Television Nigerian

Professor Charles Soludo, the current governor of Anambra State, has received congratulations from Peter Obi, the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, on his birthday.
In a Monday message posted on his 𝕏 account, Obi referred to Soludo as his older brother.
The leader of the Labour Party wished Governor Soludo health, strength, and wisdom so he might continue to serve Anambra State and Nigeria.

Greetings on your birthday to Prof. Charles Soludo, the governor of Anambra State.

“Your Excellency, my beloved older brother, my family, and I join other good-willed men and women in celebrating another year with you today.

“May God grant you health, strength, and wisdom as you serve our beloved state and country.”

Enjoy your birthday, Your Excellency. -PO,” he wrote.

President Bola Tinubu has been charged by Obi with further impoverishing Nigeria and its people.

According to Peter Obi’s personally signed declaration, which was made public on Monday through his 𝕏 account, Nigeria is currently ranked among the world’s most hungry countries under Tinubu’s leadership.

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When Tinubu was running for president in 2023, the leader of the Labour Party recalled how Tinubu chastised him for using statistics a lot.

In order to hide his shortcomings as president, Obi claimed that the same Tinubu is now spreading false information about Nigeria’s economic status after taking office.

The former governor of Anambra State reportedly came to the conclusion that leadership is not difficult and asked President Tinubu to lead with compassion, competence, competence, compassion, and purpose.

As a lack of trainer aircraft disrupts training at the International Aviation College (IAC), Ilorin, Kwara State, a pilot shortage could soon affect the Nigerian aviation sector.

Due to recent serious incidents involving its only remaining trainer airplane, the college no longer has trainer aircraft for training its student pilots, a source close to the institution told our correspondent over the weekend.

In a phone conversation with our correspondent, however, the college refuted the assertion, stating that it now has two operational planes for student pilot training.

At its height, the college, which was founded in 2011 by then-state governor Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed, had six trainer aircraft. However, according to sources close to the college, it now does not have any operational aircraft for the flying school.

Helicopters, Diamond DA 4Os, and Diamond DA 42s were among the aircraft utilized for the college’s multi-engine rating courses.

Another trainer aircraft registered 5N-BHN crashed-landed in 2019 with no indication that it was ever put back into service.

For the nation’s aviation industry, the college has trained at least 250 pilots with both private pilot licenses (PPL) and commercial pilot licenses (CPL).

A student pilot was hurt when a college-operated trainer plane crashed and landed on Friday, May 23, 2025.

The incident happened at Ilorin International Airport’s Runway 05 during approach.

According to our source, the only aircraft the college had for training that was involved in the serious incident sustained significant damage.

The serious mishap occurred during “a mock check flight” to prepare the student pilot for a CPL check ride, according to our source, therefore the check flight had stalled.

The source also informed our correspondent that the college had applied for permission to buy an engine for one of the fleet’s aircraft so that it could be recommissioned for flight, but as of the time this report was filed, the college had not received permission from the state government to do so.

According to the source, the college is currently floating. It doesn’t have a single plane to perform the necessary test flights for its trainee pilots. As outlined in the training handbook, this is what is typically done, but since that May 23 incident, it has been put on hold.

“A lot of students who are scheduled to take off are waiting because it’s unclear if trainer aircraft will be available. However, we are awaiting action from the state government to turn things around.

The lack of operational aircraft for the college was corroborated by another source, who also did not want his name to appear in print. However, he stated that the majority of the students are presently enrolled in ground school, thus the current situation has not halted their training.

Although we are not currently flying, the majority of the pupils are enrolled in ground school. When they’re done, they’ll take to the skies again. The source stated, “I am certain that aircraft will be available by the time we begin flying.”

Additionally, the assertion that the college lacked trainer aircraft was refuted by Mr. Ajape Abdullahi, the IAC Head of Training.

In a chat with our correspondent over the phone, Adbullahi stated that the college has been accepting and graduating students for the past two months in spite of the serious event involving its trainer plane.

He claims that three pilot students who successfully completed their CPL training were graduated by IAC in June.

Abdullahi informed our correspondent that before to their June graduation, the students completed their practical training aboard the Diamond DA 42 trainer aircraft of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), located in Zaria.

