safety standards.

Several airlines worldwide have faced scandals in recent years after pilots were caught under the influence, underscoring the risks to passenger safety.

The NSIB said its investigation is still ongoing.

Premium Times

Mikel Obi Slams NFF Over Nigeria's World Cup Struggles

 

Former Super Eagles captain John Mikel Obi has voiced his frustration at Nigeria’s uncertain path to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, insisting the responsibility lies squarely with the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF).

Speaking passionately, the ex-Chelsea midfielder said Nigeria’s repeated failures on the biggest stage cannot be excused.

“If Nigeria doesn’t qualify for the World Cup, the entire NFF board has to go. It’s unacceptable,” Mikel declared. “We didn’t qualify for Qatar, the last World Cup, and now it looks like again we are not going to make it. Honestly, I have nothing to say about it. It is just horrible.”

Mikel was quick to defend the players, stressing that while they bear some responsibility, they should not be made the scapegoats.

“Do you blame the players? No, I don’t blame the players. Yes, the players have to take responsibility for the situation, but are you gonna blame the players alone? No,” he explained.

The 2013 Africa Cup of Nations winner also highlighted a deeper problem that he believes undermines African football as a whole.

“Again, we talk about it so many times, and that’s why you have people disrespect the African continent and football. It’s the same issues, the same excuses, and nothing changes.”

Mikel’s comments come as pressure mounts on the Super Eagles, who face a crucial run of games to secure a place in the 2026 World Cup. With Nigeria missing out on the 2022 edition in Qatar, the stakes have never been higher.

Africa Top Sports

A court in Nigeria sentences a top militant leader to 15 years on terror charges

A court in Nigeria on Thursday sentenced a top militant leader of an al-Qaida-linked group on the country's most-wanted list to 15 years in prison for illegal mining and using the proceeds to fund terror attacks.

Mahmud Muhammad Usman, who headed the Ansaru group, had pleaded guilty to the charge of engaging in illegal mining to procure arms for his militant group. It was the first conviction on a total of 32 charges brought against him by the Nigerian government.

Usman will remain in the custody of the Nigerian secret police while his trial continues. The other charges mostly include other counts of terrorism and the handling of illegal arms.

Usman was arrested last month along with fellow militant leader Mahmud al-Nigeri in an operation involving several Nigerian law enforcement agencies.

Usman's group is accused of carrying out the 2022 attack on a prison in Abuja, Nigeria's capital, that saw nearly 900 inmates escape, including dozens of Ansaru members. The group is also said to have been behind the attack on Niger's uranium facility in 2013.

Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, faces multiple security threats with dozens of armed groups taking advantage of the limited security presence in the rural communities to carry out attacks on villages and along major roads.

Despite military assaults on the groups, they have continued to expand their operations and carry out routine attacks. This year, Boko Haram has mounted a major resurgence.

The United States recently approved a potential $346 million weapons sale to the country that authorities have said will boost the fight against insecurity.

By Dyepkazah Shibayan, AP

Nigeria Moves to Build Solar Manufacturing Industry, But Reliance on China is Inevitable

Nigeria imported Chinese solar panels last year with a combined capacity of 1,721 megawatts (MW)- enough to power roughly half a million homes.

The country now ranks as Africa’s second-largest importer, trailing only South Africa and ahead of Morocco and Algeria.

In the long run, however, the outlook may shift despite the Nigerian government’s decision earlier this year to step back from a proposed ban on solar panel imports. The halt was intended to give time to refine the policy, emphasizing joint ventures, tariff adjustments, and capacity building as tools to support local industry rather than imposing an abrupt ban.

The international consultancy PricewaterhouseCoopers advised the Nigerian government to implement a gradual phase-down of imports over three to five years, a move it says would give domestic manufacturers the space to scale production, meet demand, and put in place strong quality control systems.

And now, some Nigerian and Chinese companies are moving to establish local solar panel manufacturing, a strategy aimed at addressing some of the issues related to expanding energy access and creating jobs.

Tranos, a Nigerian energy firm, broke ground over the summer on an 800-MW solar panel factory, one of the largest in West Africa. The plant is expected to initially employ 160 people, with the workforce projected to grow to 400 within two years.

In a similar push, China’s Hunan Red Sun, working with Nigeria’s IRS Group, plans to build a 600-MW solar panel plant in Kano State that will produce components, supply equipment, and develop power stations.

And since 2023, the Nigerian government has partnered with China Great Wall Industry Corporation to establish a solar cell production facility in Gora, a region rich in silicon and silica, the key raw materials for solar cell manufacturing.

This marks not only a key step in Nigeria’s efforts to localize the production of renewable energy equipment but also progress in moving up the manufacturing value chain.

However, the reality is that the solar panel manufacturing business requires substantial quantities of water, energy, and skilled labor. The Chinese companies have perfected the solar panel value chain and heavily automated the processes.

