Nigeria Air : For Maximum benefits, FG Should Outsource The Entire Aviation Architecture To Foreign Investors

It is shameful that the so called '' Giant of Africa '' can not boast of any national carrier after the collapse of Nigeria airways. 

Across Africa continent we have many countries that own and run attractive and decent and international standard airline business that their citizens are proud of. Among these are Egypt Air, Kenya airways, Tunis Air. South Africa Airways, Ethiopian Airlines even Ghana out West Africa neighbor is not left out of these proud countries.

Nigeria Airways collapsed as a result of corruption that has eaten deep into the fabric of our country outside this, some other problems that contributed to the steady decline of this proud airline from 1980s included the following; IMF draconian policy, bad leadership, excess staffs and mismanagement.

On the top of Nigeria Airways problems, it is very glaring that all our aviation assets and infrastructure needs total overhaul starting from the car park to the toilets, you will feel disturb and disgust when you make use of these facilities.

Any international airport is the first point of contact to visitors and tourists to a country. And the first impression from here is what the visitors will use to determine the hospitality and decency of the country and it will last for a very long time. But Nigeria has failed in all fronts in this area. The impression we showcase here is very disgusting, embarrassing and humiliating.

No exception, all our airports across the country are terrible, and they are eyesore. We can do better than this going by the volume of money pumped into aviation sector under Obasanjo and Jonathan governments. But what did we get in return..... we ended up having shackles and ghettos as airports because the budgeted monies for uplifting these airports have gone down the drain through Femi fani kayoed and Stella Oduah. Looted away !!! 

For more details on these scandals open the links below;

http://www.nigerianmonitor.com/how-fani-kayode-stole-aviation-funds-witness/

http://saharareporters.com/2007/06/29/how-fani-kayode-uses-women-launder-money-abroad

http://saharareporters.com/2016/07/03/efcc-finds-n25b-former-aviation-minister-stella-oduah%E2%80%99s-housemaid%E2%80%99s-account 

For those Nigerians who have travelled to some Africa countries like South Africa, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Botswana, Egypt and the rest they have offered us an insight and personal experience to the beautiful and lovely and decent airports abound in those countries and how Nigeria airports are nowhere near them in terms of atmosphere, beauty, decency and maintenance.

Fortunately, Buhari Government deem it fit and necessary to offer Nigerians something to be proud of again. 

And this is where Nigeria Air was unveiled as the new national carrier in far away UK. The minister of state for aviation was quoted to have said the following at the ongoing Farnborough International Airshow that; 

 “This is an important day for Nigeria. The largest economy in Africa, the largest population, GDP of around half a billion dollars, and the only true aviation player in West and Central Africa,” “Nigeria has unfortunately not been a serious player in Aviation for a long time. We used to be a dominant player, through Nigeria Airways, but sadly not anymore. 
“This will be a national carrier that is private sector led and driven. It is a business, not a social service. The government will not be involved in running it or deciding who runs it. The investors will have full responsibility for this.“The Nigerian government will not own more than 5% (maximum) of the new national carrier. The government will not be involved in running it or deciding who runs it. “New terminals in Lagos and Abuja Airports will add 11 million passenger capacity in each of the two airports.” he said.

In Fact, I agreed with the Minister in certain aspect of his summation especially on our population dominance, but we can all see that being branded the largest economy in Africa does not add up because the unemployment rate is over the ceiling and infrastructures on ground is nothing to write home about. Workers salaries are not being paid and so many other problems. So what is the essence of the largest economy in Africa and GDP when majority of our people are suffering and living below poverty level. 

Even this new investors are coming to battle with lot of prevailing business problems ranging from power failure, corruption, indiscipline, nonchalant attitude among Nigerians, bureaucratic problems and so on. In fact some of these problems drove away Richard branson's Virgin Nigeria despite having over 50 percent investment in the business then. His verdict on doing business in Nigeria was nasty and brutal... and that is the fact till date. 

If you look at the Telecom industry and some other sectors you will notice that some of the these investors are still struggling because of the highlighted problems above and due to infrastructure decay. 

The unveiling of this laudable and proudly project is a welcome development especially as it going to be driven by foreign private investors and not by the corrupt riddled local investors like Arik airline and others. 

But for us to maximize the benefits of this new initiative all country's aviation architecture needs to be totally outsourced to tested and proven foreign investors especially our airports. This action will minimize the risks exposure that will be facing the new investors and dampen the relationship between Nigerian government and foreign investors. And it will also facilitate the development and maintenance of all our airports. This will equally attract additional foreign direct investments to the country and not from crook investors mostly from India and China and other few countries. It will also creates new opportunities for Nigerians in terms of employment

Over the years, experience has shown that Nigerians face difficulty handling aviation operations and businesses therefore it is morally right for the Nigerian government to patronize tested and proven foreign investors. The overview of all the local airlines shown that they are not in good standing in all aspect of operations.

