Experts task FG on aviation sector in 2020

“It will be a big shame on all Nigerian stakeholders, including the government, if we fail to establish a national carrier for this country, this year.We will lose our pride and leadership in the region and the continent.”

These were the words of Group Captain John Ojikutu (retd), the Managing Director of Centurion security services and a one-time commandant of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.

Speaking with the Tribune Aviation on his expectations from the federal government in year 2020, Ojikutu cited how most countries whose national carriers “that went down with the Nigerian Airways in the 90s are waking and dressing up for party but here, we are still looking for water and soap to bath; I hope we won’t be looking for dress to wear when the party would be ending.”

Ojikutu cautioned that the best bet for Nigeria was to look for alliances or partnership with airlines from Australia, Canada, Europe and the U.S. and not with any of its competitors to establish a national carrier and not a government airline or carrier.

“We must be ready to give initially nothing less than 50 per cent to the foreign technical partners and investors.Government should be contented with about 5 per cent as the minister of aviation, Senator HadiSirika once said.Credible Nigerians from the six geopolitical zones should be given 15 per cent and the remaining 30 per cent should be sold at the Nigeria Stock Market to the Nigerian public.

All these should not be difficult to achieve within twelve to eighteen months, if the will is there for us all.”

Like Ojikutu, Mr Olumide Ohunayo, a member of the Aviation Round Table, a non governmental body consisting of various aviation professionals,urged the federal government to in the new year  encourage an increase in  the contributions of aviation sector to the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

To achieve this in the new year, Ohunayo therefore, called for more emphasis to be placed on productivity, improving infrastructure and strengthening the scheduled operators with requisite luxury taxes for non-scheduled operations.

His words: “In strengthening the airlines, the government needs to raise the bar from the entry requirements, implement the requisite economic regulations as enshrined in our civil aviation policies, grant some reliefs and incentives to encourage operations to the low traffic airports.”

While making case for a strong push to implement the road map, which he said should be seen with undiluted transparency, he urged that the Arik/Aero debacle must be quickly resolved in the new year, to stimulate Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the sector, in order to oil the master plan.