Category: Aviation

For the Ijaw Nation, the Bayelsa International Airport at Ammasoma is a big deal. They trooped out for the inaugural flight to the airport from Lagos. As the plane landed at about 3pm, they burst into singing and dancing. Beyond the fanfare is the unending debate of the viability of states’ airports. But Governor Seriake Dickson believes the airport has the potential of turning around his state’s economy. KELVIN OSA OKUNBOR reports.

Construction of airports by state governments is becoming the fad in Nigeria’s attempt at modernising its air transportation landscape.

However, this drive has not been without attendant controversies, which  have dogged such projects in states where they are built.

State governments that have constructed airports include: Akwa Ibom; Delta; Kebbi; Jigawa; Bauchi; Taraba and now, Bayelsa, which opened its terminal in Ammassoma, the heartland of Ijaw land last week.

The Bayelsa International Airport was delivered 23 years after the state was created. To many, it is long overdue, given the  hitches associated with flying in and out of the oil rich state.

Besides the cost of building such facilities, airports are critical as air transportation infrastructure continue to serve as catalysts to economic development; creates windows to attract investors; manufacturers; tourists and other players into the communities where they are located.

According to International Air Transport Association (IATA), airports as components of the aviation value chain enable free movement of people and goods around the globe.

IATA’s statistics revealed that the  global airline industry transported over four billion passengers and over 60million tonnes of cargo through airports.

To underscore airports’ relevance, IATA said the aviation sector as one of the biggest drivers of global economy supports nearly 63 million jobs in addition to creating over $2.7 trillion to the gross domestic product (GDP) of countries across the globe.

IATA’s Chief Executive Officer and Director-General, Alexander De Juniac, said airports  in particular have long been recognised as key contributors to the region they are positioned, supporting a flurry of direct and indirect jobs, including tourism, trade and business.

He said: ”From delivering life-saving medicine to your family member to bringing the performers at an awe-inspiring concert, aviation helps people live better lives and is a catalyst for prosperity. It plays a unique role in connecting business to markets, uniting family and friends, discovering new cultures and lands, bringing people together to solve problems as well as building understanding and developing global insights.

“Airports as component of that value chain , besides  creating  jobs and revenue, serves as a window to stimulate manufacturing, tourism and allied activities.

“From island nations to landlocked regions and everywhere in between, air connectivity opens the doors to tourism, business, cultural exchange and a host of other opportunities. As a link to the world and its markets, efficient aviation infrastructure is vital for a successfully economy.”

Building an airport in Bayelsa State 23 years after the state was created and efforts at delivering it were fraught with hitches.

According to Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa, previous administrations spoke of plans to build an airport in the state, but the project could not see the light of day, adding that a few years ago the state set up a committee to drive the project.

The desire to build an airport in the state according to Dickson, came on the heels of Federal Government’s failure to keep its promise of delivering an airport, which it said would be handled by the China Civil Engineering Construction Company  (CCECC).

The governor said after waiting in vain for the contractor to deliver the terminal, it became evident that the state had to act swiftly by awarding the construction to a reputable firm.

According to the governor, within a few years a world class facility was delivered, resulting in flight operations by a local airline, Air Peace, into the airport last week.

Governor Dickson described the airport as one of the best in the country, noting that it would serve as a free trade zone not only for the Niger Delta, but for the Gulf of Guinea, adding that the airport was executed in fulfillment of his promise of bringing the world to Bayelsa and vice versa.

“We conceived this airport the very first time we took office and in my inaugural address, I said we were not going to play politics with the development of the state and Ijaw national interest. This is what I had in mind. This airport has a 3.5 kilometres runway, there is no airplane that cannot land here, whatever we are doing, we are not doing it just for the moment, we are doing it for the future,” Dickson  said.

He continued:  “This project that you see has not cost us more than N60billion. What you see here is of international standard. There is no Federal Government’s contribution to the airport. The Federal Government said they were going to sand-fill, but they did not do it. They said they would construct the terminal building, we waited and waited, they didn’t build it. In January last year, we had to award the contract for the construction of the terminal building.”

Congratulating the people of the state on the great achievement, he berated the Federal Government for reneging on its promise to construct the terminal building.