The core of aviation operations especially the entire architecture of the industry ( our airports ) are better handled by foreign investors so that Nigeria aviation sector will get better and improved until we get our ass together and the country's reputation for corruption is minimized which is our central problem. It will definitely make all corrupt and ill- bred government agencies (custom, immigration, NDLEA, ) at the airport to sit tight. - Irunmole-nla news 

Fulani herdsmen killings: Arewa youths blast presidency for attacking Northern elders, Afenifere, others

The Arewa Youth Consultative Forum, AYCF, has come hard on the presidency for attacking the coalition of Nigerian socio-political groups.

It had in a strong worded statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Shehu Garba, condemned the gathering of prominent elders that passed a vote of no confidence on the President Muhammadu Buhari government for its failure to end the incessant killing of innocent Nigerians by suspected Fulani herdsmen in various parts of the country.

The coalition of Northern Elders’ Forum, NEF, Afenifere, Ohanaeze Ndigbo and the Pan Niger Delta Forum had during the week, passed a vote of no-confidence on Buhari, over what they described as the President’s inability to find a lasting solution to the country’s problems.

In a statement AYCF entitled “This Insensitive Presidency”, signed and forwarded to DAILY POST on Saturday by its National President, Alhaji Yerima Shettima, the group said, “Our attention has been drawn to the intemperate and highly immature response by the Presidency to the historic summit of the Northern Elders Forum, Afenifere, Ohanaeze and PANDEF on the spate of killings in Nigeria under the incompetent government of President Muhammadu Buhari.

“It is sad that instead of facing the honest assessment of the killing fields Nigeria has become under this government by elders and leaders who have nothing at stake but the best interest of Nigeria, the Presidency resorted to crude attacks and motor park insults.

“To say that elders who have no material needs in their very old years are shedding ‘crocodile tears’ because a government that has been rated the most corrupt in this history has blocked their access to public funds is laughable as a ridiculous claim but sad because it reflects how petty and shallow the minds of those in charge of our affairs are.

“The response has confirmed the take of the leaders that Nigeria needs a dynamic and visionary leadership to take over from the current incompetent,insensitive and visionless bunch running the country to the edge of the precipice.

“We understand that the coming together of patriots from every corner of Nigeria to take a common stand against the misgovernance called government in our country has robbed this presidency of its desperate card of divide- and-rule of playing sections of the country against themselves.

“It is now clear that this government represents no section of Nigeria except the cabal of evil doers .
This achievement of oneness that is now driving the administration to extreme desperation is a good reason for the very senior citizens across Nigeria to ignore the vituperation of a sinking administration.

“The Northern and Southern Elders and Leaders deserve commendation for voluntarily brainstorming on the way out of the current stagnation has regrettably changed the true face of governance in today’s Nigeria.” - Daily Post

Power generation: Fashola replies DisCos, says Nigerians traumatised by your service

Babatunde Fashola, minister of power, works and housing, has reacted to claims by electricity distribution companies (DisCos) that he misled Nigerians on power generation capacity.

Sunday Oduntan, executive director, Association of Nigerian Electricity Distributors (ANED), the umbrella body of DisCos, had said the federal government lied about an improvement in power generation.

In a statement on Friday, Fashola said Nigerians can testify to the upswing in electricity in the past few years.

The minister said he does not recognise Oduntan or ANED, adding that if DisCos connect with consumers, they would realise that service delivery is poor.

The statement read in part: “Before fiction becomes fact for lack of a response, I feel obliged to respond to some, not all of the allegations credited to one Sunday Oduntan who presents himself as executive director, research and advocacy of the Association of Electricity Distributors (ANED), which he made in response to my directives to NERC (the regulator) and BPE/NBET as contracting parties to the DisCos.

“Throughout my press statement which contained the directives, I referred copiously to the provisions of the Electric Power Sector Reform Act (EPSRA) which is the law that regulates the power sector. I referred to DisCos in their capacities as licensees.

“Oduntan should tell members of the public if ANED is a licensee. He should tell the public whether he is an investor in a DisCo and in which DisCo he has invested and what he invested.

“He should tell members of the public that I walked him out of our monthly meeting because he has no capacity to attend and he was not invited. If ANED is not a licensee, who is ANED? An NGO? If so, they should listen to consumers because nothing is going on about poor service.

“However to suggest therefore that my directives were political, turns reality on its head; because for the past 20 months, in all my public briefings at monthly meetings with the DisCos, these same issues of service delivery of meters, estimated billings, investment in distribution equipment by DisCos have dominated my remarks.

“I do not recognise him because the law that guides my functions does not recognise him. His statement that no directives from me will save the power sector from collapse, is consistent with the views of someone who has no skin in the game.

“As for the allegation that figures of power generation and distribution released by me are not true, the taste of the pudding lies with those who eat it. Electricity consumers know what their experience was in 2015, 2016, 2017 and today.

“If the DisCos connect with their consumers, they will hear from them first-hand, how traumatised they feel about load shedding, absence of meters and estimated billing.” - CableNigeria