National
Olowo; Celebrating Hardwork, Service and Elevation @39
BY ABUBAKAR YUSUF
Dr Rabiu Onaolapo Olowo is the current Executive Secretary, Chief Executive officer CEO of Financial Reporting Council (FRC), statutorily charged with monitoring and regulating financial reporting and statements in the country.
Rabiu , appointed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2023 has demonstrated leadership acumen just six months down the line, as a financial expert with both public and private exposures.
He is the immediate past Commissioner for Finance and the 22nd in a row of Finance commissioners in Lagos state, in the first term of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu between 2019-2023.
As a financial guru with solid academic background to back it up, Olowo who became a Chartered accountant of ICAN status soon after graduation, left the university as a first class graduate, and later had his Masters and Doctorate degree from the University of Lagos.
His appointment as commissioner for finance Lagos state at 34 was laced with accolades as the youngest commissioner in the cabinet of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu in the last dispensation.
Olowo who believed in service and dint of hardwork is an award winner of international status and recently honored by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) for his leadership roles.
Within two years as Lagos Finance Commissioner inspite pandemic of COVID management and Endsars protest, he jerked up the internally generated revenues from down to 20 Billion to doing more than thrice in the cosmopolitan Lagos state.
Aside quantum revenue generation that upped the provision of infrastructure development in Lagos and social services, Olowo attracted a whooping six hundred billion naira from the stock market for the accelerated development of Lagos state, the largest in any sub- national in the country, inspite of COVID pandemic, lockdowns and other competing artificial phenomenon.
Lagos state was rated AA+ interms of fiscal discipline, budget performance , fund management and financial regulations during his time as Commissioner for Finance in the state.
With his giant strides in the top echelon of Lagos Finance Ministry , his elevation to the National level and appointment as Executive Secretary, Chief Executive officer CEO, of a federal parastatal was not a suprise , as this was a clear price for hardwork and more elevation for his giant strides in the public service.
His short stint at FRC has revolutionized the activities of the moribund agency through automation of it’s activities among many other initiatives that had brought back it’s lost glory.
Olowo introduced and initiated series of programs and policies that will consolidate it’s mandate and introduced reforms that will give way to the current demands of the 21st century.
His cardinal objectives using DOSE as a better approach towards genuine reforms and the recently launched SME -CGG to galvanize the activities of the small and medium scale actors towards a better economy in spite the precarious economic situations has rated him high in recent times.
The award winner of under fourty years international award had laid a solid foundation towards sane financial reporting in the country against the business as usual of the previous order.
As you mark the journey of life @ 39 , signifying the general belief that life begins at fourty, no doubt , your dint of hardwork, giant strides and success story had clearly showed that you have excelled in all areas even before you begin your life sojourn.
This positive development is a rare achievements in human race and a sign of better things to come, through hardwork and Gods guidance, as you journey to mark your birthday at 39.
Congratulations and Happy Birthday, wishing you many more years in the services of your fatherland.
Yusuf, Writes from Abuja on yus.abubakar3@gmail.com.
The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has officially appointed Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame as its new spokesperson, as announced in a statement on Thursday by Kabiru Ali, the deputy director of public relations and information.
Ejodame succeeds Olusola Akinboyewa in this pivotal role. The statement highlights his extensive background and expertise in logistics, strategic planning, and defense management.
Ejodame is a distinguished member of the 45th Regular Course at the Nigerian Defence Academy. He possesses a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, a Master’s degree in Transport and Logistics, and a PhD in Information Systems and Management Studies from the University of Sheffield, United Kingdom.
His professional trajectory includes participation in numerous advanced military and strategic training programs, such as logistics training at the United Nations International Peace Support Operations Centre in Kenya and the Optimisation and Decision Making in Supply Chain Course through the Erasmus Intensive Programme in Portugal. He also excelled at the Armed Forces Command and Staff College in Jaji and the Air Force War College in Makurdi, graduating as the Best Graduating Participant. Furthermore, he has been recognized with the Chief of Defence Staff and Chief of Air Staff Awards from the National Defence College in Abuja.
Ejodame has held several significant positions, including directing staff roles at both the Armed Forces Command and Staff College and the National Defence College. He was the pioneering Dean of the Faculty of Social and Management Sciences at the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) in Kaduna, as well as the Director of Procurement at the same institution. His diplomatic experience includes serving as Nigeria’s Defence Adviser at the High Commission in Malaysia, where he was also accredited to nine other countries, fostering Nigeria’s defense relationships in the region.
A noted scholar, researcher, and public relations expert, Air Commodore Ejodame is affiliated with the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) and the Nigerian Institute of Management (NIM). He is also a Fellow of the Air Force War College, National Defence College, the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport, and the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply Management of Nigeria.
Ejodame’s appointment is anticipated to significantly bolster the NAF’s public relations and strategic communication initiatives.
Monday Okpebholo, governor of Edo, has commended the judgment of the state governorship tribunal that affirmed his victory in the September 21, 2024, election.
On Wednesday, a three-member panel of the tribunal led by Wilfred Kpochi, a judge, ruled that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Asue Ighodalo, failed to prove the allegations against the respondents.
The tribunal held that “no competent witnesses were called” by the petitioners to prove the averments in their petition.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Okpebholo, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), as winner of the election.
Okpebholo polled 291,667 votes to defeat his closest challenger, Ighodalo of the PDP, who got 247,274 votes.
Ighodalo and PDP had approached the tribunal to challenge the outcome.
In a statement released by Fred Itua, his chief press secretary (CPS), Okphebolo asked Ighodalo and other members of the opposition parties to join hands with him for the progress of Edo state.
The governor commended the people of the state for their support and “belief in his vision for a prosperous and united state”.
