By Lubem Myaornyi, Abuja

Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development Festus Keyamo yesterday ordered the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to suspend Dana Airlines pending an audit of its financial health status.

The directive followed the incident involving a Dana Air plane at Lagos airport on Tuesday which forced aviation authorities to divert flights from local to international airport.

This was contained in a statement entitled Immediate Suspension of Dana Airline Pending Safety and Financial Health Audit signed by the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Dr Emmanuel Meribole.

A Dana aircraft with Registration Number 5N BKI, which flew from Abuja to Lagos skidded off the runway at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos while landing.

There was no casualty.

The statement directed to the Director General of NACA stated, “As the supervisor overseeing our nation’s aviation safety and regulatory compliance, it has come to the Honourable Minister’s attention that recent incidents involving Dana Airline have raised serious concerns regarding both the safety and financial viability of their operations.

“In light of these incidents and with the paramount priority being the safety and well-being of our citizens and travellers, the Honourable Minister has directed that you immediately initiate the suspension of Dana Airline’s fleet until a comprehensive audit can be conducted.”

Dr Meribole said the audit should encompass all aspects of safety protocols, maintenance procedures, and financial health to ensure full compliance with aviation regulations.

On June 3, 2012, a McDonnell Douglas MD-83 aircraft serving the route suffered a dual-engine failure during its approach to Lagos and failed to reach its intended destination, crashing onto buildings, killing all 153 people on board and six on the ground.

The Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) in 2017 said mechanical failure and pilot error caused the air crash.

The AIB, in its final report, stated, “Engine number one lost power 17 minutes into the flight, and thereafter on final approach, engine number two lost power and failed to respond to throttle movement on demand for increased power to sustain the aircraft in its flight configuration.”

By David Torough, Abuja

Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) yesterday revealed that two suspects, a father and his son, were arrested for their alleged involvement in impersonation during the 2024 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

This was just as the board added that no fewer than 1.

94 million candidates sat for the 2024 examinations across the country.

The JAMB Registrar, Prof.

Ishaq Oloyede, made this known to newsmen shortly after monitoring the exam at the Kaduna State University CBT Centre, Kaduna.

Recall that JAMB had warned parents to stay far away from the exam centres during the exercise.

There was also a government directive that admission to tertiary institutions should not be given to candidates less than 18 years old.

The Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman decried the activities of parents who were pressuring their underage children to get admission into tertiary institutions.

The minister said that the 18-year benchmark is in line with the 6-3-3-4 system of education.

He said, “The minimum age of entry into the university is 18, but we have seen students who are 15, 16 years going in for the entrance examination.

“Parents should be encouraged not to push their wards too much. Mostly, it is the pressure of parents that is causing this.

“We are going to look at this development because the candidates are too young to understand what the whole university education is all about.”

The JAMB boss however refrained from disclosing the identities of the parent and child, as well as the location of the reported malpractice.

“For those who engage in cheating, they should know that it does not pay.

“The technology is helping us to check that.

“Across the country, most of the problems we have is impersonation. For instance, now, we say we have NIN, we now have cases of people with two NINs and therefore that has defeated the purpose of identity verification.

“We are going to take that up with NIMC that there are people who have two NINs.

“We have a case of a father impersonating his son, writing an examination for the son and I wonder, are you not destroying your son’s future?

“Of course, two of them are now in custody. I can’t understand what the father will now tell his son when they are both locked up in the same cell.

“This definitely happened not in Kaduna, but I don’t want to disclose the state.

“So, it is largely a case of impersonation, but we are ahead of them. We are just picking them up like chickens now because the facilities are there for us to see what they are doing and to pick them up,” he said.

Oloyede noted that at the end of the examination yesterday, there would be less than 100,000 candidates remaining in Lagos, Benue and other states in the country.

He added that JAMB’s improved technology made the exercise smoother and faster.

“Today, I have seen something which we need to improve on, but most importantly, we have done so many things in the background to make the exercise faster, more efficient and better. We have increased the level of automation.

“This year, 1.94 million candidates are taking UTME. By the end of today [yesterday], we would have less than 100,000 remaining.

“By the end of today, what will be remaining will be Lagos, Makurdi and a few other places in the country,” he added.

The JAMB Registrar also commended parents for their behaviour during the conduct of the 2024 UTME exercise, noting that there was no parent intrusion, unlike the previous year when some parents flocked to the various computer-based centres during the exams.

“There is no report this year of parents intruding, except in one state. In that state, they felt that since the first session failed, their children should not continue with the second or other sessions,” he added.

Oloyede informed those who have missed the exam, for reasons not caused by the examination body, to forget about it, saying that JAMB cannot spend tens of millions of the nation’s resources to reorganise a session for a few candidates who missed the exams due to their personal recklessness.

“Most of those candidates who missed the UTME are students from hostels who were made to register through schools because of the money the schools wanted to collect from the parents in the name of JAMB.

“They would now put 30 students on one bus. They will now be dropping them off in different locations. By the time they get to the last student’s centre, he is already late for the exam.

“You will now see the principal writing to me. What business do I have with a school?” he asked.

By Tony Obiechina, Abuja

President of the Commonwealth Association of Tax Administrators (CATA) and chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) Zacch Adedeji has called for increased capacity building to enhance tax administration processes among members of the global body.

Adedeji, according to a statement by his Special Adviser on Media, Dare Adekanmbi made the call yesterday in his remarks at the opening of CATA management meeting held at Marlborough House, Pall Mall, London.

He explained that expanding the capacity of tax personnel of CATA member countries would empower them to deal with the challenges that have negatively impacted the tax administration landscape globally.

The management meeting had in attendance tax administrators from the United Kingdom (His Majesty Revenue and Custom), Canada, Australia, Malaysia, Barbados, Papa New Guinea, Ghana, Lesotho, Maldives, Uganda, Mauritius, Nigeria and others.

The CATA president, who also called for further adoption of technology in improving tax processes, however noted that rapid advancement in tax technology presents both opportunities and threats.

“Furthermore, the rapid advancement in tax technology and digitization has presented both opportunities and challenges for tax administrators worldwide.

“The discussions surrounding pillars one and two of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) have the potential to redefine international tax rules.

“Additionally, the landmark tax convention resolution at the United Nations (UN) Assembly has underscored the importance of international cooperation and inclusivity of all in addressing tax challenges.

“In light of these developments, it has become increasingly evident that the need for improved and more comprehensive capacity building for CATA members is paramount.

“It is imperative that we equip ourselves with the knowledge and skills necessary to understand these evolving discussions and contribute to the formulation of transparent and beneficial rules for our respective jurisdictions.

“Moreover, we must be prepared to effectively implement these rules once they are concluded, in order to ensure their successful integration into our tax administration frameworks and maximize the benefit they will bring,” he said.

OECD pillars one and two deal with how to expand tax revenue annually based on the profit thresholds of companies that do not operate physically in countries but make sales from such countries through digital platforms or other means.

The CATA president commended the management committee and members who have agreed to host the body’s programmes in 2024, describing such commitment as a testament of the devotion to the success of the association’s strategic plan.