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NCAA Begins Automated Operating Licence Process

August 23, 2023

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority has adopted automated procedures for processing Airline Operators’ Certificates for intending airlines and existing operators after several years of processing them manually.

According to a statement signed by the Director-General of Civil Aviation, Capt. Musa Nuhu, the NCAA had adopted electronic processes for AOC acquisition and directed all intending airlines and existing carriers to follow the new procedures.

NCAA Signs Civil Aviation Masterplan with International Organisation

Nuhu said that the regulatory body had enhanced AOC Operations Specifications (Op.Specs) for all current AOC holders.

According to him, the directive was contained in an All Operator Letter referenced NCAA/DG/AIR/11/16/370, dated August 18, 2023, and is applicable to all AOC holders certificated by the authority.

Aviation stakeholders have long been advocating for the adoption of electronic processing for the AOC procedures, citing Europe, America and other parts of the world where manual procedures had been abandoned for automation.

The statement added, “These new and enhanced multi-paged Op.Specs contain the authorisations, conditions, limitations and approvals issued by the Authority in accordance with the standards which are applicable to operations and maintenance conducted by the AOC holder.

“In view of the above directive, all AOC holders are required to electronically complete the appropriate pages of the attached Op.Specs and return same to the NCAA via only email addresses indicated below on or before August 23, 2023.”

Nuhu directed the operators to send the appropriate pages to Chairman, Flight Standards Group, Godwin Balang; Director, Operations, Licensing and Training Standards, Capt. Ibrahim Dambazau and Director, Airworthiness Standards, Gbolahan Abatan.

‘All Eyes on The Judiciary’ Advert Agency Apologises, Stakeholders React

Rhoda Onuzulike

August 23, 2023

Stakeholders in the marketing industry have expressed their misgivings over the controversial ‘All Eyes on The Judiciary’ ad exposure, wondering how such content went public without proper regulatory approval.

This is even as the advert agency, Intercontinental Marketing & Comm. Consortium Limited, responsible for allegedly deploying the controversial ‘All Eyes on The Judiciary’ ad exposure tendered an official apology to the federal government through the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON).

FG Sacks Advertising Standard Panel Over All Eyes On The Judiciary Billboard

In a circulated letter signed by its managing director, Stephen Ogboko, dated 17th August 2023 and addressed to the chairman of the Advertising Standard Panel (ASP), the agency acknowledged its breach of Article 24(a) of the Nigeria Advertising Practice code. This article stipulates that all advertising, marketing communications, and related materials must undergo ARCON’s vetting process and secure the approval certificate of the Standards Panel prior to public exposure.

‘We sincerely apologise for this and state that our action was not intentional,’ the agency wrote. Explaining its side of the story, the agency explained that it went ahead with the Ad after the board got verbal approval from a certain Mr. Markus Inji Lukman, who was said to be an ARCON liaison officer.

“We are deeply disappointed that this happened and are awfully sorry for any inconvenience it has caused.

We would never knowingly do anything to violate the law or the regulations guiding advertising practice, jeopardise our practice licence, or bring disaffection to our dear country’s judiciary.

“We have already taken steps to ensure that this does not repeat itself. We will be requiring all future advertisements to be vetted from the ARCON Lagos office through our staff in Lagos. Once again, we apologise and hope that you will consider our explanation. We are committed to working with you to ensure that this does not happen again.” the company added.

While the industry responds to this development, some experts, such as Obiechefu Emmanuel, a marketing professional with expertise in media buying, have raised concerns about the agency’s actions.

He said:“I have been buying media in this market for over a decade and I can tell you authoritatively that you do not deploy ad materials without an approval certificate from the ASP. How do you go ahead to deploy because someone somewhere in the ARCON office gave you verbal approval? Why the hurry in the first place? I don’t think even the director general can ask you to go ahead and deploy without an approval certificate.”