He also took a swipe at critics of the project, particularly the Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri for “spreading falsehood” about the project.

The governor, who put the cost of the airport project at about N60 billion, expressed gratitude to the contractor, Dantata and Sawoe and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, (FAAN) for building the airport to meet international standards. He added that the project was built without any input from the Federal Government or the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

The airport, he said, was built to improve the economy of the state, adding that it would soon be fully inaugurated for both local and international flights.

He debunked the report that the state spent between N120billion and N150 billion on the project, saying it was not true. He added that the facility would be able to accommodate big aircraft like the Boeing B777 and B747.

 

Air Peace involvement

 in the project

To drive commercial activities at the airport, Bayelsa State Government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding ( MoU) with Air Peace to provide flight services into the airport.

Speaking at the commencement of flights into the airport, the  airline’s Chief Operating Officer (COO), Mrs Oluwatoyin  Olajide described the airport as a new dawn for the people of Bayelsa State, adding that the airport would be a vehicle for the industrial and economic development of the state.

“Air Peace is an airline of many firsts. We are indeed, honoured and delighted to make another history as the first commercial airline to operate into the Bayelsa Airport. We commend Governor Dickson for this great project aimed at opening Bayelsa up for rapid industrial and economic development.

“Since we commenced commercial flight over four years ago, Air Peace has greatly contributed to the development of cities and states we operate into. We have no doubt that the Bayelsa International Airport will provide us an opportunity to support the efforts of Bayelsa government to develop the state. It is indeed a new dawn for the people and residents of Bayelsa,” she said.

She, therefore, urged the flying public and the business community to take advantage of the wonderful facility to break new grounds for their businesses and leisure interests.

Chairman of the state Traditional

Rulers’ Council, King Alfred Diete Spiff, said the terminal has prepared the ground for indigenes of Bayelsa to grow agricultural produce in commercial quantity for export. In his goodwill message,  King Diette Spiff expressed delight over the project, noting that the airport  would promote tourism, export and industrial development.

He said the indigenes can now earn foreign exchange by exporting produce to anywhere in the world.

 

Other stakeholders comment

Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mr. Daniel Iworisoma, said the airport would create over 2,000 direct and indirect jobs for indigenes of the state.

He described the airport as a Valentine’s Day gift to the people of Bayelsa State, stressing that the airport was built strictly for business, especially the oil and gas industry and without any political undertone.

“We must put politics aside for us to have development. This is the first airport in Bayelsa State to help develop the economy. This airport will serve as a hub for the petroleum industry, but we want to also look away from oil and gas and look at other revenue sources. So, this is a legacy project,” he said.

The Senator representing Bayelsa East, Ben Bruce, also said the airport would ease movement for indigenes of the state and boost trade and commerce.

 

Aviation authorities’ verdict

Representative of the Managing Director of the FAAN, Mr. Clifford Omozeghian, said the body had already deployed critical personnel to man aviation security, the fire-fighting equipment and rescue operations at the facility.

The Airport Manager, Mrs Elizabeth Daitere, said the airport would operate day time flights for now, adding that all safety infrastructure was in place for commercial and cargo flight operations.

She said commercial flight operations would soon commence for Bayelsa-Lagos-Bayelsa and Bayelsa-Abuja.

 

 

Virgin Atlantic Airways (VAA), has announced its commencement of flights between London Heathrow and Tel Aviv, Israel. The inaugural flight is scheduled for September 25.

According to the airline, the five- hour daily flight between London Heathrow and Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport will operate on an Airbus A330-300 aircraft. The  new service will offer seamless connections and a consistent long haul onboard experience for those customers connecting from Tel Aviv seamlessly via London Heathrow to destinations throughout North America across both the Virgin Atlantic and Delta networks including New York, Seattle, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

According to the airline’s Chief Executive Officer, Shai Weiss, the current year marks the start of a new phase of growth for Virgin Atlantic as it works to achieve her ambition to become the most loved travel company.Tel Aviv, Weiss said, represents a fantastic opportunity for the airline, considering that Israel’s economy is booming. Besides, as one of the world’s leading technology hubs, VAA, he revealed, anticipates many business travellers and entrepreneurs flying between Tel Aviv and the UK.

