Revolutionising the aviation industry (I)
By UMORU IBRAHIM
IrkED by the frequency of air disasters in 2005, the federal government convened a meeting of stakeholders in aviation sector with the aim of steaming the tide of what had become dangerous and embarrassing phenomenon.
The December 13th 2005 meeting was specifically concerned about the cause of these air crashes.
For example, the federal government was particularly disturbed that within 40 days in 2005, October 22 to December 10th, three air crashes occurred; Bellview airline crashed on October 22, 2005 in which 117 died. The Beechcraft air crash on November 28, killing two people on board; Sosoliso air crash in Port Harcourt on Sunday, December 10th, 2005, led to the demise of 108 people most of them school children.
At the end of the stakeholders, meeting, it was unanimously agreed that a taskforce should be established. This, President Obasanjo did without delay. The 10-man taskforce committee had the Chief of Air Staff, Air Vice Marshal Paul Dike as its chairman. The terms of reference of the task force of the committee which had only three months to complete its assignment include; to identify the immediate and remote cause of the crises in aviation industry and to examine the current status of the nation’s airports facilities, equipment and associated infrastructure with the view to identifying those in need of repairs or replacement in accordance with instructions, civil aviation organization’s standard and regulations.
The committee was also charged with the responsibility of examining the staff competent and commitment of regulatory agencies and ascertain whether or not the laid down rules and procedure where adhered to in the discharge of their duties.
Having completed its assignment, the committee is now posed to submit its report to the president any moment from now.
Based on the recommendation which has be proactively published in some newspapers, there is no doubt a revolution is about to take place in the country’s aviation industry.
No one who has witnessed the infrastructural decay and shortage of manpower, will refuse to commend the committee for a job well-done.
For instance, in the very beginning of its recommendation, the task force has tasked the federal government to provide enough funding for the nation’s airports.
On this note, the taskforce concluded that a total amount of N36.3 billion would be needed for a massive renovation as well as providing modern facilities in all the 19 airports in the country.
A breakdown of the recommendation shows that Murtala Muhammad Airport would be allocated N11.3 billion, while N7.3 billion would be allocated to Port Harcourt Airport. N4.8 billion would according to the report, quoted by some newspapers be earmarked for Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport and N3.4 billion to Malam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKA).
The committee was also said to have recommended the breaking into three-phase development of the nation’s airports while N48.2 billion was said to have been recommended for the revamping of the five parastatals under the ministry of aviation.
This section of the recommendation has gladden the heart of most stakeholders because of the crises occasioned by inadequate funding. It is sad that almost in all the airports in Nigeria, there must be one or two projects initiated long time ago but which remains uncompleted after successive administrations.
Muhammad Dan-Kabo Domestic Terminal where construction work commenced years ago, and which various ministers of aviation have refused to complete is a typical example.
Another area whose improvement will be of tremendous importance to Nigeria, is the issue of airport security. Right now, it is unfortunate to see the kind of equipment the officials of Nigeria airport authority use in screening passengers. These inadequate security gadgets have resorted in dangerous item getting into the country undetected.
This is why I wholeheartedly agree with the taskforce that as a matter of urgency, aviation security must necessarily be regarded as a national security. Airports security is no doubt important to the peace of a country. So no amount of money will be too big in revamping it.
Concerning the three phases approach recommended by the committee for airport development, I make haste to say there is a great deal of wisdom in this recommendation which I pray the government approves without any alteration, in more ways than one.
This segment will no doubt serve as a guide in whichever aviation project we intend to implement. For example, if these three phases approach remain in focus, there is unlikelihood that phase one project which according to the recommendation should not exceed six months, will be abandoned for another time.
Similarly, there will be no justification by officials of aviation ministry delaying or outright refusing to implement the project billed to be executed in a particular phrase.
Also important to consider is the fact that priorities will be freed from ambiguity and objective set by the ministry will be realized within a stipulated time frame.
These, one must confess, are possible if the federal government handles the entire affairs with urgency and seriousness it deserves. It is important to state here that one sure way of guaranteeing this, will be through legislations. In fact, the significance of this sector in national development, makes it mandatory for the present set of Nigerian leaders to make it part of the law of the land so that future governments will remain committed to its implementation.
One other recommendation which is heart- warming because of the chance it might create for a desired transformation of the sectors, is a section which advised the government to immediately disengage what the committee described as “unqualified employees of one of the regulatory agencies, Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).”
In this column, I had admonished the government about the danger of quacks in such sensitive organizations like NCAA and NAMA. Our argument which up till now is valid, is that it will be a miracle to attain appreciable degree of air safety if those charged with running the affairs of the agencies, are least qualified to do so.
I am of the opinion therefore, that the recognition of the presence of dead woods in such sensitive areas and their removal will mark the beginning of the solution to the multiple crises that have permeated the country’s air safety and bedeviled the aviation sectors.
While commending the committee for its commendable job, the federal government should match its words with action in seeing to it, that the recommendation is pursued to a logical conclusion without any alteration.