Olusegun Sasegbon, who also plays in the space, suspects there is something more: “As a professional and as an agency, we all know that verbal approval by anybody in ARCON setting does not translate to an approval certificate. I think it is part of the law that an approval certificate must be obtained before the exposure of material. It is just like saying that you can go ahead and take a trip to the United States because someone in their embassy has given you assurances that your visa application has been granted and your passport will be sent to you after your trip. This could be a form of compromise between the agency and the ARCON staff. In this country, nothing is impossible,” he pointed out.

Likewise, another expert, Ibezim Okpala presents an alternative perspective, suggesting that the agency’s swift action may have been driven by an understanding that the campaign might not receive ARCON’s approval. He highlights the extensive social media traction garnered by the campaign, emphasising the apparent success of its intended impact. “I am sure the agency is aware its ad material will not scale through the vetting process, hence, it quickly deployed, achieved what it intended and waited for the consequence of their action.

“You only need to go on social media to see the millions of impressions images of the messages on boards and the buzz it generated to understand that the intent by those behind the message has been achieved. I believe the apology shared by the agency is just a mere formality,” he said.

Meanwhile, Emmanuel observed that the implications of this situation extend beyond mere unauthorised edits, transcending into questions of integrity, accountability, and adherence to established protocols, the very foundation of the approval process for such critical and influential communications rests upon a delicate balance of trust, transparency, and adherence to established guidelines.

Betty Eromosele, another expert in the industry wrote: “All Eyes Are Now on ARCON” to see how it will handle all the issues arising from the All Eyes on the Judiciary saga.”

Sofia Coppola’s ‘Priscilla’ Acquired by MUBI for International Distribution

Emenike Agu

August 23, 2023

Global film distributor, Production Company and streamer MUBI has acquired international rights, excluding North America and Italy, for Sofia Coppola’s “Priscilla,” which will premiere in competition at the Venice Film Festival.

MUBI will retain all rights in the U.K., Ireland, Germany, Austria, Latin America, Benelux and Turkey. MUBI will release the film theatrically in the U.K., Ireland, Germany, Latin America, Belgium and Netherlands and will reveal release dates imminently. The Match Factory is handling sales for all other acquired territories excluding North America and Italy.

“Priscilla” is based on the 1985 memoir “Elvis and Me” written by Priscilla Presley and Sandra Harmon. The film stars Cailee Spaeny as Priscilla, Jacob Elordi as Elvis Presley, and Dagmara Dominczyk.

In the film, when teenaged Priscilla Beaulieu meets Elvis Presley at a party, the man who is already a meteoric rock-and-roll superstar becomes someone entirely unexpected in private moments. Through Priscilla’s eyes, Coppola explores Elvis and Priscilla’s long courtship and turbulent marriage, from a German army base to his estate at Graceland.

The film was produced by Lorenzo Mieli for Fremantle’s The Apartment Pictures, Coppola for American Zoetrope and Youree Henley. The film was financed by Fremantle Group. A24 will distribute in the U.S. and Sky’s Vision Distribution will distribute in Italy.

Two MUBI co-productions will world premiere at Venice this year — Michel Franco’s “Memory,” which will screen in competition and stars Jessica Chastain and Peter Sarsgaard; and Bill Ross IV and Turner Ross’ “Gasoline Rainbow,” which will premiere in the Horizons strand. The Match Factory is handling international sales for both films.

New Museum In Lisbon Will Feature Artworks Seized From One Of Portugal’s Top Collectors

Koko Lawrence

August 23, 2023

A new contemporary art museum slated to open in Lisbon, Portugal, in October, will feature art from a collection that was previously seized by the state from a top Portuguese collector.

The collection of business tycoon José “Joe” Berardo, known as the Berardo Collection, was seized by the Portuguese state in 2019 after Berardo failed to pay three Portuguese banks the more than $1 billion debt that he owed. The artworks were placed as collateral for the bank loans. Berardo was arrested for alleged fraud in 2021, but was subsequently released on bail.