“I’m also thrilled to introduce this new destination to our leisure customers and I know it’s somewhere they’ll love to visit’’.

Renowned for its cultural sites and with UNESCO recognised architecture, Tel Aviv also boasts beautiful beaches, a buzzing artistic and nightlife scene, incredible food and is a great base to explore the tourist destinations of the region including the iconic historical city of Jerusalem, Nazareth, and the Dead Sea,” Weiss said.

The standard bearer of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Saturday’s presidential election, President Muhammadu Buhari, has predicted his victory ahead of the contest.

He made a similar prediction in 2015, which eventually came to pass. Some Nigerians believe that the president is on the verge of winning again, given his soaring popularity and performance.

A political analyst, Dr Baba Aliyu, said the president was right to say he would win, because there was no credible opposition that can match his personality and integrity. Aliyu said the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is in disarray. He said other aspirants who contested for the ticket with Atiku Abubakar who eventually won the primary have not supported his bid.

Aliyu said: “The likes of Rabiu Kwankwaso, Sule Lamido, David Mark, Ahmed Makarfi, Aminu Tambuwal and others have distanced themselves from Atiku’s campaign. The opposition party is weak; there is no unity of purpose among the leaders. It shows that they are not pleased with the emergence of Atiku as the PDP flag bearer.

“I could remember that Makarfi warned his party (PDP) not to give the presidential ticket to the highest bidder. He said the party should present a candidate whose integrity could match that of President Buhari, because the president is still very popular in the north. Makarfi warned that if the moneybag emerged as the presidential candidate, the PDP should just forget 2019 presidential election.”

Aliyu observed that all the 24 states controlled by the APC have adopted Buhari as their presidential candidate. He said: “Even in states like Ogun, Imo and Zamfara, where there are intra-party crises over governorship primaries, they have pledged to work for Buhari’s victory. In states controlled by the opposition parties, some of them are working for Buhari. He will improve on his performance this year in the Southsouth and Southeast, where he scored about five per cent in 2015.”

Civil right activist, Comrade Moshood Erubami, agrees with Aiyu.  He said the absence of a credible opposition is an added advantage that that will make Buhari win the other parties hands down and make them to lose their deposits.

The President of Nigeria Voters Assembly (VOTASS), a civil society group, said there two kinds of opposition parties presently. He added: “There is the PDP, which remains its own problem; its past has been blotted by its antecedent of robbery and empting of the treasury, clueless sense of good governance. The leadership of the party is bereft of character that can convince Nigerians to vote for the PDP to win again in the next elections.

“There are some of them in the legislature that are marking their last sojourn in the parliament. Some will contest their elections in detention for their offences against the state. Some will not come back to continue their leadership position in the 9th National Assembly. All these will add up to make it easy for the president to win and run good government in the coming dispensation.”

On Buhari’s achievements, Erubami said the government has now shown leadership in the construction of roads and railway lines. He said there were verifiable achievements that cannot be denied, which will win him election in 2019. He listed some of the road projects as follows: Enugu-Port Harcourt expressway; Yola–Hong-Mubi road; Umuahia-Ikot-Ikpene road; the construction of the second Niger Bridge; Bauchi-Azare road; Kano-Jigawa-Maiduguri expressway; dualisation of Yenegoa road junction-Kolo-Ituake in Bayelsa and the rehabilitation of Alesi-Ugeb road in Cross River State.

Others are the rehabilitation and expansion of Lagos-Ibadan highway; the rehabilitation of access road to Apapa/Tincan port; the reconstruction of Nasarawa-Loko-Alushi road; the emergency repairs of collapsed Tatabe bridge, along Mokwa-Tegina road in Niger State; the reconstruction of Benin-Ofusu-Ore-Ajebandele-Sagamu expressway; the rehabilitation of Gbogan/Kwara State border road; the construction of Pankshin-Tapshin-Gambar-Sarka-Kal-Gindiri road in Plateau State; the Bodo-Bonny road with bridges in Rivers State and Kaduna eastern bypass.