This means that since most solar panel building operations are concentrated in China, local manufacturing will still be heavily dependent on Chinese entities and will be difficult to localize in Nigeria.

Nicola Licata, a Shanghai-based environmental social governance (ESG) project manager, notes, “Logistics will be an issue for all of these African countries because supply chains for upstream wafer, ingot, poly, MGS, and quartz are still anchored in China to a huge degree.”

While Nigeria may have some of the skilled labor needed for solar manufacturing, it lacks a reliable and accessible water supply needed for large-scale manufacturing due to poor management and inadequate infrastructure.

In addition, as Nigeria builds new factories, Chinese companies are also looking to set up manufacturing operations outside China. Their goals include cutting transportation and labor costs and sidestepping U.S. sanctions — potentially creating additional competition for local firms.

Despite all the advantages local manufacturing has, Licata notes, “Overall, I’d say African manufacturing will be limited to downstream module for a long time because it’s being used to avoid tariffs for finished product exports and definitely because of the energy and water resources issue.”

“Chinese manufacturers’ interest in using African nations as a non-China or non-Southeast Asia location is meant to avoid tariffs,” she added. “But also has the potential to evaporate given whichever way Trump and the EU go,” said Licata.

However, for Tobi Oshodi, a lecturer at Lagos State University, producing locally is preferable to importing everything because it creates more employment and improves local skill development.

“And if you like, in an increasingly complicated world, it gives you some level of independence. What gives you the impression is that China is thinking of having a system that would be more reliant on the Chinese economy itself than on the outside world and things like that… So if that is the ultimate goal, what happens if there is a Chinese Donald Trump, for example, that just wants to cut off and isolate itself from the continent?”

“And in an increasingly complicated world, this gives you a degree of independence. It suggests that China is aiming to build a system more reliant on its own economy than on the outside world. If that is indeed the ultimate goal, what happens if one day there is a ‘Chinese Donald Trump’, a leader who chooses to cut off ties and isolate China from the continent?”

In such a scenario, Oshodi says that only countries that have built some of this local capacity that the policy envisions will survive.

With more companies setting up, he also advocates for Chinese companies to invest more locally, “so that you can get more profit than your counterparts in China that really want to continue importing.”As local manufacturing begins to take shape, more than one-third of Nigerians still lack access to electricity. Frequent grid collapses make power supply unreliable, which in turn makes both solar panel manufacturing and imports appealing alternatives.

By Njenga Hakeenah, China Global South Project

Ex-NNPC official convicted in US over $2.1 million bribery scandal

A United States judge has found Paulinus Okoronkwo, a Nigerian lawyer based in Los Angeles, guilty of receiving a $2.1 million bribe from a Chinese oil company to secure drilling rights in Nigeria.

He was said to have accepted the bribe while serving as an official of the state-owned oil firm, NNPC, now NNPC Ltd.

Mr Okoronkwo, 58, also known as “Pollie,” was found guilty of three counts of money laundering, one count of tax evasion, and one count of obstruction of justice.

The verdict was delivered on 29 August after a four-day trial in California.

Prosecutors told the court that Mr Okoronkwo, a dual US-Nigerian citizen, collected the payment in 2015 while serving as general manager of the upstream division of the NNPC. In that role, he was a public officer and owed a duty of loyalty to Nigeria’s government, the court said.

In October 2015, Addax Petroleum, a Swiss subsidiary of Chinese state-owned oil giant Sinopec, paid a bribe to Mr Okoronkwo in exchange for his influence in securing more favourable financial terms relating to its crude oil drilling in Nigeria, the court ruled.

Evidence showed that Addax wired the funds to a trust account in the name of Mr Okoronkwo’s Los Angeles law firm under the guise of legal consultancy.

Prosecutors described the agreement as a sham designed to cover up the bribe.

Addax was seeking to protect its lucrative drilling rights in Nigeria, which prosecutors said were worth billions of dollars.

In an attempt to cover up the bribe, Addax fired executives who raised concerns about the payment’s legitimacy and lied about the transaction during an audit, the court said.

Investigators revealed that in November 2017, Mr Okoronkwo used $983,200 of the illegally obtained funds to make a down payment on a house in Valencia, California, and failed to declare the money on his 2015 tax returns.

Then in 2022, he lied to federal agents, insisting the money was client funds and not his income.

US District Judge John F. Walter has scheduled 1 December for a sentencing hearing, at which time Mr Okoronkwo will face a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison for each money laundering count, up to 10 years in federal prison for the obstruction of justice count, and up to five years in federal prison for the tax evasion count.

Mr Okoronkwo is currently released on a $50,000 bond.

The FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation led the investigation, with support from the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs.

The case is being prosecuted by the Assistant US Attorneys Alexander Schwab, Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division Nisha Chandran of the Major Frauds Section, and Alexander Su of the Asset Forfeiture and Recovery Section.

By Kabir Yusuf, Premium Times