The Berardo Collection includes more than 900 artworks by such stalwarts as Pablo Picasso, Joan Miró, Piet Mondrian, Gerhard Richter, and Francis Bacon. In 2006, it was valued at €316 million ($352 million) by Christie’s auction house.

It will be part of the inaugural presentation at the Museum of Contemporary Art (Museu de Arte Contemporânea/Centro Cultural de Belém) on October 28, according to Centro Cultural de Belém (CCB). Others on view include the Ellipse Collection, the Teixeira de Freitas Collection, and a solo exhibition by Belgian artist Berlinde de Bruyckere.

“It is a very important moment of affirmation of the multiple valences of the Centro Cultural de Belém, allowing the dialogue between the visual arts, architecture, and performing arts,” according to a museum spokesperson.

Boasting a more than one-million-square-foot facility, CCB is Lisbon’s primary complex for arts and culture. The Berardo Collection Museum has been housed in the complex’s exhibition center since June 2007.

The Berardo Collection is not the only one with controversy, however; the Ellipse Collection was compiled by the late banker João Rendeiro, who went bankrupt and fled the country in September 2021. He was arrested in South Africa almost exactly a year later and, that December, died by suicide while in prison.

More Than 1,500 Ancient Artifacts Stolen At British Museum: Report

Koko Lawrence

August 23, 2023

The number of items from the British Museum that are missing, stolen, or damaged totals more than 1,500, according to the Daily Telegraph.

While the museum has not released an official figure, photos, or descriptions of the items, the Telegraph said its sources told the UK publication that the true number of antiquities being investigated is well over 1,000—and perhaps “closer to 2,000.”

Some of the missing items, described by the museum as small pieces of “gold jewellery and gems of semi-precious stones and glass dating from the 15th century BC to the 19th century,” were not digitally catalogued by the museum, making their loss more difficult to track. The British Museum said the artifacts were kept primarily for academic and research purposes, and that none had been recently on display.

The Telegraph said the extent of the loss will “intensify calls for Hartwig Fischer, the British Museum director, to resign immediately,” rather than next year, as previously announced. The museum issued its press release about the missing, stolen, and damaged items on August 16, only a few weeks after director Fischer announced he would be leaving his position.

It also reported that museum deputy director Jonathan Williams “personally warned about the thefts in February 2021” but his position “is now untenable.”

Roman art expert Reverend Martin Henig said in an interview, “This is the worst case that I’ve come across like this because it involves not just selling the odd object, but also destruction. This is totally unforgivable.”

While the British Museum did not disclose which staffer was fired due to the discovery of the missing, stolen, and damaged items, the Greek antiquities curator Peter Higgs was identified by the Times of London and the Daily Telegraph.

Higgs is suspected to have taken uncategorized items and selling them on the e-commerce website eBay. One item worth $64,000 was offered for online auction for as little as $51 and listings for artifacts from the museum’s collection appeared online as early as 2016, according to reports.

While no arrests have been made yet in the investigation over the missing items, the British Museum’s press statement said it would be taking legal action against the former staff member and that the Metropolitan Police’s Economic Crime Command is also looking into what happened.

The museum’s statement also announced an independent review into its security protocols, which were already the subject of a scathing Sunday Times investigation in 2002.

Google To Fast-track AI Adoption In Africa

Rhoda Onuzulike

August 23, 2023

Google has unveiled the ‘Google for Startups Accelerator: AI First,’ as the effort to fast-track the adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Africa continues.

Google for Startups Accelerator: AI First is an initiative aimed at supporting African startups looking to use Artificial intelligence to solve local challenges. The programme recognises the transformative role that AI is playing across the world, innovating industries and reimagining the realms of possibilities. It also highlights the significant contributions of African startups in addressing some of the region’s most pressing challenges through the use of AI.

The ‘AI First’ programme is also aimed at supporting startups keen on delving into AI’s possibilities. It draws learnings from past initiatives such as the Google for Startups Accelerator: Africa, The Google for Startups Black Founders Fund, and The Google for Startups Accelerator: Women Founders, the primary aspiration remains consistent: to support and highlight African-driven solutions.

