THERE is no doubt that the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led government has already hit the ground running in view of the ongoing winds of change blowing through all the facets of the country’s economy and other spheres.
Aviation, like other sectors, is anxiously waiting to see how the president will come to its aid in the face of the multiple problems confronting it, which has, to a large extent, taken its negative tolls on the sensitive sector.
Besides the hardships inflicted on the sector through many of the unpopular policies of the past governments through the different ministers, particularly the immediate former minister, which have compounded the problems bedeviling the sector, other challenges, eating deep into the soul of the sector include: scarcity of FOREX, lopsided air service agreements otherwise known as the Bilateral Air Service Agreements (BASAs), multiple taxations, lack of strong backings for domestic carriers, zero involvement in international Aero politics to so many lingering litigations amongst others.
All these too many troubles which have remained the bane of the sector were sadly neglected by the past governments. Rather than concentrate on resolving some of these challenges, if not all, the former minister only concentrated his energy on areas that have little or no benefits to the entire sector but to the benefits of the few.
It is on record that in the past eight years for example, the issue of FOREX has taken a drastic negative effect on businesses across the sector in view of the obvious fact that 80 percent of transactions are done therein in foreign currencies.
While the airlines are finding it tough to access FOREX to carry out maintenance, acquisition of spares and other transactions, the aftermath effect of this is witnessed in the reduction in the financial capacity of the airlines as they struggle to remain in business by sourcing for needed FOREX in the black market.
It is still this lack of FOREX that is responsible for the inability of the foreign airlines to repatriate their $188 million proceeds trapped in Nigeria, which has made the country the highest debtor globally.
Obviously, there are multiple litigations hanging on the neck of government which the Tinubu government has come to inherit unfortunately. Some of these litigations which have spanned years include the unresolved litigation between the AIC Hotel owned by the now late Chief Harry Akande over a portion of land earlier approved for him to build an international hotel by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), but was withdrawn by the then minister, Stella Oduah. The high class legal tussle between Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Limited (BASL) and FAAN over the number of years the private terminal at the MMA2 is supposed to be managed by BASL has remained unresolved for years.
Other lingering court cases include the one between FAAN and another concessionaire, Maevis Limited over the sudden withdrawal of the contract earlier approved to the private firm to supply the Airport Operations Management System (AOMS), to the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA) and three other airports, a contract that was suddenly stopped by FAAN.
Multiple charges by the different agencies have been faulted by the domestic carriers who have lamented the effect on their operational costs which they claimed is responsible for their huge indebtedness to the agencies.
The lopsided air agreements which ought to have been reviewed long ago has been left unattended to even while foreign airlines operating into the country are enjoying unlimited privileges.
This is aside from the wide hostilities displayed by foreign countries against few Nigerian carriers that operate out of the country due to the failure of government to hitherto join in playing Aero politics.
The overbearing attitudes of some previous ministers which reached its crescendo during the tenure of the immediate former minister which saw him running the sector for eight years without inaugurating the governing boards for the agencies is another major disaster that has negatively impacted the sector. The absence of the boards gave the former minister the loose opportunity to run the sector like his personal enterprise until his last day in the office without any checks or balances.
These and many other lapses are responsible for the present cold atmosphere holding down the sector despite the wherewithal abounding to make it one of the fastest growing economies as witnessed in its speedy rebound after the outbreak of the pandemic.
Without doubt, the sector has all is required to, apart from making air travels and cargo movements seamless, become a money spinner if given the necessary backings with good business environment provided by government.
It is at this juncture that the Crucial Moment is joining other key players to appeal to the Tinubu-led government to appoint a more credible and patriotic enigmatic personality as the minister who will guard and guide the government to review all these issues for the purpose of strengthening the sector.
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