Clamour for Scrapping of Aviation Ministry Intensifies

Aviation industry stakeholders have increased their clamouring for the scrapping of the Ministry of Aviation, alleging that it is responsible for the many problems and retrogression that has bedeviled the sector.

They argued that if aviation agencies are empowered and full autonomy granted the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), they would do perform than when they are operating under a ministry that breathes hard on their necks and does not have the vision to propel the industry forward.

Industry operators said they are irked by arbitrary designation of foreign airlines to different airports to the country, lack of regimen for training and lack of plans to develop the industry despite the fact that the ministry unveils and enforces the policy for industry growth. They are also concerned that the Ministry has taken away the autonomy of NCAA, which ideally should be free to regulate the sector in line with the International Civil Aviation Organisation rules.

A former Director of Ground Operation in Nigeria Airways, Captain Prokeme Porbeni alleged that the Ministry of Aviation has abused the open sky policy Nigeria signed with other countries like the US to open doors for foreign airlines to have multiple entry points in Nigeria.

“Foreign airlines have taken advantage of open skies and aided and abetted by the Ministry officials. They do the Bilateral Air Service Agreement to favour these foreign airlines at the detriment of the country. So we now open our airspace to everybody thinking we are being liberal. It is the opposite; we are killing our business.”

He said that there should be measure of restriction in order to save local carriers and create employment for the skilled indigenous manpower.

“Let me give you one example, many years ago we had flight arrangement between Lagos-Calabar- Douala-Calabar- Lagos. Only the Nigeria Airways could land in Calabar as an international airport. Our competitors like Cameroun Air, Air Gabon would only come from Douala to Lagos. What was the advantage? That was protectionism. We had targeted our Igbo brothers who were selling electronics from the Far East into Nigeria. Rather than bringing electronics before moving them to Aba by road, we gave them that short cut and therefore our flights were always full.

“But Cameroon Airline would come to Lagos, so, naturally the targeted passengers did not patronise Cameroon Airlines. That was our prerogative but immediately that regime passed, we opened the skies so everybody can land everywhere. Ideally foreign airline should not have access to more than one or two entry points, but we are still smiling; we are happy about it. So the liberalism must stop where our interest starts. Our interest in this case is to empower our local industry operators to become strong enough, but the way it is going it will never, ever be strong enough. As long as you play by their rules they will always defeat you,” Porbeni said.

Also industry analyst, Chris Aligbe said the Ministry of Aviation has contributed nothing to the development of the aviation industry.

“I tell you the truth, looking at the Ministry of Aviation over the years; I asked myself what substantially has the Ministry contributed in the development of aviation? If you look at it in the last ten years or since the democratic dispensation, what fundamentally has the Ministry contributed to the growth of aviation? It is not the Ministry that developed the Nigerian Civil Aviation (NCAA) Act.
When the country saw red with the air crashes and then the country experienced tremendous disaster from the crashes that came, the industry rose up to make sure that there was a formidable NCAA with great autonomy in the area of safety regulation and in all other areas where they should function. But the Ministry has contributed nothing and therefore it should be scrapped,” Aligbe posited.

Source: www.thisdaylive.com