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Applications for the 10-week equity-free accelerator are now open, inviting startups up to series A stage based in Africa or building Africa-centric solutions with AI and machine learning. Participants will benefit from access to Google’s AI expertise, technical resources including up to $350k Google Cloud Credits, mentorship from seasoned AI professionals, and invaluable networking opportunities.

Speaking on the initiative, head of Startup Ecosystem, Africa, Folarin Aiyegbusi, said: “Africa’s tech landscape is vibrant and ever-evolving.

It is inspiring to see African startups not only harnessing AI to address our unique challenges but also setting benchmarks for the world. ‘AI First’ is more than a program; it’s a testament to our belief in the vision of these startups, ensuring they have the support and guidance they need to realise their full potential. Startups are invited to apply by September 6, 2023.”

Since inception in 2018, the Google for Startups Accelerator: Africa program has supported 106 startups from 17 African countries. Collectively, these startups have raised over $263 million in funding and created over 2,800 direct job opportunities in the region.

Nigeria Among Top 3 Countries With Highest Oil Discovery In 2023

Rhoda Onuzulike

August 23, 2023

Nigeria has been named among three top countries in terms of highest oil reserves discovered owing to 2023 investments.

Others are Guyana and Namibia according to a research conducted by Rystad Energy.

Also, global spending on conventional oil and gas exploration will hit over $50 billion in 2023, according to an energy research company.

NNPCL Resumes Oil Production at Forcados Terminal

Upstream companies are strategically directing their investments towards offshore projects, focusing on lucrative regions that have a robust geological understanding.

Rystad Energy said 95 per cent of the total expenditure in 2023 is allocated to offshore initiatives.

“Upstream companies are facing a period of uncertainty. They are eager to capitalise on the increased demand for fossil fuels and find additional resources,” Aatisha Mahajan, vice president of upstream research, Rystad Energy, said in a report.

Global majors, including ExxonMobil, bp, Shell, TotalEnergies, Eni and Chevron, and National Oil Companies are expected to account for over half of the spending with the majors directing a total $7 billion in exploration projects in 2023.

But despite huge oil and gas deposits the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) said that Nigeria’s economic growth in the first quarter of 2023 (1Q23) stood at 2.4 per cent year-on-year (y-o-y).

OPEC made this known in its Monthly Oil Market Report for August.

OPEC said this was against a growth of 3.6 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2022, an indicator of 2023 anticipated slowdown.

According to the report, after Nigeria’s economy grew by 3.3 per cent in 2022, it is forecast to decelerate in 2023.

It said high inflation continued to burden Nigeria’s economy.

“Inflation data for June shows an ongoing acceleration, with an annual rate of 22.8 per cent y-o-y, following 22.4 per cent y-o-y in May and 22.2 per cent in April and 22 per cent in March.

“Food inflation has been a key factor in this rise, reaching 25.1 per cent year-on-year (y-o-y) in June, after 24.8 per cent y-o-y in May.

“A combination of factors including conflict, the impact of climate change, population pressures, and the below-average output of the agricultural sector, exacerbated the scarcity of food resources over recent years,’’ it said.

To assist, it said, the Nigerian government had unveiled a comprehensive financial package amounting to N500 billion.

To lower inflation, the report said the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) lifted the key policy rate by 25 basis points to 18.75 per cent in July.

As a consequence of the ongoing challenges, it said, in May 2023, Stanbic IBTC Bank Nigeria Purchasing Managers Index retracted to stand at 51.7 in July, after a level of 53.2 in June was reached.

This follows observation by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, NUPRC, that the country’s crude oil production dropped by 12.56 per cent in July to 1.29 million barrels daily from 1.48 million barrels daily in June.

According to the NUPRC, one of the reasons for the decline was the temporary shutdown of the Forcados terminal, which Shell, the operator, said in mid-July on suspicions of a leak.

