One year of Aviation under Keyamo

Chinedu Eze

When the appointment of Festus Keyamo was announced as Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, many industry observers were circumspect because they said he was not an aviator; therefore, he would need some tutoring before he would start taking critical action to move the industry forward.

But some industry stakeholders who knew him well said that Keyamo was coming in with wealth of experience as a former Minister of State, Labour; as a lawyer, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and as a scholar who had developed an interest in aviation.

 Keyamo got to work immediately and this was felt in different sub-sectors of the industry, but the critical area in which he had eliminated age-old gloom is in the commercial airline sub-sector.

There are key problems plaguing Nigerian airlines: paucity of operational aircraft, difficulty in aircraft acquisition due to blacklist on dry lease, and access to credit facility from financial institutions.

In addition to many things he has done in the industry, Keyamo went to work to reposition Nigeria’s image before the lessors so that Nigerian carriers could acquire aircraft on dry lease.

On Wednesday he reached a milestone with his endeavour, as Nigeria signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Boeing in Seattle, Washington, United States to strengthen Nigeria’s aviation sector.

Keyamo in his reaction to the agreement said, “We are delighted to enter into this important, ‘working together’ agreement with Boeing which will benefit Nigerian airlines and enable the development of our country’s civil aviation ecosystem. As Africa’s largest economy and with the continent’s largest population, Nigeria has a lot to offer in driving the growth of aviation in Africa. The support to be provided through this agreement will help our local operators grow and succeed, which is a priority of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration. We are keen to work assiduously with Boeing in the coming months and years to make this a reality.”

Reacting to the support the Minister has given the airlines, spokesman of Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) and the CEO of United Nigeria Airlines, Professor Obiora Okonkwo, described the Minister as a listening Minister and said that at the end of the reforms Keyamo has embarked upon, he will go down as the father of the modern aviation sector in Nigeria.

“When the Minister came on board, one thing we continue to notice is that he has a listening ear. On occasions we have met with him he will always say, policy, policy, policy. Remove the clogs so that the system will flow and when he started running, his pace was fantastic. When the Minister finishes what he is doing in the industry and bows out he will be recognized as the father of modern aviation sector in Nigeria.”

Improved airport infrastructure

The Minister of Aviation and Aeronautical Development was appointed at the time fire ravaged the baggage area of the international terminal of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos. He ordered the use of the newly completed international terminal and when rehabilitation work was completed at the E-wing of the old terminal, he directed it should be put into use.

A few months ago, Keyamo received the approval of the Federal Government for the procurement of modern scanners for use in the five international airports across Nigeria.

The airports are the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja, Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Kano, Port Harcourt International Airport (PHIA) and Enugu International Airport, Enugu.

The airport scanners intend to put an end to airport officials having to physically search the bags of passengers going through airports and the new equipment can detect explosive devices, contraband drugs, and others.

Achieving Results

The Managing Director, Flight and Logistics Solutions Limited, Amos Akpan, said the Minister has shown enthusiasm to achieve results, remarking that the Minister picked some problems, tackled them head-on and achieved results.

“He wanted to conclude on Air Peace flying the London route, he pursued it to a conclusion. Now he is pursuing Air Peace getting slots at London Heathrow Airport, we pray he succeeds. He is pursuing the recommencement of operations on Nigeria – Dubai route. He has obtained an announcement of the date of resumption from Emirates, let’s hope the Air Peace resumption date follows in the interest of Nigeria.

“The Minister is currently going to aircraft manufacturers to press the case for them to lease aircraft to Nigerian airline operators. The Minister took bold decisions in the interest of the industry despite the resistance from political gladiators like the relocation of FAAN headquarters to Lagos, and the support for NCAA to clamp down on illegal private charter operators.

“The construction of the second runway in Abuja has begun in his one-year tenure.

Having had a year’s feel of the industry, the Minister will now press to inculcate his agenda in the industry programs and activities. The agencies, the operators, and the providers of ancillary services should know the Minister’s agenda for the industry so they can fit them into their programmes. I recommend MRO, a hub station with world-class transit facilities, should top his second-year agenda,” Akpan said.

Reviewing the one-year performance of Keyamo, the Secretary General of Aviation Round Table (ART), Olumide Ohunayo, said the Minister has shown commitment in the pursuit of policies that would promote investment in the sector and also enhance Nigerian carriers to play a major role in international flight service.

“Like the Americans would say ‘America first,’ Keyamo has been able to push Nigeria first in all he does; his push for the Nigerian airlines to be major players in the market. He has exhibited more of that movement of having Nigerian airlines participate and that is a positive energy for the airlines to begin to see that they are not alone and that for the first time, we have a Minister who when he designates a carrier on any route outside Nigeria, it becomes his responsibility to protect such a carrier. I give him kudos for that.”

The Minister in the last one year has given industry stakeholders hope and optimism; expectedly he will do more as he steps into his second year in office.