He added that his administration “remains focused on delivering on its campaign promises and will not be distracted by frivolous litigation”.
“This victory is not mine alone, but a victory for every citizen and resident of Edo State,” the statement reads.
“It is a mandate to continue the work we have started, to build a state where everyone has the opportunity to thrive. We remain committed to our promise of good governance, transparency, and inclusive development.”
The Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) says Arik Air airlifted 2,239,176 passengers in 2024, accounting for a 19.3 percent market share.
Arik Air has been under the receivership of AMCON since 2017.
Citing a report by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) on international and domestic flight operations in 2024 in a statement on Wednesday, AMCON said Arik Air operated 10,699 flights between January and December 2024, making it the second most active airline in terms of passenger traffic and flight operations after Air Peace.
Breaking down the figure, the corporation said the report showed that Arik Air recorded 1,112,358 inbound passengers and 1,126,818 outbound passengers.
“According to the report, the total number of air travellers in the domestic scene in 2024 was 11, 549,443 with inbound at 5,727,700 and outbound passengers at 5,821,743. This figure shows that Arik Air captured 19.3 per cent of the total passenger traffic for 2024, while it had 15.1 per cent of the total 70,543 flights operated by the 15 domestic airlines in the year under review,” the statement reads.
“The Executive Summary on International and Domestic Flight Operations 2024, as captured by the NCAA, indicated that Arik Air had 1,112,358 and 1,126,818 as inbound and outbound passengers for 2024, respectively, making it a total of 2,239,176 passengers ferried in 2024.
“Monthly breakdown of the passenger traffic indicated that Arik Air had 37,772 inbound passengers and another 38,987 as outbound passengers in January 2024, totalling 76,759 passengers.
“For February, the airline recorded 38,217 as inbound and 39,209 as outbound, totalling 77,426; March, 37,183 as inbound and 37,642 as outbound, making it a total of 74,825; April, 31,326 as inbound and 31,971 as outbound, making 63,297.
“The airline in May 2024, also recorded 39,006 as inbound and 39,765 as outbound passengers, totalling 78,771 for the month, while the month of June had 37,710 as inbound and 38,617 as outbound, totalling 76,327.
“July, 156,146 as inbound and 159,044 as outbound, totalling 315,190; August, the airline recorded 153,080 as inbound and 144,259 as outbound, making it a total figure of 297,339 within the period.
“For the month of September, Arik Air recorded 143,396 as inbound and 145,096 as outbound, making it a total figure of 288,492; October, 129,506 as inbound and 133,330 as outbound, totalling 262,836.
“November, 252,448 as inbound and 255,578 as outbound, making it a total of 508,026, while December had 56,568 as inbound and 63,322 as outbound, making it a total of 119,890 passengers ferried within the period.”
The NCAA report, according to AMCON, indicated that Arik Air recorded only one overbooking or denied boarding incident in 2024, which occurred in October.
“Also, a month-by-month breakdown of flights operated by Arik Air in 2024 showed that the airline had a total number of 380 flights in January 2024; 419 flights in February and 468 flights in March 2024,” the agency said.
“Further breakdown showed that for the month of April, the airline operated a total number of 340 flights; May, 374; June, 350, while it peaked in July, going as high as 1,403 flights in just one month.
“Besides, in August, the airline operated 1,320 flights; in September, 1,352; in October, 1,266; in November, 2,442, while it operated a total of 585 flights in December 2024. The airline within the period also had a total number of complaints among the air travellers, with just 190, with the majority being resolved by the airline.
“The further breakdown of complaints indicated that for the month of January, there were no single complaints from any of its air passengers ferried within the period, had just two complaints in February, while March recorded only one complaint.
“April had four complaints; May, two; June, one; July, three; August received seven complaints; September, 28; October, 50; November, 67, while December 2024 recorded only 25 complaints from the flying public.
“Besides, Arik Air did not record a single baggage miss in 2024, with all 84 delayed baggage items, as indicated by the NCAA statistics, handed over to their owners.”
Olumide Ohunayo, general secretary of the Aviation Safety Round Table Initiative, described Arik Air’s 2024 performance as exceptional, transporting 2.23 million passengers, which he said reflects the airline’s resilience and strategic management under challenging conditions.
“With a 13.4 percent market share out of the 11.5 million total domestic passengers, Arik Air’s sustained dominance highlights its strong operational efficiency,” Ohunayo said.
“This result demonstrates Arik’s operational stability under receivership. Despite financial constraints, distractive litigations, fleet limitations, and regulatory challenges, the airline continued to deliver reliable air travel services, showing effective route management and passenger demand optimisation.
“It should be noted that Arik Air suffered severe disruptions due to a high court order grounding some of its aircraft last year when mediation was a better option to the instantaneous grounding by the executive.”
Also, Roland Iyayi, managing director of Top Brass Aviation Limited, praised Arik Air’s feat, stating that securing the second position in Nigeria’s domestic market ahead of Ibom Air (1.3 million passengers), Max Air (915,918), and Aero Contractors (964,900) is a “huge and massive achievement” given its receivership challenges.
“Arik Air’s performance is remarkable given its limited access to fresh capital, ageing fleet, and regulatory hurdles tied to its receivership status,” Iyayi said.
“The Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) strategic support deserves recognition for its crucial role in stabilising Arik Air, ensuring its continued operations, and maintaining confidence among passengers.”
Iyayi credited AMCON’s intervention for Arik Air’s continued relevance in Nigeria’s aviation industry, preserving jobs, economic contributions, and ensuring safe services for travellers.
In January, the corporation said Arik Air and its affiliate companies had racked up debts exceeding N455 billion as of December 31, 2024.