The Forcados sees loadings of an average of 220,000 barrels daily but on July 12 workers in the area saw fumes near a vessel that was being loaded with crude. The repairs work on the terminal was expected to be completed by the end of the first week of August but as of the middle of this week, Forcados remained shut down.

Earlier this year, the commission warned that Nigeria is producing one million bpd of crude less than it has the capacity to produce.

The agency cited a lack of investments, a shortage of funding sources because of the energy transition, and insecurity among the factors driving the situation.

“Currently, Nigeria has the technical allowable capacity to produce about 2.5 million barrels of oil per day.

However, arising from the highlighted challenges, our current production hovers around 1.5 million barrels of oil and condensate per day,” the chief executive of the body said in May.

To remedy matters, Nigeria, earlier this month, announced the pending launch of a roadshow to pitch upstream investments in the country.

“Whereas the global imperatives for energy transition is clear and justified, the need for Africa’s energy security, economic development and prosperity cannot be overemphasised,” the Nigerian regulator, which is organising the roadshow, said.

According to a senior Petroleum ministry official, Nigeria is looking to boost its oil production to 1.7 million barrels daily by November this year.

Equally, the Nigeria Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative (NEITI) said, Nigeria lost over 619.7 million barrels of crude oil valued at $46.16billion or N16.25 trillion from 2009 to 2020 from theft and sabotage.

Executive secretary of NEITI, Dr. Ogbonnaya Orji, who presented the report as a part of his remarks at the Stakeholder’s roundtable for the review and approval of NEITI Audit Reports in Abuja said: “In addition, NEITI reports have disclosed that Nigeria lost over 619.7 million barrels of crude oil valued at $46.16 billion or N16.25 trillion from 2009 to 2020 from theft and sabotage. This amounts to losing over 140,000 barrels of crude valued at $10.7 million daily.”

Smithsonian Secretary Apologizes After Human Brain Specimens Investigation

Koko Lawrence

August 23, 2023

Smithsonian secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III has responded to a report on on his institution’s collection of human brain specimens, which found that the majority had been gathered without consent.

The year-long investigative report was published by the Washington Post on August 14. According to reporters Nicole Dungca and Claire Healy, researchers often preyed on people who were “hospitalized, poor, or lacked immediate relatives to identify or bury them.”

“In other cases,” the reporters wrote, “collectors, anthropologists and scientists dug up burial grounds and looted graves.”

The majority of the human remains in the Smithsonian were collected under the supervision of anthropologist Ales Hrdlicka, the Smithsonian’s head of physical anthropology for four decades, starting in 1903. Hrdlicka was a longtime member of the American Eugenics Society, collected thousands of body parts, including hundreds of brains, a pursuit focused on the remains of Indigenous people and people of color for what Bunch called “scientific evidence of white superiority.”

Bunch’s op-ed, published in the Post on August 20, cited his experience as a historian and acknowledged that the Smithsonian is “grappling with a legacy once deemed acceptable but that is so clearly ethically wrong today.”

“The Post’s recent coverage regarding the human remains still housed in our collections is certainly illustrative of the Smithsonian’s darkest history,” Bunch wrote. “This is our inheritance, and we accept the responsibility to address these wrongs to the fullest extent possible.”

Bunch’s apology also called the collection of human remains at the US National Museum, now known as the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History, “abhorrent and dehumanizing.” He acknowledged that this was “carried out under the Smithsonian’s name.”

“As secretary of the Smithsonian, I condemn these past actions and apologize for the pain caused by Hrdlicka and others at the institution who acted unethically in the name of science, regardless of the era in which their actions occurred.”

While Bunch said the Smithsonian has been repatriating objects and human remains from its collections prior to the passing of the National Museum of the American Indian Act in 1989, he also noted that the institution is still in the process of developing a policy that would address the future of all human remains, through a specific task force established earlier this year.

“Our forthcoming policy will finally recognize these remains not as objects to be studied but as human beings to be honored,” Bunch wrote. “It is a long-overdue shift, and I regret that human bodies were ever treated with such disrespect at our institution.”

