NEWS ANALYSIS: Transforming Nigeria’s aviation industry

Transforming Nigeria’s aviation industry By Sumaila Ogbaje, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) The Minister of Transportation, Mr Rotimi Amaechi, recently restated that the aviation industry was central to facilitating economic growth, world trade, international investment and tourism. During a facility tour of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, he also said that transportation was cardinal to the country’s integration to the global economy.

Observers in aviation industry note that the industry provides direct benefits to a nation and its citizens through its positive impact on productivity and economic performance. Considering the importance of the industry, President Muhammadu Buhari said that the Nigeria’s aviation industry had the requisite potential to contribute significantly to the country’s economic growth and development.

He said that the present administration had resolved to transform the industry by addressing the challenges of infrastructure deficiency, navigational safety, airport security and manpower shortage, among others. According to Amaechi, the government has drawn up short-term plans to address infrastructural challenges in the nation’s aviation industry.

He said that the government would complete all ongoing projects and provide facilities such as airfield lighting, conveyor belts and cooling systems at all the terminals. The minister also said that the present administration would explore all opportunities in the sector, including partnering with the private investor, to ensure massive growth in the industry.

Safety and security is not negotiable by this government; we must look for funds to put all instruments and facilities that require safety in right shape. I am impressed with what I saw at the Lagos Airport but we still need to continue to improve on our infrastructure such as conveyor belts and others. We need to change the two old conveyor belts at the terminal which we intend to do very soon,’’ he said.

He observed that while the economies of countries such as Singapore, South Korea and Ethiopia, among others, revolved around their aviation industry, the sector contributes 1.4 per cent to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Nigeria. Amechi said there was the need to exploit the abundant opportunities available in the sector and improve its contribution to the national economy.

Nigeria has what it takes to make the aviation industry a catalyst for economic development considering the quantity and quality of the country’s abundant human and natural resources. The ongoing construction of new terminals in Lagos, Kano, Abuja, Enugu and Port Harcourt through the 500 million-dollar Chinese loan would be completed by December,’’ he said.

However, the Minister of State for Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika, observed that the nation’s aviation sector was already showing signs of contributing significantly to the country’s GDP. Sirika noted that the nation’s aviation industry had also made an appreciable level of progress in terms of the number of airports from only Kano Airport, where the first plane landed in 1936, to 22 Federal Government-owned airports.

According to him, the country has continuously produced personnel such as pilots and engineers from the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology, Zaria. He said that the present administration was determined to deliver a more vibrant and efficient aviation sector with air safety, security and efficiency as a watchword. “Once you are safe and secure in the industry, you have nearly achieved 100 per cent of what you are meant to achieve.

On the whole, aviation, I can say, has grown to an appreciable level in the country and it has the capacity to grow more,’’ he said. With this assurance, stakeholders in the industry said the appointment of Sirika, a retired pilot, as the Minister of State for Aviation, is strategic.

According to them, having an expert at the helm of affairs in the industry will help reposition the country to take the lead in aviation business in Africa. Mr Isaac Balami, the National President, National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers, said Sirika had the expertise and requisite knowledge to turn the industry around for better performance.

He observed that Sirika’s track record as a pilot with vast knowledge of the sector put him in a good stead to move the industry forward. He said that the myriad of challenges confronting the industry currently required an experienced and competent hand. He noted that stakeholders were unanimous in their view that the liquidation of Nigeria Airways had a regressive effect on the sector’s growth.

Balami said that if the defunct national airline had not been scrapped, Nigeria would not have been able to establish a modern maintenance, repair and overhaul facility. He recalled that the defunct national carrier produced well-trained aviation professionals in piloting, engineering, marketing, cabin crew, dispatch and every facet of aircraft operation.Everyone who has been in or around aviation will easily agree that the ill-advised liquidation of the defunct national carrier is the evil wind that has bedeviled the industry till date,’’ he said.

He, therefore, suggested that a new national carrier, when established, should strive for mega carrier status to compete effectively at the global stage. Balami said that the directive by Buhari to the Ministry of Aviation to expedite action on the establishment of a new national carrier was cheering. He insisted that Nigeria deserved to attain global reckoning in aviation as a country with the world’s largest black population.(NANFeatures) **If used, please credit the writer as well as News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)