The Ethiopian Envoy to Nigeria, Legesse Gerenew Haile, has paid a homely courtesy visit to the Chairman of the Governing Board of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje.
The Ethiopian envoy used the instance of the courtesy visit at the Abuja residence of the former two-time Governor of Kano State to first congratulate him on what he described as a well-deserved appointment by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, having found him worthy of the position.
He therefore urged him to deploy his vast federal civil service experience, competence, expertise, and knowledge base to reposition the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria to a world-class standard.
The Ethiopian envoy, who was officially accompanied on the visit by Dr Aliyu Ibrahim, the National Convener, National Agenda for Tinubu 2027 (NAFT.27), explained that his diplomatic visit to Ganduje was not only symbolic but historic, as it came at a time when regional and global efforts are on to reposition the aviation industry and harness tourism potentials.
Haile told Ganduje that Ethiopian Airlines is now Africa’s leading carrier, stressing that Nigeria can become a regional aviation hub if FAAN moves to establish modern MRO hangar facilities, as encapsulated in the aviation vision of the APC administration.
The Ethiopian envoy further told Ganduje that there is a need for Nigeria and Ethiopia, given their long-standing diplomatic, economic, social, and cultural linkages, to explore greener areas of complementarity through deeper bilateral discussions and allied engagements in such areas as aviation, energy, mining, cement manufacturing, agro-processing, and fintech, respectively.
According to Haile, “Ethiopia and other African countries would be glad to see Nigeria emerge as the leading aviation hub in the West and Central African sub-region, given its status in Africa and beyond.”
He said, “Given that Ethiopian Airlines is the largest carrier in Africa, we would want to see the possibility of renewing the long-term existing relationship between FAAN and the management of Ethiopian Airlines and the past administration. However, I do not want to delve into the past, neither would I reopen what happened between Ethiopian Airlines and the aviation ministry, but look at how best a future relationship can be re-established.
“Your Excellency, Sir, I am very much aware of your federal civil service experience as a brilliantly intelligent technocrat and development administrator, and I have no doubt that your appointment by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of Nigeria will change the face of FAAN and the larger aviation sector.
“At this juncture, Your Excellency, and at the instance of my country, I would like to extend a formal invitation to the Chairman, members of the Governing Board, as well as the top management of FAAN, to visit Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for an on-the-spot assessment tour of some state-of-the-art items of equipment housed by the Ethiopian Government.
“The official tour is with a view to replicating some of the infrastructural items of equipment in Nigeria, as a way of giving FAAN an international cutting-edge image and learning from the Ethiopian experience, in addition to adding value to what Nigeria currently has.”
Ethiopia, as the leading aviation hub in East Africa, Haile explained, has a lot to impart to Nigeria, in line with the policy directives of the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.
Responding, Ganduje thanked the Ethiopian Envoy for finding time to visit him, saying that it showed the basic culture, discipline, and love the first-class diplomat had over the years developed for Nigeria as a nation with great and untapped creative human and allied resources within the committee of nations.
Ganduje said, “Your Excellency, your presence here today can best be described as a homely courtesy visit by an envoy who has Nigeria at heart and thinks positively about the growth and future of Nigeria.
“As you said earlier in your speech, FAAN is looking at the possibility of partnership both within and outside Africa, particularly with your home country, Ethiopia.
“The aim is to improve the existing conditions of some of the facilities that are domiciled at our airports to world-class standards.
“When this is achieved,” he said, “Nigeria would be modelling the high-flying example of Ethiopia, whose airline company, Ethiopian Airlines, has achieved the official status of the leading national airline carrier on the African continent.”
Encouraged by the conceptual contents of President Tinubu’s development-driven agenda to reposition Nigeria’s aviation sub-sector of the economy using the policy directives of the Renewed Hope Agenda, the Ethiopian Government will soon enter into multibillion-dollar investments, which would upscale the current infrastructural standards at all Federal Government airports in Nigeria.
Similarly, the Ethiopian Government is equally considering exploring the possibility of joint-venture capital projects between it and Nigeria towards building modern Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) hangar facilities across Nigeria’s geopolitical zones and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
