The Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to confirm the Acting Director General of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Captain Chris Najomo as the substantive boss of the apex regulatory body.

The umbrella body of indigenous carriers said it was making the passionate appeal to President Tinubu because of the transformation, they said Najomo has been brought into the regulatory agency since his appointment last year.

The AON said affirming his appointment in substantive capacity will trigger robust civil aviation oversight responsibility for an industry critical for the country’s economic growth.

AON’s Vice President, Allen Onyema and its spokesperson, Professor Obiora Okonkwo in their presentations at an International Air Transport Conference passed a vote of confidence on Najomo , for his style of leadership in steering the affairs of the aviation sector given his vast experience and pedigree as foremost pilot and airline manager.

The two leaders described the changes taking place in the regulatory aspect of the country’s aviation as commendable saying the feat has made the Nigeria CAA one of the best in the world and affirmed that domestic operators have never had it so good in the country.

According to them, the coming on board of Najomo into the CAA has revolutionized the sector as it has ensured safety of aircraft and passengers right to topical issues that airlines and airport workers take seriously.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the keys to the completely rebuilt and furnished Imo Concorde Hotel, Owerri to international standard, will be handed over to the global chain hotel manager, Hilton Group to manage as the latter and the Imo State government have entered into a pact for that purpose.

Hilton Group Senior Director Development for Europe, Middle East and Africa, Ms. Nida Sozugecer was in Owerri, the Imo State capital on Friday to sign the necessary documents contained in the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Imo State government for the handover of the management of Concorde Hotel to her team.

Uzodimma signed for the Imo State government in the presence of the Deputy Governor, Lady Chinyere Ekomaru; the Secretary to the Government of Imo State, Chief Cosmas Iwu;, the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Barr. Nnamdi Anyaehie; the Commissioner for Tourism, Barr. Jerry Egemba, the Commissioner for Information, Public Orientation and Strategy, Hon. Declan Emelumba; the Principal Secretary to the Governor, Dr. Mrs. Irene Chima and other top government officials.

Earlier, Ms Sozugecer and the governor, accompanied by other government officials, had inspected the ongoing renovation work at the Concorde Hotel Owerri built in 1979.

The contractors, Roycon Engineering, took them round the edifice and entertained queries from the Hilton Group representative on everything they were doing.

At the Governor’s Conference Room in Government House where the MOU was signed, Uzodimma regretted that the Concorde Hotel was criminally run down by successive governments in Imo State, a situation that necessitated the complete rebuilding of the edifice.

Uzodimma who said the project would cost about N19 billion noted that 30 percent down payment had already been made and that by next week, another 30 per cent payment would be effected.

Though he said the original projection was for the hotel to be fully rebuilt in 12 months, the governor hinted that the contractors have promised to hands-off from the project in nine months.

Uzodimma who said he was proud to sign the MOU on behalf of the government, because he wants to nurture the project to fruition, added that he will be prepared to take full responsibility for what he signed.

He thanked Sozugecer for taking the pains to personally visit Imo State for the signing of the MOU and expressed gratitude to the Hilton Group for considering Imo State as one of their business destinations.

The governor further expressed confidence that the coming of Hilton Group to Imo, and in competition with Marriott, will boost economic activities in the State, help create employment opportunities and enhance tourism potential which Imo is already a pace setter in the country.

Uzodimma is optimistic that the coming of the Hilton Group and Marriott will fill the gap created by the absence of hotels of global standards in Imo for which most oil companies doing business in the State in particular, and Nigeria in general, complain are not always available for their use.

In her brief remarks, Sozugecer said that the Hilton Group is excited to be in Owerri, Imo State and could not wait to reap from the benefits which doing business in this part of the country portends.

According to Soludo, his administration will continue to enhance the ease of doing business in the State as articulated during the just concluded second edition of the Anambra Investment Summit (ANinvest 2.0), where 10 elite companies signed Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) with Anambra State.

Soludo in his plan for 2025, will continue to extend power access to underserved communities, and through a regulatory framework, encourage private sector investment in the Anambra Electricity Market, under the National Electricity Amendment Act of 2023, and expand the state’s water projects considerably.

Soludo stated further that human capital will continue, with education and health receiving the pre-eminent attention they deserve. This also includes the expansion of the state’s ‘One-Youth-Two-Skill programme to accommodate more youths for empowerment, and a ‘One Million Digital Tribe’ for digital skill training programme through the Solution Innovation District (SID).

On the budget funding, Governor Soludo explained that the state will be propelled with its mantra of “Doing More with Less,” as it has projected an average monthly revenue of N5 billion, which will result in a total Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of N60 billion in 2025. This, he affirmed, will be increased through renewed efforts towards revenue generation capacity that will see the Anambra earning less than N10-15 billion monthly.

Governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo has presented the 2025 fiscal year budget of N606,991,849,118 to the Anambra State House of Assembly, in Awka, the State capital, with a 48 percent increase from the 2024 budget of N410,132,225,272.

Themed ‘Changing Gears 2.0,’ with emphasis on acceleration and execution, 70 percent of the 2025 budget is focused on infrastructure, economic transformation, and human capital development, which remains the kernel of Soludo’s administration.

Recurrent expenditures account for N139.5 billion (YoY growth of 45.0%), while capital expenditure is N467.5 billion (YoY growth of 48.9%). The Capital Budget constitutes 77% of the total budget size, while recurrent expenditure accounts for 23% (the same ratios as for the 2024 budget). The budget deficit is estimated at N148.3 billion (24% of the budget compared to 30% in the 2024 budget).

In a release signed by Governor Soludo’s Chief Press Secretary, Christian Aburime, the administration may still not borrow to fund the deficit, and relative to 2024, several key sectors are seeing significant increases: the administrative sector by 45.5%; the Economic sector by 40.1%; the Judiciary sector by 51.3%; the social sector by 82.7%; Education by 101.4%; Health by 57.1%; and Infrastructure investment by 38.9%.

The statement states that Soludo’s government will continue with the iconic projects initiated in 2024 while introducing new ones. These include the development of three new cities: Awka 2.0, Onitsha 2.0, and a new Industrial City, while the Anambra Mixed-Use Industrial City Master Plan and the railway master plan/feasibility study have been completed.