PRESIDENT TINUBU WILL POSITION THE AVIATION INDUSTRY AS A HUB IN AFRICA AND GLOBALLY, TO ATTRACT FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT 12-11-23
By Sadiq Aminu President Bola Tinubu’s administration aims to position the Nigerian Aviation Industry as a hub in Africa and globally, emphasizing the need for private sector-driven growth to attract foreign direct investment.
Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr. Festus Keyamo, underscores the responsibility of policy makers to ensure policies align with ICAO standards for successful deployment.
What are the investment areas and industry needs crucial for the minister’s success, Aviation correspondent Sadiq Aminu tells us.
“If you don’t want to get sacked, in the next few months you need to support me. It is either I get sacked or they get sacked, it is a race of who will survive, somebody must die first”.
That was the warning of the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development Mr Festus to heads of Aviation agencies.
The Minister’s recent international visits and meetings with stakeholders signal his commitment to driving investments, growth, and development in the aviation sector.
Crucial areas requiring investment include airport infrastructure, aircraft maintenance, manpower development catering, cargo export, and more.
Stakeholders emphasize the importance of establishing key drivers to attract investors and ensure sustainable growth.
Ms Sindy Foster explains, “The climate of way business is done in Nigeria, if you want the project to be passed, you need to grease somebody’s palm before business can be don, it doesn’t work with a lot of professionals”.
Mr. Fortune Idu and Alex Anga say, “NCAA requires autonomous, fully independent to regulate the industry, they are sometimes more often treated like one of the regulated agencies they are supposed to license and regulate”.
“Ministry of Aviation encroaching on the oversight capacity and capability and authority of the NCAA, that is what we see in Nigeria”, says IATA rep. Samson Fatokun.
Despite these advocacy efforts, airline operator Senator Musa Adede and aviation consultant Mr. Chris Aligbe emphasize the government’s responsibility to address the needs of domestic airlines, a significant part of the industry’s growth.
“We news funding, we also owing the government and I want to plead with you, maybe write off whatever debts are being owed. We talk about corporate governance with the airlines, we talk about mergers, relationship that has not happened so, we need a total reform”.
Vice President, Airline Operators of Nigeria, AON, Mr. Allen Onyema, stresses the need to protect Nigerian airlines through agreements with foreign countries and from aircraft lessors.
“They will tell you they carry Nigeria airlines along when they are doing to do these BASA’s, it is a lie. How do you protect Nigeria airlines when this happened?”.
Concerns about disruptions by Labour unions over worker welfare are acknowledged.
Two of the union leaders, comrades Ocheme Aba and AbdulRazak Saidu emphasized on demand for workers entitlement.
“He has to understand the principles behind the protests and when people raise complaints which is simply to address the demands that have been put before government, the demands that are made are completely apolitical. It is our duty to implement it”.
Aviation Minister and Aerospace Development Mr. Festus Keyamo, pledged to address these issues and bridge gaps.
“For those agencies under me who perhaps make it difficult for investors to come and invest in terms of a kind of under hand dealings within the industry and all that, we will try our best to be in the bridge the gap and stop all of that”.
With the recent signing of a performance bond at the Presidential retreat in Abuja, Minister Keyamo is determined to bring significant changes to the Nigerian Aviation industry.