Aviation Sector: Buhari Has Done Well – Stakeholders

President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration had performed well in the last three years. This is according to the stakeholders in the Aviation Sector.

The stakeholders in the aviation sector made this claim during their interaction with newsmen on Tuesday in Lagos.

Those who spoke with NAN include the President, Aviation RoundTable Initiative (ARTI), Mr Gbenga Olowo, the immediate past president of the group, Capt. Dele Ore (rtd) and another aviation expert, Capt. John Ojikutu (rtd).

Olowo stated that the government were putting in place impactful policies, even though the process of putting such reform in place is cumbersome.

“From the angle of aviation, on the average I think they have done well because we had an emergency with the Abuja International Airport, they gave their words and they delivered. Kudos to them,” he said.

Olowo added that the plans of the administration, particularly the setting up of a new national carrier, the aircraft leasing company and Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility, would transform the industry.

Olowo added that ‘Transaction Advisers’ had been appointed to midwife the processes, stressing that the government had also given a target that the national carrier should be in operation by December.

Also, Ojikutu noted that safety of the Nigerian airspace had improved under the administration.

“In terms of safety, I think the government is doing a good job. It is not visible to people but it is visible to some of us.

“You can look at the amount of safety recommendations that have come out from Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) and compared it with three years ago.

“You can look at what they have done at the Abuja airport. We have been managing that airport runway since 2010 and many foreign aircraft have lost their tyres and their undercarriage.

“I am looking at that and we have been talking about it since 2010. They made an attempt in 2010 and another attempt in 2014 but it didn’t work but this administration resolved the issue within six weeks in 2017.” he said.

He applauded the Federal government for rehabilitating the Enugu and Port harcourt runways

According to Ijikuta, , the president immediately directed the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to audit the Dana Airline, after after the two successive incidents in the last few months, which clearly showed his commitment to safety.

In his view, Ore said the government had given the NCAA more power to perform its functions unlike what was obtained in the past administrations.

According to him, previous administrations did not to allow the Director-General of NCAA to perform.

“I think I can more or less praise the government for allowing the people who know how to do the job to go ahead and do it but in the past the National Assembly will want to interfere.

“They should allow the agencies to do their jobs and if they should allow this to continue, they are creating an atmosphere where there will be no accident and that is the objective of civil aviation.”

He also applauded the government for the rehabilitation of the Abuja Airport runway which according to him had been a huge threat to safety due to neglect by past administrations.

Ore urged the government to consolidate on its promise by creating more Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facilities in at least five or six states, across the country to create jobs for Nigerians.