They also include construction of Nnewi-Uduma-Uburu road in Ebonyi;  the construction of Lokoja-Benin expressway;  the rehabilitation of Enugu-Onitsha dual carriageway; the construction of Efon Alaaye-Erinmo-Iwara road in Ekiti; the reconstruction of Gombe-Numan-Yola road; the construction of Ikot Ikpene border-Aba-Owerri dual carriage way; the construction of Tsakuwaran-Galambi road in Jigawa; the repairs of Kaduna-Abuja express road; the dualisation of Kano-Katsina road; the rehabilitation of Zaria-Gusau-Birni Kebbi road; the reconstruction of Sokoto/Tambuwal/Jega/Kantagora/Makera road and the rehabilitation of Ilorin-Jebba-Mokwa- Birni Gwari road.

For the rail project, he said the Buhari administration has completed Kaduna-Abuja rail line started by the PDP government and that the Warri-Aladja rail line has also been completed and being test-run, while the Lagos-Ibadan rail will be ready for commissioning next month.

Erubami added: “In the areas of agriculture, the following commodities are now being produced locally in an attempt to diversify the economy: rice, maize, cassava, soya bean, wheat, fish and poultry products. In power sector, the government is already excelling in the building of Mambila hydro electric power plant located in Taraba State, Northeast zone. On completion, it will generate 3050 megawatts to make up for the targeted over 10,000mw.”

A social scientist, Dr Abubakar Alkali, said a poll research conducted by his firm on 2019 elections has shown that President Buhari is in pole position to win the election. He explained thus:  “In terms of popular votes, the APC seems to have an edge in the big two- Lagos and Kano states controlled by APC. The total number of registered voters for Kano and Lagos is 12, 028, 038 which is 14 per cent of the total number of registered voters. This says a lot about the likely outcome of the election in terms of popular votes.

“APC is certain to win the popular votes and in a good position to satisfy the constitutional requirement of 25 per cent in at least two-thirds of the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). It is likely that APC would satisfy this requirement.”

He said the projected total votes for President Buhari is 30 million votes (71.4 per cent) as against the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar’s 12 million (28.5  per cent).  On state by state analysis, he said the president is likely to win in 26 states namely, Lagos, Kano, Sokoto, Kaduna, Katsina, Jigawa, Kebbi, Zamfara, Adamawa, Bauchi, Gombe, Borno, Yobe, Niger, Edo, Akwa Ibom, FCT, Ondo, Oyo, Ogun, Ekiti, Nassarawa,  Kwara, Plateau and Osun.

“Our projected he Federal Government has begun a review of security arrangements at its airports nationwide.

The review, The Nation learnt, is part of efforts to enchance security  there and meet up the recommended practices of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).

In an interview,  Director of Security Services (DSS), Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Usman Sadiq, said the authority had created a template for qualification and issuance of On Duty Cards (ODC) to operators and others with business around airports .

He said FAAN was  worried that without such template, unauthorised activities could be triggered by the wrong people to have access to the airports.

FAAN, he said,  had set  rules for issuance of over 15,000 ODC to personnel of airlines, concessionaires and others to guard against  breach of security at the airports.

Those to be issued the cards must appear in person during the biometric capture, Sadiq said.

“We have been alerted with the challenges for quite a long time and that was why we have made a move by changing the On-Duty-Cards (ODCs) to the ones that have latest security features and not easy to penetrate. Prior to that, we were having over 15, 000, some had no business even in obtaining the ODC. Like the name implies, on-duty, it is supposed to be for those who are on duty, but you find out that some get the on duty cards even to where they are not supposed to be.

“We are aware of the ex-workers with the ODCs, but gradually, we are retrieving them and with present ODC card and machine, you must appear in person to be profiled. We are also doing this with the collaboration of the police and we try as much as possible to limit those who are issued the cards.

‘’My first directive when I resumed office was that directors should not be given ODCs because as a director, you inform the management here before you come so that people will be aware of where you are going.

“Airport is not a place where you should not be guarded, you need to be guarded. Even the ICAO, Federal Aviation Administration  and others that come for inspections, they are guarded. So, we have reduced that drastically. If you don’t have a need for it, you don’t get it. I think gradually we shall get there.”

He said despite paucity of funds, FAAN will continue to design capacity development programmes for its aviation security personnel to keep them current with global realities.

Sadiq regrets that some personnel, even after spending 34 years in service, have not even done standard training programme in three phases  until last December. He, however, assured that this year, everyone would have the basic  training programme, including refresher and supervisory trainings.

