Business

Outrage As Aero Contractors Abandon Passengers’ Luggage To Shed Load

Published

4 years ago

October 11, 2021

There was outrage at the Margaret Ekpo Airport in Calabar on Sunday, after passengers from Abuja on an Aero Contractor flight found that the airline had deliberately abandoned their luggage before take off.

Airline officials had claimed that passengers were hinted that their luggage would not be flying with them but those affected insisted the airline abandoned their luggage in Abuja on purpose, allegedly to conserve aviation fuel.

Although it is not clear how that could have been possible, but other passengers at the airport claimed the luggage was deboarded in Abuja to make room for airlifting of aviation fuel, reportedly to be used for another flight via Calabar.

Passengers who spoke to DAILY POST, said Sunday’s incident was not the first time the airline was denying passengers of their luggage. Some claimed they had been frequenting the airline, days after their flights and were yet to get their bags.

“My luggage was cleared by FAAN alongside others and we even saw it at the foot of the airline while boarding, which was very deceptive of Aero. I was shocked and angry when I did not see my luggage at arrival here in Calabar. I was told my luggage will arrive tomorrow by 5:30 pm” one of the affected passengers, a journalist, Bishop Onche, lamented.

Nuel, another Abuja-Calabar passenger said, two days after his flight, he was back at the airport, again, to see if his luggage had arrived.

“We arrived here on Friday, they said the aircraft was overcrowded or something like that and they couldn’t carry our bags. So I left, then I came here on Saturday to claim it and they said there was no flight yesterday that’s why I am here today being Sunday only to meet a host of new passengers without luggage too.”

Nuel, a Sound Engineer, lamented that he had very essential work equipment in his luggage for a job he came to Calabar for and was not informed that his luggage would be dumped for that long to shed some weight off the aircraft.

He also decried the attitude of airline officials who allegedly were nonchalant at the plight of passengers.

“This is past 4pm and I have been here for the past one hour and nobody has said anything,” Nuel complained.

Udom Blessing Matthew, another passenger, told DAILY POST that she was in Calabar for a marriage ceremony but two days after the wedding she came to attend, a bag containing her bridesmaids’ dress was still at the airport in Abuja.

Udom said she arrived on Aero contractors 3.10pm flight on Friday, only to discover her luggage was left behind in Abuja.

“I left Abuja on Friday for a wedding which was supposed to hold on Saturday, the dress and hair I was supposed to wear at the wedding are in my luggage and this is Sunday I still haven’t gotten them. I’ve been wearing the same clothes and inner wear since Friday,” Udom cried profusely.

She claimed the airline treated its passengers with disdain as none of those affected had received either a call, a text message or an explanation as to why their luggage was abandoned.

But an Aero Contractors Manager in Calabar, Victor Dan, who spoke to our correspondent said he had called Abuja and was told that the bags would come in on Monday afternoon, however, after a follow-up inquiry, an affected passenger confided in our reporter that he was yet to receive his luggage.

A staff of the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria, (FAAN) in Calabar, stationed at the Servicom desk said she had recorded the incident and that a report would be sent to the office of the NCAA as it is the responsibility of the agency to sanction the airline.

An official of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), who simply identified himself as Bruno, said this was not the first time the airline had treated passengers in such a shabby manner.

Bruno explained that though shedding of weight on aircrafts was not new in aviation history, the NCAA Act mandates the airline in question to inform all the affected passengers before take-off.

“And even after take-off, the airline is expected to pay compensation to the affected passengers while ensuring that the luggage is taken to the passengers wherever or whatever address they make available,” Bruno said.

He asked passengers to fill the necessary complaints forms promising to follow up the matter and assured our correspondent that the NCAA would ensure that compensation is paid to affected passengers and their luggage delivered to them.

(DAILY POST)

Business

Confusion Over Euro-Africa CCI’s $250m Investment In Edo

Published

4 days ago

September 29, 2025

Editor

The $250m investment deal Governor Monday Okpebholo claimed to have secured during his recent trip to Scotland is generating ripples over capacity of the European African Chamber of Commerce and Industry (EACCI) to make such a huge investment.

