Kila, Uriesi present key papers as LAAC conference draws near

Anthony Kila and George Uriesi, the Centre Director at the Centre for International Advanced and Professional Studies (CIAPS) and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Ibom Air, respectively are among the dignitaries that would participate at the forthcoming 26th annual conference of the League of Airport and Aviation Correspondents (LAAC).

The conference with the theme: ‘Sunset Airports: Economic & Safety Implications,’ is scheduled to be held on July 28, 2022 at the Sheraton Hotel and Towers.

A statement by Chinedu Eze, conference committee chairman said that two major papers, which focus on passengers and airlines experiences at the nation’s airports, would be presented at the event that is set to point the way forward for the Nigerian aviation industry, especially on the full utilisation of aerodromes.

Kila would present the first paper with the topic: ‘Passenger Experience in Daylight Airports, while Uriesi would present the second paper with the topic: ‘Maximising Runways Utilisation.’

Kila is a Jean Monnet professor of Strategy and Development. He is a provost at the Washington Institute of Strategic and Developmental Studies and also a director of the Cambridge African Roundtable and the CIAPS.

Uriesi is the COO of Ibom Air. His 31 years career includes more than 27 years in aviation, beginning at ADC Airlines in Nigeria and proceeding to South Africa where he spent a few years in FMCG as Logistics Manager at Procter & Gamble South Africa.

He returned to aviation, joining the newly corporatised South African Civil Aviation Authority, where he became General Manager for Aviation Safety and then on to the Airports Company of South Africa, where he was appointed as the General Manager of Cape Town International Airport, which he completely rebuilt for the World Cup in 2010.

The conference would be chaired by Mr. Bankole Bernard, the Chairman of Finchglow Travels, a subsidiary of Finchglow Holdings.

Bernard is the group managing director of Finchglow Holdings, the parent company for Finchglow Travels, Finchglow Holidays, Lagos Aviation Academy, FCM Travel Solutions, Nigeria; Prysm Investments Travelden Nigeria Limited, Finchglobal Nigeria Limited and FinchAir.

Bernard is also the Chairman of the Airline and Passenger Joint Committee (APJC) and the immediate-Past-President of the National Association of the Nigerian Travel Agents (NANTA), the umbrella body for the over 6,000 travel agencies operating in Nigeria.

Bankole is a member of the Hospitality and Tourism Committee of the Institute of Directors (IoD), a member of SKAL International and a member of the Nigeria-South African Chamber of Commerce (NSACC).

Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha

Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha is the Aviation Correspondent at BusinessDay Media Limited, publishers of BusinessDay Newspapers. She is also the Deputy Editor, BusinessDay Weekender Magazine, the Saturday Weekend edition of BusinessDay. She holds a BSC in Mass Communication from the prestigious University of Nigeria, Nsukka and a Masters degree in Marketing at the University of Lagos. As the lead writer on the aviation desk, Ifeoma is responsible and in charge of the three weekly aviation and travel pages in BusinessDay and BDSunday. She also overseas and edits all pages of BusinessDay Saturday Weekender. She has written various investigative, features and news stories in aviation and business related issues and has been severally nominated for award in the category of Aviation Writer of the Year by the Nigeria Media Nite-Out awards; one of the Nigeria’s most prestigious media awards ceremonies. Ifeoma is a one-time winner of the prestigious Nigeria Media Merit Award under the 'Aviation Writer of the Year' Category. She is the 2025 Eloy Award winner under the Print Media Journalist category. She has undergone several journalism trainings by various prestigious organisations. Ifeoma is also a fellow of the Female Reporters Leadership Fellowship of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism.