NAF: A RECURRING AND PROVOKING ANNEXATION

The Air Force is an institution saddled with the responsibility of defending the territorial integrity of a country primarily through aerial warfare, which has naturally made them an ally of the civil aviation institutions worldwide, which encourages technical & operational collaboration.

The forty six year old Nigerian Air Force (NAF) was established by the Germans in 1964 with the following objectives: to defend the republic by air, train personnel in the air & on the ground, raise operational units and establish a reserve of officers and men. Armed with these objectives, NAF sent the first set of pilots to Ethiopia for training and have continued to perform their sacred duties within and outside Nigeria.

In other climes, the Air Forces have done the same and have gone further by partnering with the civil aviation industry to improve safety and providing critical service in support of the country’s economy.

In Columbia, the Air Force controls and manages the Servicio Aéreo a Territorios Nacionales (SATENA), which was first established on April 12, 1962 by the President of the Republic, Alberto Lleras Camargo, who created the airline using Decree 940 in order "to form an aerial transport service for the benefit of the underdeveloped regions of the country, with the object of promoting the welfare of educational campaigns, agricultural and pastoral development and the economic and social progress of such territories.”

Since its creation, the airline has performed many public services on behalf of the Colombian people, having provided service during crises in the country's history, as was the case of the Huila and Cauca earthquake of June 6, 1994, when SATENA performed search and rescue operations, airlifted local residents, and transported needed medicines, food and aid in general to the site of the tragedy.

Robeble Ababya an Ethiopian writer in his column said “two of the most successful General Managers of Ethiopian Airline were from the Ethiopian Air Force (EAF) as were two top administrators of Civil Aviation Administration, that officers and men of the EAF played key roles in the creation, management, and training of the internationally reputed Flying School as well as the Aircraft Maintenance Engineering School of the airline”. The EAF served as a source of manpower for many years for both organizations. Can we say same for those sent to Nigeria Airways and the Ministry of Aviation?

In South America, the Air Force operates commercial flights to remote and difficult terrains where commercial airlines dread, due to commercial and safety limitations. Examples of airlines managed by the Air Force are Satena (Columbia), Lada (Argentina) and TAW (Peru). It is a common practice in the region; it keeps the Air Force busy during peace time and improves revenue and proficiency. We need such services to Obudu, Markudi, Bauchi and Jalingo

In the Western countries, the Air Force aircrafts are scrambled when an enemy or troubled civil aircraft is seen in their airspace or those without authorization, while joint research and training with civil aviation is encouraged.

In Nigeria, the military involvement in politics made some Air Force officers, Ministers of Aviation, heads of parastatals and members of governing boards, during this period some residential properties given to the seconded Air Force officers were surreptitiously converted to NAF quarters, particularly, properties of the liquidated Nigeria Airways in GRA Ikeja, were lost to the Air Force via military fiat.

Also, the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) continues to lose some of its landed properties in Ibadan, Kano, Lagos and Minna airports to NAF, perhaps it’s a legacy of Babangida administration who insisted on having NAF personnel in all the airports for security reasons to compliment his policy of not only being in government but also in power.

Recently, NAF, without any document or judicial proclamation barricaded some land at Ibadan Airport, fenced it and started collecting rent, from the same occupants that had been paying rent to FAAN over the years.

FAAN staff in these airports has notified their Management, which is unfortunately, lukewarm attitude and in response. Maybe the appalling infrastructure has taken the steam from them or the Air Force personnel attached to the MD have quietly cleaned their guns in his office, either way FAAN management should show commitment as stakeholders rather the present political appointee apparel

The Presidential Air Fleet managed by NAF added a controversial brand new 737 aircraft to their fleet during this democratic era. Queries regarding the date of manufacture and initial owners as listed on Boeing website, led to some journalists spending the night in Kuje prisons. The government told the nation, while introducing this aircraft that older aircraft in the fleet would be sold or auctioned. After selling one of the aircraft to a PDP chieftain, the process was discontinued. The other aircraft are participating in the civil charter market flying governors, ministers, top politicians and traditional rulers to destinations within and outside the country at a fee without any regulation or payment of related charges to FAAN, NAMA, NCAA and FIRS as other commercial operators who are regulated and made to pay requisite charges.

The recent take over of Skypower Catering by NAF, is simply deplorable and must be reversed, for NAF to send armed personnel over night against tax paying harmless civilians in the year 2010, on a very flimsy excuse, that the general manager refused to attend a meeting called at their behest, is an insult to civility. The army, navy and the police can also use the same excuse to take over lands situated close to their operational areas.

The civil aviation industry in Nigeria has supported and paid for services rendered by the Air Force such as gate-pass, payment for medical services, use of maintenance hangar, provision of security in some airports, use of airfields even without a fire cover, patronage of their officers mess and mammy markets. The industry has also assisted in training some of their controllers, dispatchers, aero-medical staff etc. Therefore, NAF should bid for advertised assets or properties rather than annex those that have not been put on bid.

The British Royal Air Force, the first independent Air Force in the world, and her counterparts worldwide have defended their countries aerially and partnered with civil aviation bodies without any ugly recurring and provoking annexation of landed and other physical assets of civil aviation bodies.

The Ministry of Aviation should quickly resolve the Skypower Catering and related issues with the Presidency, considering the minister is quite close with the defense top brass. The present posture of NAF will hinder a successful concession guideline for the airports and hinder the long overdue resuscitation of Skypower Catering.

Finally, my sympathy goes to the skypower catering staff, in the heat of the forced lock out asked for their outstanding salaries and probing of the management, which is really belated; they kept quite all these while, raising funds through sub-letting, mama-put, owanbe e.t.c at the expense of their core competence - airline catering. I sincerely hope their salaries will be paid while the issue of the Management and the organization is a topic for another day.

The General Manager in the interim can go to the high court to seek an injunction restraining NAF, that’s safest solution when confronted with a gun in a democratic setting.