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Passengers’ Traffic: Anxiety As local Airlines Raise Alarm Over Consistent Decline

Published

2 months ago

July 28, 2025

Consistent decline in domestic passenger traffic is creating anxiety among operators in the country’s air transport sector, with many warning that the recently signed Tax Reform Acts could worsen the situation by 2026.

This came on the heels of a disclosure by Acting Managing Director of Ibom Air, Mr George Uriesi, that domestic passenger traffic between January and July 2025 had dropped by 27 per cent, compared to the same period in 2024.

Given that domestic throughput in 2022 was 16,172,433, which dropped to 15,685,272 in 2023 and 11,549,443 in 2024, operators are worried that the harsh economy and the Tax Reform Acts, which would reintroduce the Value Add ed Tax, VAT, on ticket sales in 2026, could compound the situation.

On June 26, 2025, President Bola Tinubu signed four Tax Reform Bills into law, including the Nigeria Tax Act, NTA, The Nigeria Tax Administration Act, NTAA, Nigeria Revenue Service Act, NRSA, and the Joint Revenue Board Act, JRBA, to take effect on January 1, 2026.

In separate conversations with Vanguard, the operators, however, said reducing fares through promos and cutting down on the multiple taxes which affect the price of tickets were some of the methods through which the market could be stimulated.

Managing Director of Aero Contractors, Ado Sanusi, said: “Airlines, the aviation industry and the federal government can do something to reverse the situation (decline in passenger load).

‘’First is the general economy of the country that has slowed down. But I believe that with the recent increase in economic activities, business travel will increase.

“For leisure travel and tourism that are declining, it is because the price of tickets has made it a bit difficult for passengers to travel. When they see that it is not a must travel, they decide not to travel.

“But we need to see how we can organically stimulate the market within the space of aviation and the airlines’ ability. How can we do that? Reducing fares through promos. Most importantly, we need to look at the taxes.

“Aviation fuel is fixed, but the multiple taxes contribute a lot to ticket prices. With the recent Tax Reform Acts, which reintroduced VAT, which is 7.5 per cent on ticket sales, it means that from January 2026, there will be a 7.5 per cent increase on the tickets. This will also increase the price of tickets and reduce the number of passengers flying.”

On his part, a Trustee member of Airline Operators of Nigeria, AON, Roland Iyayi, fingered the state of the economy as a major reason for the persistent decline in passenger numbers.

He said: “If the economy is buoyant, there will be enough travel, mobility will increase and there will be traffic.

‘’Disposable income, which is also affected by the economy, has also reduced. Inflation has eaten deep into the disposable income of many. Air travel has become a victim of the high level of inflation which we currently have in the country.”

He, however, warned that if taxes were increased on air transportation due to the Tax Reform Acts, airlines would have no choice but to transmit it to customers.

He said: “Invariably, what that does is reduce the number of people who can travel. For every increase in tax, demand is suppressed.”

News

FG Trains Students On Entrepreneurship Development In 100 Higher Institutions – Official

Published

4 hours ago

September 19, 2025

Editor

Mr Mohammed Baba, Asst. Director, Finance and Account, Federal Ministry of Finance, says the Federal Government, through the ministry has trained students on entrepreneurship development in not less than 100 higher institutions in the country.

He stated this on the sideline of training lectures for the students of the Federal Polytechnic, Bauchi on Friday, adding that the training was carried out under the Youth Enterprise With Innovation in Nigeria (YOUWIN) of the ministry.

Baba, who noted that the training was a project of President Bola Tinubu, said that the present administration saw the need to catch the ‘youth young’ so as to be self-sustained without relying on government employment.

“We have covered more than 100 tertiary institutions and with this initiative, the generation to come will be better.

“They have to have entrepreneurship skills so as to be able to fall back and grow as entrepreneurs and become employers of labour in the event of not getting a white collar job.

“The plan A is to give theoretical knowledge which is what we are doing now and the plan B is to give the practical aspect where the funding will come in the form of a grant to the entrepreneurship department which will be shared to the most qualified entrepreneurs in schools,” he said.

He advised the students to make the best use of the grant when it finally arrived as they are being looked upon to become successful entrepreneurs and employers of labour to better the country’s economy.

Baba also urged them to approach the Bank of Industry for loans to make their entrepreneurship knowledge a reality even before the coming of the federal government’s grant.

