By the tip of August 2024, Barr. Festus Keyamo would have clocked a yr in workplace because the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Improvement. OLUSEGUN KOIKI on this article, assesses the minister’s efficiency a yr after.
Not a couple of doubted the flexibility of Barr. Festus Keyamo, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Improvement, to carry out in his new portfolio when he was appointed by President Bola Tinubu in August.
Having been a Minister of State for Niger Delta and later redeployed to the Labour and Employment in 2019, Keyamo is a typical instance of a person with the wealth of expertise to steer the nation’s aviation business to the specified development trajectory.
Although, most of the aviation practitioners argued that the sector being a technical one, required a character with the data of the business to oversee and hit the bottom operating, however since his appointment final August, a number of the business professionals mentioned the minister had taken some audacious steps in conformity along with his Key Efficiency Indicators (KPIs), geared toward repositioning the sector, which his predecessors did not take previously.
Already, stakeholders mentioned Keyamo is tackling some non-public jet operators, who illegally transformed their gear to constitution, thereby robbing the Federal Authorities of its deserved revenues, whereas additionally stopping the accepted chartered operators from rendering their providers to their prospects as stipulated.
Aside from this, additionally they emphasised that the minister was creating a cushty working setting for the operators, particularly the airways by supporting their development and enlargement and understanding simple leasing agreements for them, amongst others.
Commenting on the efficiency of the minister one yr after assumption of workplace, Capt. Ibrahim Mshelia, Chief Govt Officer (CEO), West Hyperlink Airways, confirmed that Keyamo had taken some daring steps to stabilise the business, regardless of not being an aviation skilled.
Based on Mshelia, the current establishing of a Ministerial Taskforce on Unlawful Air Constitution Operations and Associated Issues by Keyamo, revealed some large, however apparent gaps within the civil aviation business in Nigeria.
The committee in a preliminary report, launched on July 26, 2024, had uncovered the usage of non-public international registered plane for unlawful constitution operations by some non-public jet house owners within the nation.
The committee additionally fingered high-net-worth people within the scandal, which had constantly put a query mark on the adherence to rules by the Non-public Non-Industrial Flight (PNCF).
Moreover, Mshelia defined that Keyamo lately wrote to the UK Secretary of State for Transport regarding Heathrow Airport, London for Air Peace.
He described this step as one other good transfer by the minister, stating that United Kingdom (UK) with two of its carriers; British Airways and Virgin Atlantic Airways working into two cities in Nigeria, had failed over time to reciprocate the Bilateral Air Service Settlement (BASA) association the nation had with any Nigerian airways going to UK and it’s at present stopping unfettered entry to Air Peace to the European nation.
The West Hyperlink Airline CEO, emphasised that whereas airways from smaller and fewer aggressive nations like Rwandair as an example, had continued to function on to Heathrow Terminal 4 and join wider locations, reverse was the case with Nigeria, which its airways on internationally routes had been handled like a second fiddle by the federal government of UK.
Mshelia identified that the choice of the minister to write down to the Secretary of State for Transport in the UK would additional garner extra respect for civil aviation business in Nigeria among the many comity of countries.
He mentioned: “The very fact is that no person is ideal, however I’ll say that there are some daring steps Mr. Keyamo has taken that no different minister within the business has executed previously. So, I give him credit score for that.
“As an illustration, there was a legal gang that has been sabotaging the business for a really very long time; brokers and unlawful constitution operators. He’s the one one who’s daring sufficient to cease them. For me, that’s the greatest kudos I may give him.
“There have been sure instances that he stepped outdoors the cycle, however I’ll blame it on his advisers. He’s a lawyer and never an aviator, nonetheless, he has carried out very nicely up to now. He has proven boldness.”
To Mr Frank Oruye, aviation skilled, Keyamo had introduced in a extra clear strategy to the dealings of the ministry.
Oruye particularly talked about the pace at which the minister addressed the controversial and the behind the scene offers of the botched Nigeria Air debacle, which was lately cancelled by the Federal Excessive Courtroom, sitting in Lagos as considered one of such examples of transparency and fervent steps.
