AVIATION 2010: FULL OF PROMISES POOR IN DELIVERY

The year started with the reverberating backlash of the failed underwear bomber, whereby Nigeria was placed on the Terror Watch List, we reacted using home grown- Initial Gra Gra (IGG) threatening to break diplomatic relations and impose trade sanctions on the US, which obviously failed, we later opted for the sensible and appropriate diplomatic maneuvers and inter agency cooperation. Thereafter we succumbed to having Air Marshals on board US bound flights, agreeing to pass an Anti terror bill which is presently gathering dust in the legislative chambers, intelligence sharing with international security agencies and also, purchasing scanning machines for our international gateways, that stayed idle for over six months in our airports.

The ministry later presented the clustering concession programme to act as an alternative to the messy PPP inherited from the Obasanjo administration, we were waiting for the implementation and applauding Mr. Omotoba and the committee headed by Capt Dele Ore for the novel idea in our landscape, when the scandalous Abuja runway project broke-out. It eventually swept that administration from office

It was also later revealed by the House Committee on Aviation that the same minister granted Lufthansa Airlines waiver from paying royalties for extra frequencies, in exchange for facilitating a national hanger which is still-born and the ridiculous hub development of Abuja for a nonexistent national or flag carrier. Quite intelligently, the Lufthansa team quickly signed the agreement, starting with the extra frequency that was used to quickly storm the Irish market with promo fares to Abuja and other entry points, considering the lack of direct flights between Ireland and Nigeria, despite the huge potentials.

Also during the year and for the first time, in a very long period, the reshuffling at the ministry, which usually brings a new minister, did not come with the accompanying restructuring at the agencies, despite the jitters, lobbying and ambush that usually characterize such appointments. Unsurprisingly, the new minister followed the trend of commissioning partially completed, sponsored or debt financed projects with so much fanfare usually supported and financed by the agency heads.

The government was able to improve navigation through the Total Rader Coverage programme with the acronym TRACON. Also they improved weather reporting& prediction process by providing necessary equipment while aiding the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) with an investigative laboratory. They were also able to transfer ownership seamlessly after a protracted privatization process to the new owners Sky power Handling Company.

The airlines were unable to get out of the financial tail spin, even with the bailout offered by government through the Central Bank of Nigeria. The stringent condition of refinancing debts using fixed assets has made the fund inaccessible to the carriers while giving the banks a second layer of protection. The CBN, need to talk to their counterpart in India who has replicated the same process without any complaints from the airlines. The problem of the operators was further compounded by the disorganized cartel called Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) that body is completely marooned and need to anchor at the nearest port.


On the Aero-diplomacy front, the DG NCAA, Dr Harold Demuren was nominated unanimously, as the first African to chair the ICAO assembly. On the other side, our own Nick Fadugba resigned as the secretary of African Airline Association (AFRAA) barely three months in office, we were unable to replace him with a Nigerian, due to the poor membership of Nigerian airlines in that body. The airlines disappointingly did not attend African Airline Association (AFRAA) assembly, the Airport Council International (ACI) conference hosted by Nigeria neither were they present at the World Travel Market (WTM).


The comatose Sky power Catering was overran by a detachment of armed air-force personnel, just as they have done with other landed properties of FAAN spread across the country. I sincerely hope it can be reversed to aid the PPP arrangement of the present government.

The Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN) did not disappoint as they were able to confront the ministry, erring airlines, the air force and controversial concessionaires, in coordination with other like minds.

The year ended with the airport remodeling tool being used fervently by the government to assuage the discomfort suffered by the traveling public and its concomitants inefficiency and insecurity.

The foreign carriers who have benefited immensely from the anemic state of Nigerian carriers and have been able to get extra frequencies by offering, frequent flyers, exotic visit to their head office and country, GSA partnership e.t.c, to our officials, had to send a delegation to the minister complaining about the state of our airports, as expected the word remodeling was once again flagged by the minister while also hammering on capital flight-a self inflicted policy.

The Ethiopians, who have never claimed to be the giant of Africa, but are real giants in aviation, with a vibrant national carrier, has invested in a Togolese based carrier, to gain access to the West Coast market while at the same time nurturing our only IATA certified carrier ‘Air Nigeria’, the Ethiopian Airport Enterprise, recently announced $27.8 million remodeling of the Addis-Ababa international airport without necessarily parroting remodeling for close to a year.

We will not also forget the stowaway who lost his life while, trying to get to South Africa via the wheel well of an Arik aircraft and the embarrassing disappearance of DDC machines, right on the airside of the country’s premier international gateway. Some juveniles are being hurled to the magistrate or is it juvenile court, to show the world how effective the investigative agencies are, the government should also hurl itself before the court of the Universal Safety Oversight Programme of ICAO to know its level of compliance and ask itself why the airports are neither certified nor insured.

The incident is another wake up call to the industry, users and the government in particular that, category 1 certification alone without compliance with other ICAO annexes is tantamount to parting of the Red Sea. We should go further by crossing the red sea and get to the Promised Land.


The government need to keep the critical public travel expenditure with our carriers by passing ‘The Fly Nigeria Act’, while also encouraging a regulated consolidation to separate the boys from the men, if in doubt, they should ask the Indonesians or the Chinese what they have done, for the airports, Mrs. Re-model should follow the footsteps of the Ethiopians by acting rather than talking.