BY OLAPEJU OLUBI
Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has described the industry as the fulcrum on which national economic prosperity revolves, saying that strategic plans must be in place to sustain its growth.
Keyamo stated this recently at the 2023 Aviation Management retreat held at Jubili Hotel, Warri, Delta State, where he charged agency heads and other attendees to work hard so that industry achieves its set mission and vision.
The Minister said the retreat was vital and timely because one of the major goals of the Tinubu administration is to position the Nigerian aviation industry as a hub on the African continent and a strategic global destination.
Keyamo said hopes were high that his five-point priority agenda would be disaggregated and cascaded into actionable programmes and projects by all Department and Agencies under the ministry.
“Our task in this retreat is to brainstorm, deliberate and carry out a SWOT analysis of the aviation sector with a view to proffering practical solutions to attain the desired results. We need to be proactive and circumspect in our deliberations regarding where we are today as an industry, where we desire to be and most importantly, how to get there.
“There is no doubt that growth and development in the aviation sector should be private sector driven to attract foreign direct investment. As policy makers, we have a responsibility to ensure that deployment of policies, programs and project are well articulated and in compliance with ICAO standards”, he explained.
He said it was totally unacceptable for Nigeria to have scored 70% rather than the 75% benchmark in the 2023 ICAO Universal Oversight Audit Programme.
He said efforts must be doubled to keep the standards high as the aviation sector is first and foremost a safety and security-driven industry, adding that proper monitoring and evaluation to maintain set standards must be enforced at all times.
The Minister said he expected vibrant engagement during the retreat, just as he expressed President Tinubu’s passion about transforming the nation, using the aviation sector as the driver.
“In the same vein, I expect you all to share the same passion in transforming your Departments and Agencies for the good of the aviation industry and the nation at large”.
In his goodwill message, the Chairman Senate Committee on Aviation, Senator Buhari Abdulatif who was represented by Peter Jiya, the Vice Chairman Senate Committee on Aviation urged the government to tackle the challenges in the aviation industry by improving the aviation business in Nigeria to attract foreign investors that will take it to the next level .
He added that infrastructure at the major airports should be upgraded, adding that issues around safety, high cost of aviation fuel, high operation cost, inadequate funding and resources, flight delays and cancellations and lack of skilled manpower should be urgently addressed.
In his contribution, Abdulahi Idris Garba, the Chairman House Committee on Aviation, represented by Akingbaso Festus, Deputy Chairman House Committee on Aviation assured the Ministry and its agencies of the committee’s commitment to give legislative backings to the fruition of its projects.
