Aviation
Aviation unions bar new directors from FAAN…say changes in aviation industry is full of irregularities
By Oyise OGHENE
Prior to the changes and restructuring of the aviation industry by the Minister of Aviation, Princes Stella Oduah, Aviation unions under the auspices of the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigerian (ATSSSAN), and the National Unions of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) today declared that the unions would ensure that no director as newly appointed by the minister will resume work at their various offices at the Headquarters of the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Lagos.
Disclosing the intention of the unions General Secretary of NUATE, Comrade Abdulkareem Motajo pointed out that the changes and restructuring of the aviation industry was done with bias and as such considered nor and void by the unions.
According to him, there were some FAAN staffs who are due for promotion into General Manager’s position and other top management positions only for the minister to restructure the agency and push them all aside adding that it was very wrong and unacceptable.
Comrade Motajo however vowed that non of the so-called directors would be allowed by the unions to resume work in FAAN.
Also speaking at the briefing, the Deputy General Secretary, Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigerian (ATSSSAN), Mr. Olayinka Abioye said”Our purpose of holding this conference is to draw the attention of the Nigerian public to certain misdemeanor of the minister of aviation, there is a lot of corruption going on under her administration, a lot of corrupt practices and because the safety of the industry is our watch word, we want to alert the Nigerian public and the government to quickly caution her”
Asked why the conference was been held, Comrade Abioye said” we are doing this for two reasons, one you know, there is an on-going planned automation of our revenue collection which we have given some support for arising from the fact that we have observed that there are a lot of bubble traps in one or two contract documents that we have seen and we have drawn the attention of the ministry of aviation to these irregularities and a meeting has been called where we have expressed our positions, our displeasure with some of those irregularities and bad terms and conditions embedded in one or two of these contracts. Some leading to the loss of huge sum of money.
The second one has to do with the restructuring that is taking place in the industry where carrier officers, our career members are been sacrificed at the alter of political patronage, that essentially calls for very serious concern because they say a disgruntled worker is an accident waiting to happen, we do not want any accident to happen in our industry because when you bring in mediocre, when you bring in people that you want to compensate for assisting you in your political pursuit as it were, it calls that all eyes must be opened and we have to stop this exercise from going on”
He further noted that with the planned automation in place that most agencies would have paid up to $25million if not for the alarm that was raised by the unions.
According to him,”In the course of this planned automation in the revenue collection, NAMA for instance, NAMA management was to make available $19million to procure the equipment that is going to be used for this automation, NCAA was to make available $15million, FAAN is to make available about $25million, the same thing apply to AIB, to NIMET, to NCAT and these are places where there are some semblance of same automation and we were asking questions like how on earth can these parastatals cuff out such money , look at how much they sell an agregator, how much is the cost of a dash board because these are the two principal software that you require to do what they were envisaging so eventually when we raised the alarm some reasonable people from outside the ministry call them to order and quickly they made a somersault, the next thing we heard was those monies are no longer to be collected by First Bank, First Bank is ready to make available the software for them, they will only be paying 5percent commission and one other principal question that we asked was that FAAN is the owner and manager of all Nigerian airports and in every civilised society, it is the airport authority that does the automation of its airport terminals, all other end users just key into the system why can’t the honourable minister allow FAAN who owns and manages Nigerian airports to be the principal agent for this automation and other parastastals key in depending on the kind of services they want the company to render for them because by and large, it is the same customers. About 50percent of the customers of FAAN are still customers of NCAA, NAMA and other parastatals and we find this ridiculous that if FAAN is meant to cuff out 5perecent AIB takes 3percent of Ticket Sales Charge TSC will also be subjected to the same 5 percent, it doesn’t make sense, so we are thinking that there should be some kind of flexibility in the kind of commissions that First Bank will collect from these parastatal, it should not be uniformed”
In a bold step to strengthen Akwa Ibom’s position in Nigeria’s aviation industry, Governor Umo Eno announced the addition of two new Bombardier CRJ900 aircraft to the fleet of the state-owned airline, Ibom Air, on Friday.
The two aircraft, registered as 5N-CED and 5N-CEE, mark a milestone in the state’s commitment to strategic investment, with the governor stressing that the acquisitions were fully funded by state resources without loans from financial institutions.
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At a welcoming ceremony attended by local officials and residents, Governor Eno emphasized his administration’s mission to drive revenue-generating ventures for Akwa Ibom rather than relying on debt.
He called the move a step toward breaking the cycle of government investments that only serve to pay off loans, vowing that the state’s funds would go towards projects that bring returns to the people.
The governor challenged Ibom Air to turn a profit by 2025, stating that the airline’s management should ensure routes in and out of Uyo remain dependable to prioritize the needs of Akwa Ibom travelers.
