Kudos as Nigeria joins retaliatory and commensurate international aero politics

WITHOUT doubt, the present government is trying its best to make the citizens feel its impact through the various policies it has initiated, however, if such efforts have actually made much impact as expected is another story.

Like it or not, one sure thing is that the government still has a long way to go in ensuring that its local contents or indigenous policy receive deep focus for the purpose of promoting Nigeria’s investments and investors.

Obviously, one of the best ways to achieve this at a time when the principle of private investments is presently at its lowest ebb, owing to economic hardship aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic, is to strive to protect the few private investors still staking out their necks to keep the business floating by ensuring that it makes the business environment more conducive to indigenous investments rather than loosely throwing everything open to foreign investors who at any slight discomfort withdraw their investments.

As witnessed in the past, many of these foreign investors as good as they may be, had left the country when they were needed most while on the contrary, only the indigenous investors remained on ground.

Coming to the country’s aviation sector, subsequent governments including the sitting government have not done much in the area of protecting the indigenous investors particularly the airlines as witnessed in the undue advantages given to foreign airlines on the flimsy excuses that the local airlines have failed to perform.

Typical example of the government’s failure to protect the local airlines can be seen in the lopsided Bilateral Air Service Agreements (BASAs) Nigeria signed with over 80 countries which rather than better the economy of Nigeria, have continued to increase the GDP of the foreign countries as airlines from such countries capitalise on the lacuna created in the agreements to explore every opportunity to rip the country off.

Many of the foreign airlines operating into Nigeria today at one period or the other had described the Nigerian market as very strategic to their survival in view of the huge market made available by the Nigerian travelers who have been adjudged to be regular travelers.

Out of the over 80 agreements Nigeria signed, the country cannot boast of reciprocating up to five while other hand, over 40 foreign airlines make use of their countries’ slots though, due to no fault of theirs as a smart investor will always explore the weak points of his partner, Nigeria in this case.

Prior to now, the government rather than encourage the local airlines through making the domestic airline business more attractive, had resolved to give undue privileges to the foreign carriers through such policies like loose frequencies and multiple entry points which have greatly hindered the performance of the local airline operators.

While government continues to kill its own local airlines with the unfriendly policies, the home countries of the foreign airlines have ceased the opportunity to collude with their airlines to frustrate the few Nigerian airlines designated to fly Nigerian slot to their countries.

A typical example of this reared its head during the special COVID-19 evacuation flights around the world where Air Peace was vehemently denied access by countries like Britain, UAE and Canada.

The denial of operations by the UAE and Britain in particular negated the agreements they signed with Nigeria which was basically laced with the ploy to give their own airlines priority over the Nigerian carriers for economic gains.

It would have been disastrous if the government despite the hostility displayed towards Nigeria in the last months had allowed the same injustice to continue by allowing the foreign carriers to continue to prevent the Nigerian carriers from having access to their countries as they enjoy here.

It is at this juncture that the Crucial Moment is saying kudos to the government through the minister of aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika by at least for once letting the foreign countries know that they cannot continue to take Nigeria for granted.

With the announcement by government to henceforth, enforce the principle of reciprocity in granting permission to airlines to resume operations in the country as it opens its airspace, Nigeria is just waking up to the reality of global aero-politics.

This definitely must send a signal to the foreign countries taking Nigeria for granted under the guise of protectionism that there are two sides to a fair deal, therefore, while their airlines are enjoying free meals here, the foreign countries should no longer sabotage Nigeria’s economy through the consistent frustration of its investments. Nigeria has now realised that there is nothing wrong in supporting your own. A big thank to the Aviation Minister, Sirika for breaking this jinx.

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