The Post’s investigation also highlighted specific cases of brains coming from Indigenous Filipino individuals that were brought to the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis. Bunch wrote in his op-ed that the Smithsonian was in discussions with the Philippine government and the National Museum of the Philippines on the future of those human remains.

Notably, Bunch said it was critical that the Smithsonian “let the wishes of each community steer the process” of repatriation as part of a commitment to “interrogating and dismantling the racism that inspired these collections in the first place,” even with any accompanying legal and logistical challenges.

“Museums and universities throughout the world are contending with their own human remains collections. We are determined to be at the forefront of a long-overdue reckoning about ethical returns and repatriation.”

FAAC Shares N966.110bn To Federal Govt, States, LGAs

Rhoda Onuzulike

August 23, 2023

The Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) has shared a total sum of N966.110 billion July 2023 revenue to the federation account among the three tiers of government.

The N966.110 billion total distributable revenue comprised distributable statutory revenue of N397.419 billion, distributable Value Added Tax (VAT) revenue of N271.947 billion, electronic money transfer levy revenue of N12.840 billion and exchange difference revenue of N283.904 billion.

According to a statement that was issued by the director of information in the Office of Accountant-general of the Federation, Bawa Mokwa, the meeting was chaired by the minister of finance and coordinating minister of the economy, Wale Edun.

In July 2023, the total deductions for cost of collection were N62.419 billion and total deductions for savings, transfers, refunds and tax credit cancellation was N717.962 billion.

The balance in the Excess Crude Account (ECA) was $473,754.57.

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The communiqué stated that from the total distributable revenue of N966.110 billion; the federal government received N374.485 billion, the state governments received N310.670 billion and the local government area received N229.409 billion. A total sum of N51.545 billion was shared to the relevant States as 13 per cent derivation revenue.

Gross statutory revenue of N1.150 trillion was received for the month of July 2023. This was lower than the sum of N1.152 trillion received in the month of June 2023 by N2.497 billion.

From the N397.419 billion distributable statutory revenue, the federal government received N190.489 billion, the state governments received N96.619 billion and the LGAs received N74.489 billion. The sum of N35.822 billion was shared to the relevant States as 13 per cent derivation revenue.

For the month of July 2023, the gross revenue available from the VAT was N298.789 billion. This was higher than the N293.411 billion available in the month of June 2023 by N5.378 billion.

The federal government received N40.792 billion, the 36 state and Federal Capital Territory received N135.974 billion and the local governments received N95.181 billion from the N271.947 billion distributable Value Added Tax (VAT) revenue.

The N12.840 billion electronic money transfer was shared as follows: the federal government received N1.926 billion, states and FCT received N6.420 billion, while LGAs received N4.494 billion.

From the N283.904 billion exchange difference revenue, the federal government received N141.278 billion, subnational governments received N71.658 billion, the LGAs received N55.245 billion and the sum of N15.723 billion was shared to the relevant states as 13 per cent mineral revenue.

Serena Williams Gives Birth To Second Child, Names Her Adira River

Koko Lawrence

August 23, 2023

Tennis great Serena Williams has given birth to her second child, a girl named Adira River Ohanian.

Along with husband Alexis Ohanian, she welcomed the new arrival in social media posts on Tuesday.

“Welcome my beautiful angel,” Williams wrote in the caption of a video posted on TikTok.

The video shows her, Ohanian and their four-year-old daughter Olympia embracing the new-born.

“I’m grateful to report our house is teeming with love: a happy and healthy new-born girl and happy and healthy mama. Feeling grateful,” Ohanian posted on social media.

The 23-time Grand Slam champion, who said she was “evolving away” from tennis after last year’s U.S. Open, had confirmed news of her pregnancy in May. That was on the red carpet of the Met Gala in New York.

The announcement of baby number two has now made a return to competitive tennis to appear highly unlikely for 41-year-old Williams.

She is one of the most decorated athletes ever to pick up a racket.

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