The appointment of Mr. Festus Keyamo as the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development recently by President Bola Tinubu came with a rude shock to many aviation stakeholders and professionals. Before now, stakeholders in the sector had craved for the appointment of a professional with aviation background, saying that the sector could not afford to wait with the myriads of challenges bedeviling it.

Few hours after his appointment, Keyamo promised that his administration would continue with the implementation of the Aviation Roadmap developed by the immediate past minister, Sen. Hadi Sirika. Keyamo expressed workable confidence in the structure of the aviation roadmap, stressing that there are areas in the roadmap that needed to be looked into again to see how it could be done properly and improved upon.

He said: “I have read the roadmap, the one developed in 2016, I read it thoroughly, our intention is not to disrupt things that have been done so well, if there are things that have not been done so well, we will look at it thoroughly. We may have to add to the roadmap, but not pull it down totally because I know it was a product of a roundtable held in 2016.

So, if it was well thought out, I like the structure that I saw.” “For me, my watchword is transparency, we are going to move from very complex issues to simple issues that every Nigerian faces the complaints they have. They may not know the work we are doing behind in terms of safety, but usually, people appreciate what they see every day like the cleanliness of the environment, and how early they get their flight among others.” He also promised that his administration would take the interest of the people as a priority.

Those spoken to by Pathways Africa said that the sector needed an appointee who was familiar with the terrain and would be able to hit the ground running. Capt. Roland Iyayi, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Top Brass Aviation in an interview with our correspondent said that an aviation minister without industry background and deep knowledge of the sector would come in to learn on the job for some period of time. Stressing that the sector could not afford a minister without industry experience at this time due to the complexity of the industry and the damage it has suffered from successive governments in the past.

He lamented that the Nigerian Government had continued to do the same thing over the years, yet expected different outcomes, expressing that the industry had been pushed to its brink and now in a comatose state. Iyayi warned that the current sordid situation of the industry may get worse under the new government, but said the growth or otherwise of the sector depends largely on the agenda set by Keyamo and his vision.

Iyayi explained that the aviation sector in Nigeria needed policies that would address the sub-optimal utilisation of infrastructure assets within the industry, while also making services affordable for all, especially the airline operators.

He said: “In terms of areas of focus, I guess that would be determined by his vision. However, given where the industry is at the moment, there is a dire need for a broad policy framework to deepen the penetration and reach of aviation in the economy. “Additionally, a broad review of all the prescriptive and growth inhibiting policies are necessary immediately. Furthermore, the excess taxes, fees and charges arbitrarily imposed on airlines at the whims and caprices of the industry regulator and service providers must be reviewed and reversed immediately, otherwise we would be witnessing a string of airline failures in the not-too-distant future.

“Other notable issues worthy of consideration would be the availability of foreign currency to address aircraft spares and maintenance, depopulation of the various agencies, engagement of competent personnel and proper remuneration to ensure retention, and importantly the simplification of processes by the regulatory body for ease of doing business.”

Besides, Iyayi canvassed culture change within the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), maintaining that the mindset of being the policeman of the industry must be changed to reflect their true remit of industry development and safety and security oversight.

Dr. Gabriel Olowo, the immediate past President, Aviation Round Table (ART), proposed the abolition of Ministry of Aviation. Rather, Olowo suggested that the ministry should be returned as a department in the Ministry of Transportation like it is in the United States, lamenting that a standalone Ministry of Aviation had deprived the sector of growth in the past years.

According to him, as a department in the Ministry of Transportation, there would be less political interference, while growth would also be accelerated. He said: “I am of the school that it should be a department in the Ministry of Transportation, just as it is in the U.S. It will have less political interference and manipulations on Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and significantly reduce the cost of governance with already lean purse.

“The government should shut down the Aviation Ministry if Mr. President cannot appoint tested aviators such as Dr. Harold Demuren, Dr. Bernard Aliu and other tested aviation technocrats.” Besides, Capt. Mohammed Badamasi, aviation analyst, reiterated that Nigeria needed a flag carrier, but without the full commitment of the Federal Government in its management.

Badamasi added that the government could use the United States and the United Kingdom as case studies to determine the model of a flag carrier that was right for the country. He emphasised that the government should restrict itself to regulation, economic assistance, such as the reduction in the cost procurement of spare parts and reduction in custom excise duties for the flag carrier.

He further advised the government to as a matter of urgency ensure relief for the indigenous airlines in order for them to operate with the minimum cost to operate. He also opined that the government through its policy could make Lagos its maintenance base, while the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria should be made a simulator training Centre.

Badamasi maintained that this would bring down the cost of maintenance and training of technical crew for the airlines. He further called on Keyamo to take a tour of the airport facilities across the country to determine their rehabilitation as soon as possible.  “Most of the airlines operate a type of Boeing aircraft; there’s a Boeing simulator in Zaria, unless, it has been sold like the helicopter’ he said. “If the simulator is in top form, there is no need for some pilots travelling abroad to train, in hard currency. Similarly, there are two hangars in Lagos that can tackle c-checks. There are active engineers, languishing away, when they can be engaged to this job.

Grp. Capt. John Ojikutu, the CEO, Centurion Securities, said that none of the aviators appointed as Minister of Aviation in the past had performed better than non-industry persons in recent years. He mentioned Capt. Benoni Briggs and Sen. Hadi Sirika with aviation backgrounds that were appointed in recent time by the government, but failed to live to expectations.

Ojukutu further explained that despite the fact that Sirika, was the longest serving minister in the annals of the sector and with less disruption in the agencies, the industry recorded less growth in the past eight years.

He, however, pointed out that Sirika had less interference in the running of the agencies and appealed to Keyamo take a cue from this, stressing that the issue of civil aviation responsibility should be left with the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) without political interference.

Ojikutu also wanted the new minister to jettison the idea of a national carrier, but embrace the flag carrier option. He added: “Keyamo should just remain in his office, but ensure that the airports concession go on as planned and forget about the plan for the so-called national carrier, but make policies for flag carriers and leave further processes and operational regulations for the NCAA. “The review of the Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA) arrangements should be his concern and that of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Justice.”

Quote: “Keyamo should just remain in his office, but ensure that the airports concession go on as planned and forget about the plan for the so-called national carrier, but make policies for flag carriers and leave further processes and operational regulations for the NCAA.”