Moreover, he additionally recommended the minister for the progress made up to now with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the deliberate return of Emirates Airways to Nigeria.
Based on Oruye, Keyamo had additionally since his appointment, confirmed avid help to the indigenous airways and different organisations within the sector, stressing that this is able to additional scale back capital flight in a foreign country.
He mentioned: “He (Keyamo) made progress with the UAE stalemate. Nevertheless, the price of buying a visa to that nation is moderately exorbitant. Nigeria is partly responsible on excessive visa prices, being one thing our authorities appears to deal with as a commodity.
“The graduation of Air Peace operations to England is commendable, after all of the blockage from the earlier regime. Additionally, Keyamo has been in a position to safe settlement with landowners across the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to amass land vital for constructing a second runway on the Abuja Airport. That is one other landmark that the minister has achieved since his appointment.”
Nevertheless, Oruye suggested Keyamo to not observe the footprint of his predecessors who blatantly refused to nominate Board of Administrators for the aviation businesses, in contravention of the Acts setting them up.
He posited that the appointment of boards for the businesses would additional showcase and promote his clear character.
Oruye appealed that simply because the minister facilitated the cost of minimal wage arrears of 45 months owed to the workers of the Nigerian Meteorological Company (NiMet), he additionally wanted to handle the challenges dealing with the workers of the defunct Nigeria Airways workers and pensioners, who he decried are nonetheless owed part-payment of their severance packages 21 years after the liquidation of the airline by the Federal Authorities.
He added: “The negotiated severance packages to the workers at liquidation in addition to placement of current pensioners on the month-to-month pay-roll are issues awaiting his enter for the ultimate approval of the President.
“Lastly, simply as he saw-off the Nigeria Air mission, he must ditch the opposite pet-baby of his predecessor, referred to as the African Aviation College, Abuja. This College is predicated on two colleges – Meteorology and Aviation Administration.
“NCAT, Zaria, must be given all of the help essential to compete with one of the best on this planet to be able to entice college students from Africa and past,” he mentioned.
To Capt. Mohammed Badamasi, a pilot with the defunct Nigeria Airways, Keyamo inherited quite a few challenges when he assumed workplace a yr in the past.
These, based on him, included the controversial Nigeria Air mission, concessioning of 4 airports, flight delays and cancellations, scarcity of serviceable plane, a number of locations to international carriers, taxation, greenback safety and repatriation, airport land encroachment, rising airfares, touting and hawking.
Badamasi mentioned that whereas the minister had been in a position to remedy a number of the inherited challenges just like the greenback/repatriation disaster, strengthened the safety preparations on the airports and airports land encroachment, many of the issues have been but to be addressed, however hoped that these can be attended to by the minister within the subsequent coming months.
Badamasi, nonetheless, emphasised that Keyamo wanted to up his sport to be able to meet the expectations of the stakeholders.
He additionally opined that the minister ought to authorise the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to organise a three-day convention, which might assist him in fixing the myriads of challenges within the business.
Mr. Olumide Ohunayo, the Basic Secretary, Aviation Spherical Desk (ART), mentioned that up to now, Keyamo had been in a position to push “Nigeria first” in all his dealings.
Based on him, aside from designating Nigerian carriers on worldwide locations, the minister had additionally protected the airways in the identical routes, not like previously the place such Nigerian operators have been deserted to their destiny by the federal government.
He, nonetheless, prompt that Keyamo might encourage native and international buyers to companion with Nigerian airways by creating the enabling working setting for investments to thrive.
He mentioned: “He has exhibited extra of that motion of getting Nigerian airways take part and that could be a constructive vitality for the airways to start to see that they aren’t alone and that for the primary time, we’re having a minister who when he designates a service on any route outdoors Nigeria, it turns into his duty to guard such a service. That I give to him.
“Now, we have to get buyers to companion with these airways and that has to don’t solely with the minister, however with company governance, the financial rates of interest and all different indices that may entice the buyers to come back into the sector. I believe that’s an space that the federal government would want to have a look at in constructing a relationship with them,” he mentioned.
However, Ohunayo suggested the minister to cut back his interference within the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), reduce his travels and act in accordance with the ICAO suggestions and requirements.