On the number of aviation security personnel  that will undergo the programme , he said :” The intention is for everybody to be trained. At the moment, we are 1,800 personnel and by the middle of this year, we hope to grow to 2,500 personnel because we requested for more numbers. Those ones too must be trained. We have that too online. We also requested for master trainers.”

On efforts to improve security at airports, Sadiq said FAAN will continue to review its operational strategies to meet up with global standards.

He said:” One thing about security is that challenges are dynamic. We keep on building and restrategising things in order to tackle some of those problems. Some, we have to be proactive. We have been able to add value and ensure accountability. The authority is doing well in that area and so much that have been budgeted in that aspect also. Once the budget is passed, I believe we will see more improvements,” he explained.

Sadiq said FAAN will ensure that it retains the certification of the Lagos International by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).

He said: ”One good thing about certification is that it is not only one aspect, it is not just aviation security  operations that must be ready , but others. All hands must be on deck. One thing is that it is easy for an airport to be certified, but to sustain it, requires a lot of work’’.

On the need to improve infrastructure at the Lagos Airport, Sadiq revealed that efforts were on to fix some of the deficiencies identified by Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo when he paid an assessment tour of facilities last year. He had observed some gaps in the system, which the management of FAAN has been working on.

“There are some that cannot be handled with people inside the building because of the structures,  but we are hopeful that in the near  future when we move to the new terminal, we would address them,” he said.

results indicate that President Buhari of APC will win the 2019 presidential elections with 30 million votes or 71.4 per cent while Atiku Abubakar will score 12 million votes, he concluded.

Similarly, a public affairs commentator, Simeon Kolawole had given five reasons why  Buhari would win the 2019 presidential race. He said when you look at the numbers of the registered voters, you would realise that the APC strongholds of Southwest and North have the highest number of registered voters. The Southeast and South-South where anti-Buhari sentiments are strong are still playing catch-up. If the North and Southwest settle for Buhari again, then Buhari will win.

He said: “The PDP has become a joke since it lost power at the centre in 2015. The party as it is presently constituted is still the strongest opposition platform. But, its brand image is not sparkling. After overcoming the internal imbroglio that nearly decimated it, the PDP is now perceived as the property of one or two governors.”

Kolawale said Buhari is still much loved on the streets of the north. Everywhere Buhari has visited in the North has been the same story. Surging crowds chanting ‘Sai Baba and delving into a frenzy each time the president puts that legendary fist up. For all his faults, Buhari remains a huge factor in the politics of the North.

He said the continued defection to APC is a major factor that will favour Buhari’s re-election bid.  He explained, “The APC currently has 24 states in its kitty. Juxtapose that the PDP’s 11 and APGA’s one? When the PDP ceded plenty of grounds to the APC in 2015, most of its members began to empty into APC. The mass defection continues at a frenetic pace till today. Don’t be surprised if the APC sweeps more states in 2019, because PDP members are daily emptying into the governing party in droves. We may just end up with a mono party democracy in 2019 and that would be bad for everyone.

Kolawole said the perception of Buhari’s fight against corruption has won him public support. He said: “Nigerians who actually possess Permanent Voter’s Cards (PVCs) may just hand Buhari another term because he is not a thief. These Nigerians have also been told that the thieves are the ones frustrating Buhari and who want to stop him from getting another term. Barring a miracle, it will be Sai Baba till 2023 and there will be just enough humble pies to go round, he concluded.

It appears President Buhari has made an in-road into Niger Delta given the declaration of the youths to support his second term bid. For instance, the Ijaw youths had assured the President of their votes in the forthcoming general elections. The youths under the aegis of Ijaw Youths Council (IYC) Worldwide insisted Buhari deserves a second term. They said they were excited by Buhari’s plans to allocate oil blocks to Niger Delta oil –producing states to facilitate development in the region.

The group spokesman, Daniel Dasimaka, said the only way they could reciprocate the Buhari’s good intentions through his programmes and projects in the region is to reward him with a second term. He said: “Buhari won our admirations when he resisted pressure mounted on him by haters of the region to scrap amnesty programme in 2015. Besides, he deserves a second term to enable him consolidate his agenda in the region.