Politics

If voted into power, LP will sack non-performing airport manager — Utomi

Nigeria’s renowned erudite Professor and a member of the Labour Party (LP) has come down heavily on the country’s airport managers declaring that if the Labour Party wins the presidential election this month that it will sack any airport manager in charge of airports that do not measure up to international standard within six months.

Utomi while speaking on Thursday at the quarterly Aviation Safety Round Table Initiative (ASRTI) business breakfast meeting in Lagos said there was no reason why the Nigerian airports should not be properly managed better to provide common services that meet up to international standards.

At the breakfast meeting with the theme: ‘Aviation in Nigeria Beyond 2023 General Election Challenges & Prospects’, Utomi declared: “If we get into government, we would fire any airport manager in six months if the airport he manages does not meet standards seen in other parts of the world.

“What is so difficult about having a toilet that is clean that people can use at our airports? Our politics should be about detailing how things happen and how people should be held accountable if it does not happen. We travel all over the world and come back to see something different. This will no longer be allowed”.

Utomi while revealing some of the Labour Party’s plans for the aviation sector, cited the plans to build many cities in Nigeria and link these cities using intermodal transport systems.

While identifying weak institutions as the biggest challenge to development in Nigeria, the Politician cum Professor declared: “This is no longer the moment for politics of transactions. It is time to redeem the nation. When people know there are consequences for their actions, then they will begin to do the right things”.

Earlier in his opening remarks, the President of Aviation Safety Round Table Initiative (ASRTI), a nonnon-governmentalganization in the sector, Dr Gabriel Olowo cited the worrisome losses airlines and service providers incurred during the recent strike that disrupted business activities at the airport, hence urging the government to address such issues.

His words: “A domestic carrier reportedly lost N500 million Naira due to MM2’s abrupt shutdown. We strongly condemn the strike and management’s inadequate response. With apologies, adequate compensation should be provided to all parties affected”.

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