‘Politicising Safety Issues will Destroy Aviation Industry’

Chinedu Eze

A former Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Mr. Sule Ozenua has warned that subjecting critical safety issues to political debate would finally kill the beleaguered aviation industry and make Nigeria lose international ratings it has gained over the years.

Ozenua has therefore advised the Minister of State, Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, the Ministry of Transport and House and Senate committees on aviation to allow the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to handle critical safety issues in the industry because it is recognised worldwide as the regulator of Nigeria’s aviation sector.

Ozenua, who spoke exclusively to THISDAY in Lagos, was reacting to the debate on the planned closure of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja for the repair of its runway. It was subjected to before a decision taken for safety reason was upheld by the Senate and said such trend was dangerous and retrogressive for the industry.

He said that the fundamental principle of air travel is “safety and expeditious movement of passengers and goods” and this should take priority over economic and convenience considerations, adding that what the Senate did in trying to obstruct the decision to close the airport could diminish the rating of Nigeria at the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), which would consequently affect the insurance of aircraft operated in Nigeria, as it would be noted that they operate in a very dangerous terrain without proper regulations.

“What one would have expected is that the scenario should have been defined by security consideration and that is where the industry regulator, NCAA comes in. NCAA knows the nature of safety at the airports. The regulatory body should be allowed to do its job. With NCAA there is a lot of international involvement. International aviation agencies recognise NCAA. Aircraft insurers recognise NCAA, as they carry out their certification and regulatory responsibilities. But unfortunately what they did was to subject critical issue to political debate and this is embarrassing to Nigeria,” Ozenua said.

He said that the Director General of ICAO, Dr Bernard Aliu, who is a Nigerian, would be embarrassed by what happened in the Senate, adding that another Nigerian and the Managing Director of FAAN, Saleh Dunoma is the President of Airport Council International (ACI), Africa and this goes to show the stature of Nigeria in global aviation.

“It is unfortunate that they went outside safety, which is the main reason why the airport is to be closed. It is necessary to follow the protocol. This is not the first time we have had airport closed for work to be done on the runway. It has been done severally,” Ozenua said.

He also noted that it was high time a second runway was built at the Abuja airport because no international airport as busy as that of Abuja can operate with only one runway, disclosing that the master plan of the airport has two runways and it was expected that few years after the airport was put into operation the construction of the second runway would be done, but the airport has operated for over 30 years with only one runway.

Akinkuotu Seeks Support of NAMA Personnel

The newly appointed Managing Director of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Capt. Fola Akinkuotu has called for the support and cooperation of the staff and promised to improve the agency.
Akinkuotu also charged the workers to put the interest of NAMA first in all their dealings if the agency is to attain its vision of being one of the leading air navigation service providers (ANSPs) in the world.

The former Director-General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) made these remarks in his first official interface with management staff of the agency on Monday at the agency headquarters in Lagos.
He said like ANSPs all over the world, NAMA under his watch would strive to keep pace with dynamics of the industry by aggressively improving technology and building a robust staff capacity that would effectively man the sophisticated infrastructure of the agency.

According to Akinkuotu, “NAMA has come a long way ensuring safety and security of air travel in the country but there is room for improvement. And this calls for the concerted effort of all staff if we must move the agency to the next level to ensure its global competitiveness.”

The NAMA boss also enjoined staff to imbibe the virtues of equity and fairness in their interpersonal relationships as these would ensure peaceful co-existence even as he advised them to refrain from negative ambition and other untoward practices that could undermine the growth of the agency.

While pledging commitment towards staff welfare, Akinkuotu promised to run an open-door administration that would cater to the yearnings, aspirations and interests of all categories of staff.