The EACCI, headed by a Drector General, Dr. Kingsley Obasohan, is not known to have made any prior investment in Edo State or any part of the country.

Obasohan, who attended the Edo State Global Investment Summit virtually, announced the $250m investment.

He said the investment would be made for a period of three years.

An online search was launched to unravel the EACCI as well as the man Obasohan.

A number on the site was answered by a lady who claimed not to understand English language.

Several foreign partners were listed on the site as board members and advisory council.

Some closed associates of Obasohan said he would have to get clearance from the Board members before talking to journalists on the issue.

Spokesman for the Edo Peoples Democratic Party, Daniel Noah Osa-Ogbegi, said the party would hold Governor Okpebholo accountable to Edo people and demanded clarity on the $250m investment from Glasgow.

Osa-Ogbegi said the proposed investment has become a source of embarrassment to Edo people because of unfolding information about EACCI.

He said the party would shine light on fiscal management practices that appeared to ignore transparency and responsibility.

Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Umar Musa Ikhilo, had earlier said those that attended the Glasgow summit were interested in keying into the SHINE agenda of Governor Okpebholo.

“One of the chambers of commerce that attended, the European African Chamber of Commerce and Industry signed an MoU with the Edo State Government to invest a sum of $250 million over the next three to five years.

“Last year, diaspora remittances were the second-highest source of foreign income in Nigeria after crude oil, over $20 billion, but only 2% of that went into investment. We are creating a vehicle to help convert more of that into direct investments.”

He added that a delegation from Scotland was expected to visit Edo State in the coming months to explore specific investment projects as a follow-up to the summit.

Business

Dangote Hits Out At PENGASSAN, Says Union ‘Serial Saboteurs, Serving Oligarchs’

Published

5 days ago

September 28, 2025

Editor

The management of Dangote Petroleum Refinery has berated the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), accusing the union of decades-long sabotage of Nigeria’s oil and gas sector and serving the interests of its leaders rather than ordinary Nigerians.

In a statement issued at the weekend, the refinery described PENGASSAN’s latest directive to cut crude oil and gas supplies to the facility as another act of economic sabotage designed to inflict untold hardship on Nigerians.

“Indeed, over time, the Association has consistently proved itself as serving interests other than those of Nigerians and Nigerian workers,” the statement declared.

Dangote recalled that in 2007, when the Federal Government sold its moribund Port Harcourt and Kaduna refineries to Blue Star Consortium, led by the Dangote Group, for $750 million, it was PENGASSAN and its ally, the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), that sabotaged the deal. “It is now obvious to everyone that the FGN’s decision at the time was the right one and that PENGASSAN and NUPENG ignominiously wrote their names on the wrong pages of history,” the company said.

The refinery also faulted the union’s role in the much-publicised rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt Refinery, describing it as a “ruse” which PENGASSAN “knowingly celebrated despite being a scam on Nigerians.” The statement further accused the union of opposing amendments to the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) that would have freed up federal liquidity and attracted private-sector funding into Nigeria’s upstream oil ventures.

Beyond policy obstruction, Dangote Refinery accused the association of mismanaging billions of naira in annual check-off dues to allegedly bankroll the “lavish lifestyles” of its leaders, without accountability to members. By contrast, the refinery highlighted its own record of economic contributions within a short period, citing road construction, worker training, the creation of thousands of Nigerian jobs, and a compensation structure that “outdistances the best in the Nigerian oil and gas industry.”

“The Dangote Group is the highest employer of labor in Nigeria and the highest contributor to the tax revenues of Nigeria and its sub-nationals. What comparable social responsibility has PENGASSAN, with its billions of Naira in annual check-off dues and subscriptions, lived up to?” the statement queried, challenging the union to publish its audited accounts for the past ten years. “Can it publish publicly its account for the last 10 years and list out its corporate responsibility activities within that timeframe?”

