August 08, (THEWILL) – The Federal Government has promised to complete all outstanding projects in the Nigerian aviation industry before 2023 when President Muhammadu Buhari is expected to hand over political power to a new government.
The government has also revealed that Nigeria has no fewer than 89 Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA) arrangements with countries, while 15 others have indicated readiness to sign additional agreements with the country, 13 others are in the threshold of re-negotiation the existing agreements.
Senator Hadi Sirika, the Minister of Aviation, stated these in Lagos recently at the 25th annual conference of the League of Airport and Aviation Correspondents (LAAC) with the theme: ‘Nigeria’s Aviation Industry: Management, Policy and Regulation,’ in his keynote address.
Sirika who was represented at the occasion by Engr. Akin Olateru, the Commissioner, Accident Investigation Bureau-Nigeria (AIB-N) said that all hands were on deck to ensure that the government completed all the ongoing projects in the sector.
Part of the projects was the ongoing construction of the new terminal at the international wing of the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA), which commenced in 2013.
The $600 million; $500 million loan deal secured from China and the $100 million counterpart funding from the Federal Government, had commenced in 2013 with a completion period of 20 months.
The two leaders of Aviation Committees in the Senate and House of Representatives had last week raised the alarm over the alleged abandonment of the project, which they said had reached over 90 per cent completion stage.
“We are committed to achieving the completion of outstanding projects we have set out for ourselves before our term runs out.
“We have a vision of a sector that will provide utmost comfort, safety, and security for majority of passengers,” he said.
Sirika assured that the ministry has a clear roadmap for the development of the sector in Nigeria, stressing that it would ensure its growth to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) through its policies and programmes.
He, however, regretted the negative impact of Covid-19 pandemic on the sector and quoted the statistics from the
International Air Transport Association (IATA), which put the revenue loss in Nigeria at $994 million in 2020, unemployment; 125,370 and loss of contribution to the GDP at $885 million.
In a bid to improve the operating environment for investors in the sector, Sirika said that the government ensured zero import duties on aircraft engine and spare parts, special foreign exchange window for the aviation sector, improved availability of aviation fuel, restructured the aviation agencies, improved safety and security.
Others are pgrade of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria into a regional centre of excellence, introduction of policies on remotely piloted aircraft and employment policies on the enforcement of expatriate quota for the system.
About the Author
Anthony Awunor, is a business correspondent who holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Linguistics (UNILAG). He is also an alumnus of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria Kaduna State. He lives in Lagos.