He added that there are currently around 35 pilot students enrolled in the college, including PPL and CPL enrolled in ground school.

He stated: “Diamond DA 42, which is multi-engine equipment, is the only aircraft that we do not currently have.” Remember that we have an agreement with NCAT called a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that allows us to trade equipment.

Our fleet currently consists of two Diamond DA 40 aircraft that are available for practical usage, typically during the last stages of our students’ education. We are still in ground school with our pilot pupils. After that, they will move on to the fly line.

Additionally, we provide our students with hands-on training through a functional simulator. The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has accredited the simulator.

Although this is mostly dependent on student performance and weather conditions, the PPL’s maximum training period is six months, consisting of three months in ground school and an additional three months in the fly line. The typical length of time for the CPL is 18 months, which includes 16 weeks of ground school and weeks of fly line training.

Dr. Alex Nwuba, Vice President of the Aviation Safety Round Table Initiative (ASRTI), commented on the problem, stating that the college’s inability to have operational aircraft will hinder the students’ ongoing education.

Nwuba recommended that the Kwara State government adequately fund the institution in order to save it from collapsing. He also mentioned that the administration might continue educating its student pilots by purchasing redundant aircraft at a reduced cost.

“It means that their education would be delayed,” he added. “This is common in our educational system, when pupils attend school for a set number of years but wind up staying longer for no fault of their own.

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The state government has the authority to step in if the college really does not have a trainer aircraft anymore. We ought to continue the college. To get things done, it just comes down to priority.

Additionally, the aviation industry analyst Engr. Chukwudi Amokwu suggested to the IAC management that its flying students be transferred to NCAT for fly line.

According to Amokwu, the college’s lack of trainer aircraft meant that “the flying school of the college is gone and it is the major school that sustains them.”

To be eligible for the PPL and CPL, you are required by law to have a specific number of hours. I believe the PPL has roughly six hours of flight time, while the CPL must have at least 200 hours.

Another option is to use a simulator to carry out the training. They can’t obtain a license without the airplane. Any flying school is built on that foundation,” he continued.

He encouraged the management to repair some of the fleet’s unusable aircraft for student training, explaining that bureaucracy may make it difficult for the institution to purchase a new trainer aircraft.

“They can still request permission from the NCAA to have Zaria instructors come and complete the training for them,” he continued.

Due to what they say are unfair salary deductions, medical professionals working for the Lagos State Government have announced a three-day warning strike that will start at 8 a.m. today (Monday, July 28).
The Medical Guild of Lagos State reportedly announced the news at a press conference at their secretariat, when their chairman, Dr. Japhet Olugbogi, denounced what he called a “unilateral deduction” from physicians’ pay.
The conflict, according to Olugbogi, started in April 2025 when the Lagos State Government allegedly withheld money from the wages of all dentists and doctors without their consent or previous warning.

He said that the action caused a great deal of outrage and that it was first undone following “spirited intervention and strategic engagement” with the government.

Following this interaction, a six-member conciliation committee was established, with equal representation from the Guild and the government.

The status quo will be preserved while the government conducted internal deliberations, according to Olugbogi, who added that “we presented all relevant documents clarifying the calculation of the CONMESS salary scale.”

The doctors stated that if their requests are not fulfilled, the walkout will continue until Thursday, July 31.

But in July, the Lagos State Treasury Office started deductions, which the Guild chairman bemoaned as a “breach of trust” in spite of the agreements reached.

He said that although many members had at first called for an urgent strike, the Guild decided to pursue lobbying and diplomacy instead.

The July deduction has compelled us to follow this course of action. According to Olugbogi, this is a betrayal as well as a breach of contract.

The doctors’ demands reportedly include paying the honorary consultants at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) the full amount of the 12-month amended CONMESS arrears.

The state administration was also given a 21-day ultimatum by the Guild, which threatened to go on full-scale indefinite strike if its demands were not met.

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Olugbogi disclosed the financial difficulties that physicians encounter, saying, “Let it be known that the most senior doctor in Lagos State employment does not earn up to $1,100.”