The refinery insisted that PENGASSAN’s recent directive to withdraw services and cut off essential fuel supplies, including but not limited to petrol, diesel, kerosene, cooking gas and aviation fuel was reckless, lawless and dangerous. It said the order is not about protecting Nigerian workers, but it is about a cabal of oligarchs weaponising hardship against over 230 million Nigerians.

“In the process, it (PENGASSAN) cares little if at all about the unbearable hardship and terror it would thereby inflict on all Nigerians, including but not limited to the provision of essential services in our hospitals and medical facilities, schools (nursery and right up to tertiary and research institutions), emergency services, communications facilities, transportation systems, etc,” it said.

Dangote Refinery called on the Federal Government and security agencies to step in immediately to protect the facility and the nation’s energy security, stressing that the union must not be allowed to “bully Nigerians into chaos and economic sabotage.”

According to Tribune Online, the federal government has announced readiness to broker peace between Dangote Refinery and PENGASSAN, inviting both to a meeting scheduled for Monday.

Business

Fuel Scarcity Looms As PENGASSAN Stops Gas, Crude Supply To Dangote Refinery

Published

6 days ago

September 27, 2025

Editor

The industrial dispute between the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria took a dramatic turn on Saturday as the union ordered seven branches to cut off crude oil and gas supplies to the $20bn facility.

In a letter dated September 26 and signed by its General Secretary, Lumumba Okugbawa, the union accused the refinery’s management of sacking its members in retaliation for exercising their constitutional right to join the union.

The union’s move marks an escalation in the standoff, with PENGASSAN accusing the refinery of anti-labour practices and the unlawful sack of its members.

In the directive issued to its branch chairmen, PENGASSAN instructed its branch chairmen in key upstream and midstream oil companies, including TotalEnergies, Chevron, Seplat, Shell Nigeria Gas, Oando, and Nigerian Gas Infrastructure Company, to immediately cut off all crude oil and gas supplies to the refinery.

The directive comes after PENGASSAN alleged that Nigerian workers were sacked by Dangote Refinery after joining the union, claiming that management also withdrew staff buses and denied entry to locals while allowing expatriates access.

The union threatened to picket the refinery if the situation was not addressed.

In a statement on Friday, the refinery clarified that only a small number of workers were affected by what it described as a reorganisation aimed at preventing acts of sabotage within the facility. It said over 3,000 Nigerians remain in employment, rejecting claims of mass layoffs.

Dangote maintained that the restructuring was necessary after what it described as recurring acts of sabotage in different units of the refinery, which posed serious risks to human lives and operations.

As a result, PENGASSAN instructed its branches in TotalEnergies, Seplat, Chevron, Oando, Shell Nigeria Gas, Renaissance, and NGIC to cut gas supply to the refinery immediately.

The union described the move as “illegitimate” and accused the refinery of spreading misinformation instead of addressing the matter through dialogue.

“As you are aware, the Management of Dangote Petroleum Refinery has disengaged our members in reaction to the exercise of their constitutional right to being unionized.

“They have gone further on a mission of misinformation and propaganda to justify this illegitimacy rather than engaging meaningfully with us to right the wrong.

“Consequent to these, you are hereby directed to cut off gas supply to NGIC effective immediately. All crude oil supply valves to the Refinery should be shut. The loading operation for vessel headed there should be halted immediately,” the directive read.

The union further mandated the NGIC Chairman to ensure strict compliance with the order and told all branch chairmen to give regular updates on the action taken.

“NGIC Chairman, ensure that gas supply to the Refinery is cut off effective immediately. All chairmen on this summons are to report promptly the progress of the directive. Kindly accept the assurances of our highest esteem. Thank you,” the statement read.

Reaffirming its solidarity, PENGASSAN ended the directive with its slogan: “Injury to one! Injury to all!”

On Thursday, the company announced it would suspend petrol sales in naira from September 28 following the exhaustion of its crude-for-naira allocations.