NAN-H-25
Aviation
By Solomon Asowata
Lagos, Sept. 28, 2016 (NAN) Leading aviation stakeholders on Wednesday said that a lack of integrity in transactions was the bane of the Nigerian aviation sector.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the stakeholders spoke at the First Aviation Transaction Integrity Summit, organised by a company, Aviation Monitor Ltd. in Lagos.
Speakers at the summit include Mr Muhtar Usman, Director General, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Mr Gbenga Olowo, President, Aviation Round Table and Mr Chris Aligbe, an aviation expert.
Others are Dr Harold Demuren, former Director General of the NCAA and Mr Kingsley Nwokoma, President of the Association of Foreign Airlines Representatives of Nigeria.
Usman described the theme of the summit as apt, especially with the Federal Government expressing its willingness to partner the private sector to make move the sector forward.
Represented by Mr Adamu Abdullahi, Director, Consumer Protection Department of the NCAA, Usman urged airline operators to take responsibility for their actions by becoming more transparent in their transactions with aviation agencies.
The director-general cited the non-remittance of five per cent Ticket, Cargo and Charter Sales Charges collected at source from travellers by airlines on behalf of the Federal Government.
“These sales charges are to enable all aviation agencies carry out their responsibilities of providing safe, secure and efficient regulatory services for the overall benefit of all aviation stakeholders.”
Also speaking, Demuren said that a lack of consistency in policy formulation and implementation had impacted negatively on attracting foreign direct investment to the country.
He noted that government must learn to abide by concession agreements, adding that previous experiences had led to unending court cases.
On his part, Aligbe argued that policy flip-flop had negative effect on investors, stressing that government should carry stakeholders along while enacting policies in the aviation sector.
“As we are heading towards the next programme of concessioning, we must put integrity and transparency first so as to avoid the pitfalls of the past.
“In my opinion, the way forward for our aviation sector is to concession the airports. That is the only way we can have world-class terminals and facilities but the concession processes must be transparent.”
Similarly, Nwokoma blamed the exit of some foreign airlines from Nigeria on the difficulties of doing business in the country.
He urged the Nigerian government to find an urgent solution to challenges facing airlines such as their inability to repatriate funds, scarcity of foreign exchange and aviation fuel.
The convener of the summit, Mr Albinus Chiedu, said his aim was to evaluate the level of integrity in business transactions, agreements and contract implementation in the industry.
“I believe that it is when we, as stakeholders, begin to address issues of transaction integrity that our aviation sector will experience our desired speedy growth and development.” (NAN)
ASO/SN
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(Controlled by Silas Nwoha)