“However, in its wisdom, the government believes that the best way to inspire the health workforce is to cut this pitiful income.”

He urged Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to act quickly to reverse what the Guild referred to as “illegally deducted funds.”

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has borrowed more over ten times as much as former President Muhammadu Buhari in just two years, according to the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

It stated that there is no corresponding development or economic recovery to support the fresh wave of borrowing by President Tinubu, which is expected to push Nigeria’s public debt above N200 trillion before the year is out.

The party was outraged by what it calls “fiscal vandalism” by the Tinubu administration when the National Assembly approved another $21 billion in foreign loans.

ADC accused President Tinubu of going above and beyond what his predecessor had done by mortgaging the nation’s future in mountains of debt in the name of economic change, according to a statement released by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi.

Additionally, the party attacked the National Assembly for serving as a rubber stamp, claiming that MPs had neglected their responsibility to shield Nigerians from the effects of unmanageable debt.

What Nigerians are seeing after a new $21 billion in foreign loans were approved is nothing less than a calculated decision to mortgage the nation’s future in order to cover up today’s failures, the ADC said, expressing its deep concern over the Tinubu administration’s dangerous obsession with borrowing.

Even Nigeria’s average annual borrowing of N4.7 trillion under President Buhari raised serious concerns. However, under President Tinubu, annual borrowing has increased to N49.8 trillion.

Over the course of two years, this administration has borrowed over ten times as much as Buhari did during that same period. Nigeria’s overall public debt would surpass N200 trillion before the year is out if current trends continue. “Those in charge seem to have no brakes, believing they can borrow their way out of economic problems that require more thoughtful actions and greater fiscal discipline, and we are speeding toward a financial cliff,” ADC stated.

In comparison to Buhari’s $4.15 billion in annual borrowing, supporters of this government like to claim that Tinubu’s borrowing is smaller in dollars, at only $1.7 billion.

However, that reasoning breaks down as soon as we consider the currency rate. The government is paying significantly more for these same loans now that the naira is in free fall, once more as a result of this administration’s bad policy decisions. Compared to Buhari’s annual average of N2.2 trillion, Tinubu’s foreign borrowing totals N25.5 trillion annually when converted to naira. “What we are seeing is the expansion of a debt trap brought about by economic mismanagement and a currency collapse,” the party said.

The party went on to say that “our total public debt has grown from N12.6 trillion to over N149 trillion in 2025 since the APC took over in 2015.” The APC has borrowed more over $35 billion from external lenders alone in the past ten years. Our debt to the World Bank has tripled in just ten years, which is almost twelve times greater. The amount of Eurobonds we owe has increased tenfold. This government now wants to increase borrowing, bringing our foreign debt ceiling up to $67 billion.

Our children will be left to pay back debts they did not accrue or gain from as a result of this careless borrowing, which is done year after year without any intention of repaying it or making an attempt to spend it wisely.

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Although the debt has kept growing, infrastructure has remained inadequate, hospitals are still ill-equipped, universities are still woefully underfunded, and the electrical supply is still subpar. What precisely are these loans used for, then? Nigerians expect the National Assembly to raise this question. Rather than raising the difficult questions, requiring a strategy, or advocating for the Nigerian people, it has persisted in approving these loans.

Tinubu’s borrowing costs are already destroying the foundation of our economy, according to the Association of Small Business Owners of Nigeria. Credit for small enterprises is no longer available. Investors are withdrawing and losing faith. Additionally, the government is taxing regular Nigerian families more than they can afford because debt service now accounts for more than 60% of our national revenue.

“The recent devaluation of the naira should have reduced the need for external borrowing, but the government has treated it as an excuse to borrow even more,” the ADC said, echoing other nations’ efforts to cut their debts while the APC is taking out more loans.

The party has insisted that Nigerians have a right to know the conditions, interest rates, payment schedules, and ultimate recipients of all loan deals signed by the APC and the Tinubu administration during the previous 10 years.

ADC urged President Tinubu to stop this fiscal irresponsibility and instead concentrate on substantive transformation by making prudent investments and spending sensibly. It further stated that the days of borrowing to cover policy failures must end.