“As long as I remain governor, we will continue to use state funds for the benefit of all, not for private gain,” he said, noting that his administration aims to ensure that public investments deliver real value to the state.
Governor Eno also provided updates on several ambitious state projects, including an 18-story commercial complex underway in Lagos and an upcoming 4-star hotel in Abuja, both designed to generate revenue for Akwa Ibom.
Plans for an international market in Ikot Ekpene and the phased opening of a new terminal at the Victor Attah International Airport were also announced, with the airport terminal set for partial operation by December and full activation in early 2025.
Speaker of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Udeme Otong, commended Eno’s financial management, highlighting that the administration has avoided seeking loans over the past 18 months despite launching significant development projects.
Ibom Air’s Chairman, Pastor Imoabasi Jacob, expressed appreciation for the state’s investment in the airline, which has seen its fleet grow to nine aircraft.
Jacob credited the governor’s support with enabling Ibom Air to boost flight capacity, meeting demand on popular routes such as Uyo-Lagos-Abuja.
Captain Mfon Udom, CEO of Ibom Air, stated that the expanded fleet will improve efficiency and allow the airline to scale up its operations in time for the Christmas travel season.
Udom also noted that the airline anticipates the delivery of nine additional Airbus planes, which will further strengthen Ibom Air’s market presence.
Traditional leaders, including HRM Edidem Ita Edet Okokon III of Okobo Local Government Area, lauded the governor’s leadership, pledging continued support from the traditional institutions.
Anie Essienette, Group Manager for Marketing and Communications at Ibom Air, noted that demand for the airline’s services has surged nationwide, with the new CRJ900 aircraft helping meet this increasing need while the airline awaits further fleet expansion.
Nigeria’s Minister for Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo is of the view that there’s no cause for alarm over the approval of a private airstrip for a religious organisation, which attracted the attention of the House of Representatives.
He took to his verified handle on micro-blogging site, X, on Friday morning to shed light on the subject, and explained that it could be a great source of revenue for Federal Government.
Keyamo asserted that the issue was raised by an honourable member at plenary, out of ignorance, but was “unanimously referred to the Aviation Committee to look into.”
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Keyamo expressed confidence that by the time his Ministry was done enlightening them, “they will be satisfied”.
He added that “the privates air strip owners pay the Federal Government handsomely for these services.”
Keyamo wrote, “I think this is not correct. The House of Reps. as a body did not call on the Minister to revoke the license of any private airstrip.
“I think what happened is that someone moved a motion in that regard and it was unanimously referred to the Aviation Committee to look into it.
“Whilst the intention of the Hon. Member who moved it is very patriotic, it was based on a complete lack of knowledge of the aviation sector.
“By the time we explain to them how private air strips work and the processes they undergo by our agencies before the final approval, they will be satisfied.
“The responsibility of the owners of private air strips is just to build the runway and terminal building. But after they build the control tower in particular, it is completely handed over to the Federal Government through NAMA (Nigerian Airspace Management Agency) which is in complete control of the entire airspace in Nigeria. An MOU is usually signed with NAMA in this regard before the airstrip is approved for operations.
“It is NAMA that provides the Air Traffic Controllers and Engineers in ALL AIRPORTS and AIRSTRIPS IN NIGERIA. And the privates air strip owners pay the Federal Government handsomely for these services.
“No object flies into Nigeria without the prior clearance by NAMA and without filing a clear flight plan, eg, where it is taking off from and where it intends to land.
“And I have recently directed that all aircraft coming into the country MUST first land at our international airports where they would be properly processed and checked before they make their local flights into whatever airport or airstrip they intend to go. So, it is COMPLETELY AND TOTALLY impossible for any private airstrip owner to just jump on an aircraft and fly in and out of the country through that facility. The Federal Government does not permit that. You will not be cleared for take off or landing without prior request and authorisation.
“I thank the Member for his patriotism, but I wish he contacted us first to explain to him before rushing to move such a motion.
“I attach herewith for public consumption the NAMA Act that gives exclusive control of the Nigerian airspace to the Federal Government through NAMA.”
The NNPC Ltd has clarified that beyond the three bodies found in the ill-fated helicopter operated by East Winds Aviation that crashed on Thursday in Port Harcourt, no other bodies have been recovered.
This was contained in a statement in Abuja on Sunday by the Chief Corporate Communications Officer, NNPC Ltd, Olufemi Soneye.
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“The Company further notes that intensified search and rescue operations for the remaining bodies along with relevant authorities is still ongoing.
“Once again, our hearts and prayers are with family members of this unfortunate incident,” the statement added.
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