ART flays Fani-Kayode's recent actions
The Aviation Round Table (ART) says some recent actions taken by the minister of state for air transportation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, was bringing embarrassment to Nigeria before the international community.
Addressing newsmen at the presidential wing of the Murtala Muhammad Airport, Ikeja, the ART members took turns to express reservations at some of Fani-Kayode's actions.
Capt. Dele Ore, Secretary-General of ART, said the body was embarrassed by the new federal government's directive that all aircraft must carry Ground Proximity Warning System (GPWS) with effect from April.
He said the GPWS had already been made mandatory in the nation's aviation industry for a long time.
He noted that the new civil aviation regulations 2006, had also re-established its necessity and increased the type of aircraft to carry it by Jan. 1, 2008.
``It is a misinformation and the whole world will be laughing at us,'' Ore said, explaining that Fani-Kayode was being surrounded by some people in the ministry who were misinforming him.
Ore said Fani-Kayode was also making a mockery of the autonomy granted the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) by his utterances on safety issues.
``Issues dealing with safety should be referred to the NCAA, but some people in the ministry are not yet coming to terms that they no longer have powers to do some of the things they had been doing before,'' he added.
Ore said the warning given to foreign airlines not to fumigate aircraft with Nigerians on board was also borne out of misinformation, noting that the practice was done worldwide and was endorsed by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
He advised the ministry to hands off issues that fell under the purview of NCAA in the three-month transition period given for its autonomy to become operational, which would lapse in February, to avoid more embarrassment.
He, however, commended the minister for decrying the death of a Nigerian deportee aboard a KLM flight recently, saying the airline was culpable and the issue should be taken up.
Commenting on plans to carry out a public inquiry into the Dec. 10, 2005 Sosoliso crash, Ore said it was unlikely that anything would come out of it, ``except that jobs will be given to lawyers''.
Mr Babatunde Obadofin, another member of the ART, urged Fani-Kayode to consult with experts more regularly to save himself further embarrassment.
He, however, slightly differed from Ore on the public inquiry, saying that although technical issues about the crash revealed by the accident investigation panel were ``sacronsanct,'' the inquiry could reveal factors that led to the crash.
ART President, retired Gp. Capt, John Obakpolor, was also opposed to any further inquiries.
He said rather, government should implement the recommendations of past investigation panels into previous accidents, to save the nation from further air disasters.