Business
Nigeria, AfDB sign agreement to operationalise $7bn aviation transformation programme
Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, on Thursday in Brazzaville, Congo, signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) between the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the Federal Republic of Nigeria to advance the implementation of the Integrated Aviation Transformation Programme (IATP), a $7 billion initiative designed to modernise Africa’s aviation sector.
This was disclosed in a statement by the minister’s Special Adviser on Media and Communications, Tunde Moshood.
Mr Keyamo participated in a high-level dialogue session with the president and governors of the AfDB, where he presented the opportunities embedded in the programme and Nigeria’s role in driving its implementation.
According to him, the IATP offers a strategic pathway to unlock aviation investment across Africa, with Nigeria positioned as a key beneficiary through ongoing sector reforms and policy alignment.
He also unveiled President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda for the aviation sector, describing it as a framework that could serve as a model for other African countries seeking to develop their aviation industries.
Mr Keyamo said Nigeria had already taken key preparatory steps to position itself for the successful take-off of the initiative.
“including domesticating the Cape Town Convention, updating its IDERA and reworking its aviation insurance policies to meet global industry standards,” he said.
He noted that these reforms were necessary to build investor confidence and align Nigeria’s aviation framework with international best practices.
The minister also highlighted the newly approved Nigeria Aircraft Leasing Company, saying it would play a critical role in improving access to aircraft financing and expanding airline operations in the country.
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He added that the African Development Bank was being engaged to mobilise capital in support of the initiative, given its potential to transform aviation financing across the continent.
The statement added that the President of the AfDB, Sidi Ould Tah, expressed satisfaction with the presentation and pledged the bank’s commitment to supporting the successful implementation of the IATP across Africa, particularly in Nigeria.
Following the dialogue session, Mr Keyamo unveiled the Country Compact for Nigeria’s aviation sector and then signed the Letter of Intent between the AfDB and Nigeria, formally marking a commitment to deepen cooperation in aviation development.
BY JAMES OBIOMA—The Senate Public Accounts Committee (SPAC) has officially cleared the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) of a N62.2 billion under-remittance allegation originally raised by the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation in its 2019 audit report.
The clearance followed an investigative session on Tuesday, 16 June 2026, during which the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, successfully defended the Service by proving that the alleged shortfall was a misclassification of revenue by auditors.
The original query, read by a representative of the Auditor-General under the direction of SPAC Chairman, Senator Ibrahim Dankwambo, had alleged that out of N691.242 billion generated by Customs in 2017, only N629.23 billion reached the Federation Account, leaving a balance of N62.2 billion.
Defending the Service’s financial integrity, CG Adeniyi explained that the multi-billion naira deficit was completely non-existent.
“The under-remittance of N62.2 billion levelled against Customs in the 2019 audit report was wrongly arrived at through misclassification of levies collected,” Adeniyi stated. “While most of the levies are to be collected and remitted into the federation account, others like the ones on local production of wheat, textiles and wines, etc do not go into the federation account, the totality of which accounted for the alleged unremitted N62.2 billion.”
Following identical, convincing clarifications on the first three major queries, a member of the committee, Senator Babangida Hussaini, wondered why the issues had not been ironed out sooner. He noted that as a former civil servant, such straightforward technicalities should have been resolved at the preliminary audit level rather than escalating to a full Senate investigation.
The post Senate Clears Customs of ₦62.2BN Under-remittance Allegation appeared first on Business Today NG.
Polaris Bank Limited has debunked reports claiming that over 34 persons died in a fire incident at its Broad Street branch in Lagos, describing the claims as false and misleading.
The bank issued the disclaimer in a post on X on Thursday, insisting that there were no casualties or fatalities in the fire incident.
A fire broke out on Thursday afternoon at a multi-storey building housing a Polaris Bank branch on Broad Street, Lagos Island.
The bank said the fire incident, which originated from a customer’s vehicle parked on the third-floor car park, was contained following the activation of its emergency response procedures and the prompt intervention of firefighters.
“A fire incident occurred today at the car park of our Broad Street Branch, Lagos, originating from a customer’s vehicle parked on the 3rd-floor car park.
“The fire was swiftly contained following the activation of our emergency response procedures and the prompt intervention of firefighters,” the bank stated.
READ ALSO: CBN, Polaris Bank refute liquidation rumors
Polaris Bank said it has commenced investigations to determine the cause of the fire incident, noting that reports claiming that over 34 persons were feared dead are false and misleading.
“We confirm that there were no casualties or fatalities. Reports claiming that over 34 persons were feared dead are false and misleading.
“Investigations into the incident are ongoing. We thank emergency responders, our staff, customers, and stakeholders for their support,” the bank said.
Polaris Bank urged the public to rely only on credible news platforms and its official channels for accurate information and to disregard false reports circulating online.
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