Opinion Ed: Aviation Industry in Nigeria, the Great Metamorphosis

by Ugwuja Johnson Udoka

Infrastructural development taking place in Nigerian airports, from those located at the heart of the Savannah in the north, to those at the fringe of the rain forest in the South, bears eloquent testimony to the success of the transformation agenda of the Federal Government in the aviation industry. 

The nation’s airports now wear a new look with the grand re-modelling project currently going on at the airports, courtesy of the foresight of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan and the courage and determination of the Honorable Minister of Aviation, Princess Stella Oduah. 

It is no longer news that ultra-modern airport terminals are springing up at various airports at the blink of an eye. What is news now is the great impact of this developmental metamorphosis and the deep-seated attitudinal change it has brought about in airport users nationwide. 

There is no doubt, environment affects attitude. Airport environment hitherto commanded no respect as users could afford to splash and litter the environment at ease. The story is different today. The saying that cleanliness is next to godliness has truly found meaning in our airports. Travelers and other airport users can afford to savor fresh air while transiting to various destinations and transacting businesses at the nation’s airports. 

It was indeed a moment of true confession and kudos to the Honorable Minister of Aviation, Princess Stella Oduah, at the recently concluded 24th Enugu International Trade Fair, in which the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) participated actively. Investors and discerning members of the public who visited FAAN’s stand lauded the efforts of the present leadership in the aviation industry. Some of them literally went emotional as they praised the invisible hand that tele-guided Princess Stella Oduah into the aviation industry as the Honorable Minister. 

This was how Mr. Abiola Daisy Idufueko of Que Initiative (NGO), No. 2A Idahosa Street, Off 2nd Cemetery Road, Edo State, expressed his joy and enthusiasm about the transformation in the aviation industry in the country: “With what we have seen in Benin Airport, we are very very impressed. We say to Princess, the sky is your starting point. God bless you real good.” Dr. Nwaneri of Department of Surgery, University Teaching Hospital, Enugu picked it from there: “I am impressed with what I saw.” That was not all. Passion came alive with the commendation from Njoku Obiageli of Union Bank of Nigeria, Okpara Avenue, Enugu State: “You are really doing a great job in re-modelling our airports. Keep it up.”

It did not end there. Valentine Poly Okafor of Union Express Ltd, 1 Garden Avenue Enugu, lauded the current change in aviation industry thus: “Highly impressed with the transformation going on nationwide in the airports of our country by Princess Adaeze. Kudos!! The encomiums continued unabated while the trade fair lasted.

From what our highly esteemed visitors confessed above, one thing is clear: that the Minister of Aviation, Princess Stella Adaeze Oduah, has surpassed her predecessors, as today’s airports, under her close watch, have become the pride of the Nigerian people, who now see themselves as the true owners of the nation’s airport business.

Genuine investors from all walks of life, across the globe, are now willing to collaborate with the Ministry of Aviation and FAAN to explore the investment opportunities at Nigerian airports as exemplified by the MoU signed by the Governments of China and Nigeria to build five world-class ultra-modern international airport terminals in Nigeria. This is an indication that the present handlers of aviation matters in the country have won both domestic and international trust and confidence. This means that the aviation industry in Nigeria is truly playing a key role in making Nigeria realize her vision of becoming one of the biggest 20 economies in the  world come year 2020.

The current revolution in aviation industry in Nigeria has generated many job opportunities in the last one year as ready employees now find succor in the industry. 

What else need be said? To revive a sub-sector hitherto in coma and bring it to the limelight, placing it in a vantage position of serving as the engine of the nation’s economic growth, is no mean task to say the least.

It is on this note that we congratulate Mr. President, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, the Hon. Minister of Aviation, Princess Stella Adaeze Oduah and the Managing Director/CEO, FAAN, Mr George Uriesi, for the metamorphosis that has taken place at our airports in the last one year, making them the pride of the nation.

Ugwuja Johnson Udoka writes from the Corporate Communications Department, FAAN Headquarters, Ikeja, Lagos.

FAAN to remove illegal advert materials on airports nationwide

Aviation Nigeria

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria(FAAN) has began a removal of all advertisement material on billboards and structures which it considers illegal along the internal road of the Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos.

This was made through a press statement on Thursday 6 June 2013 by the agency's General Manager, Corporate Communications, Mr. Yakubu Dati.

FAAN maintained that the placement of certain advert material infringed advertisement rights of agency as some organization responsible for the placing of the advert material did not receive permission to do so.

Mr. Yakuba Dati stated that every advert placement within the airport premises, including the internal and access roads must be legally authorized by FAAN, which has the right over all airport land as contained in the act establishing the agency.

The exercise to remove all illegal advertisements at all airports became imminent as some companies with an existing concession with FAAN have failed to to honor their contract terms.

Yakubu Dati stated that though defying the terms of the contract, some companies have still continued to receive payments from third parties for these advert payments.

The exercise which is to progress nationwide the agency maintains is among its transformationprogram aimed at re-structuring systems of revenue collection and generation by the agency

Nigeria: In search of the flight to Eldorado

By Eromo Egbejule

In line with the Federal Government’s plan to render better services to Nigerians, the Ministry of Aviation, under Princess Stella Adaeze Oduah recently embarked on a drive to get investors to pool in resources and transform the often-lampooned Nigerian aviation industry.
Over the last couple of weeks, the minister has put together the Aviation Ministry Investment roadshow to help enlighten potential investors, from the US to Canada and China.
The move, was to woo foreign investment, and was aimed at addressing the infrastructure gap in Nigeria’s aviation sector and that of the host countries.
Only last week, the Boeing Corporation, the world’s number one manufacturer of aircrafts agreed to collaborate and partner with the ministry in order to reposition the sector as the reference point on all aviation matters in Africa.
Its equally heart-warming news, that the US Citibank, the Federal Airport Administration (FAA) and the Department of Transportation (DOT) have endorsed the Ministry of Aviation’s proposed Aerotroplolis project, even as they have all vowed to be fully involved in the various phases of its implementation.
The Aerotropolis is a project that involves placing airports in the centre with cities growing around them, connecting workers, goods and services.
Like the Biblical story of the wisemen from the East bearing gifts for a child, Chinese investors may just be the required personnel needed to rev up the engine of progress desperately needed in that ailing sector.
The Chinese will execute any projects they are involved in, using the contractor-financed model and not the Public Private Partnership business model or concessioning, in order to save time among other benefits.
The China State Construction Engineering Corporation Ltd (CSCEC) that built and donated the African Union (AU) building in Ethiopia, has for instance pledged to be a major investor in the construction of Areotropolis within major airports in Nigeria.
Also, the popular Huawei Technologies, together with it’s IT solutions partner, STA, presented a joint proposal to the minister’s delegation at the former’s headquarters in Shenzhen on IT infrastructure for new airport terminals.
The resilient Oduah also met with certain design firms, to fashion out strategies to get them involved in the redesign of certain systems at Nigerian airports.
It is only natural to seek aid when a burden is too heavy to carry alone and it is on the basis of this and her laudable ambitions, that Oduah deserves credit. No other minister has probably had this kind of drive in a long time and it is expected that her colleagues in the federal cabinet will emulate her roadshow initiative and spark off the needed revolution in the country.

In time, as Nigeria acknowledges that whatever is worth doing, is worth doing extremely well, the fact remains that national development will be sped up with each passing day; it goes without saying that Nigeria will become an economic nerve-centre of Africa.