In her lecture, Mrs Deborah Tatimi, a facilitator, said that YOUWIN is to inspire, equip and make the students to embrace entrepreneurship as a viable career option by providing them with the mindset, skills and tools needed to build successful businesses.

This, she said, would reduce over dependence on government for jobs and help them in fostering a culture of self-reliance, innovation and employment.

Earlier, Alh. Kasim Salihu, the Registrar of the polytechnic, commended the federal government for selecting the school for the training and called on the students to listen attentively, saying that entrepreneurship is key to national development.

Salihu, who assured that the students of the school were well groomed on entrepreneurship development theoretically, called on the federal government to come up with grants to help them actualise and practicalise their skills.

News

How Nigerian Man Hacked US Varsity, Stole $235,000 – Officials

Published

4 hours ago

September 19, 2025

Editor

A Nigerian living in the United Kingdom, Farouk Adekunle Adepoju, has been arrested by British authorities following a request from the United States government after he was indicted on charges of wire fraud and computer fraud.
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‎According to US prosecutors, Adepoju hacked into the email system of a Pennsylvania construction company working for a university, then created fake accounts to impersonate staff and divert payment.
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‎The US Department of Justice, in a statement on its website on Thursday, said Adepoju, who was arrested on September 15, 2025, is awaiting extradition to face a seven-count indictment in the Western District of Pennsylvania.
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‎The indictment, unsealed on Thursday, alleged that between March and April 2023, Adepoju remotely accessed a protected computer belonging to the construction company.

READ ALSO:Lagos Skit Maker Hacked To Death By Suspected Cultists
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‎He allegedly altered email rules, set up a spoofed domain, and used it to send fraudulent payment instructions to the university.
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‎Relying on the emails, the university updated the construction firm’s payment details to a fraudulent account controlled by Adepoju, transferring about $235,266.
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‎The funds have not been recovered.
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‎Acting US attorney, Troy Rivetti, said, “Adepoju is charged with using sophisticated cyber means to illegally access accounts belonging to a business in order to victimize one of our region’s universities.
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‎“Even from halfway across the world, however, Adepoju was not beyond the investigative reach of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. His arrest in the United Kingdom underscores our district’s unwavering commitment to aggressively locate and prosecute cybercriminals worldwide with the assistance of our law enforcement partners—both here and abroad.”

READ ALSO:Nigerian Jailed In US Over $6m Inheritance Fraud
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‎FBI Pittsburgh Special Agent in Charge, Kevin Rojek, added, “Criminals who think they can reach across the globe into the United States to line their pockets at the expense of the American public need know one thing: the FBI and our partners are not going to let you get away with it.
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‎“We will find you and bring you to justice, no matter where you might be. Email compromise schemes are not victimless crimes; they are one of the costliest threats large and small businesses, universities, and organizations face today.”
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‎Adepoju faces six counts of wire fraud and one count of computer fraud.

READ ALSO:Police Arrest Islamic Cleric With Human Flesh In Oyo
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Each wire fraud charge carries a maximum of 20 years in prison, while the computer fraud charge carries up to five years.
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‎The FBI’s Pittsburgh Field Office led the investigation, while Assistant US Attorney Mark V. Gurzo is prosecuting the case with support from the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs.
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‎Authorities stressed that an indictment is only an accusation, and Adepoju is presumed innocent until proven guilty
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News

JUST IN: Resident Doctors In Abuja Suspend Indefinite Strike

Published

6 hours ago

September 19, 2025

Editor

The Association of Resident Doctors of the Federal Capital Territory Administration has suspended the indefinite strike.

The President of ARD-FCTA, Dr George Ebong, disclosed this to DAILY POST on Friday.

He said its members are expected to resume work on Monday, 22nd September 2025, at 8 am.

He noted that the strike suspension comes after the intervention of the Nigerian Senate Committee on Federal Territory Area Councils & Ancillary Matters and respect for FCT Minister Nyesome Wike.

However, Dr Ebong revealed that none of its demands had been met as of filing the report.

“The senate intervened. Even though none of our demands have been met yet, they assured us that they will talk to the minister. “We hope the minister will listen to us, because we respect him,” he stated.

Recall that ARD-FCTA began an indefinite strike on Monday over poor working conditions, remuneration and other demands.