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Tag: Minister of State for Aviation

  • FG to revisit national carrier project, says Sirika

    Sen. Hadi Sirika, the Minister of State for Aviation on Monday said that plans were underway by the Federal Government to revisit the national carrier project.

    The minister made this known while defending the ministry’s budget before the Senate Committee on Aviation in Abuja.

    He said that the ministry only suspended the project to put adequate measures in place, promising that the project would be delivered soon.

    He said the project, which was President Muhammadu Buhari’s brainchild would not be allowed to die.

    He expressed concern that despite being a huge aviation market, Nigeria could not boast of a national carrier.

    He said; “We have to suspend the earlier plans for the national carrier for strategic reasons. The move was not killed.

    ”Provisions have to be made to continue to fund activities of advisers and so on, to ensure that it is delivered.

    ”The carrier will be delivered within the life of this administration, this I can assure you.

    ”It is not forgotten by government. It will continue and we are doing everything we can to deliver it,” he said.

    The minister, however, stated that the carrier would not be funded solely by government.

    ”It is Public Private Partnership (PPP). The private sector will lead and deliver while the government will play its role.

    “Viability funding is also being addressed. After that, then the full business case which is the implementation stage. It is at that point that it will be advertised for people to come in and participate,” he said.

    He said that the process would be transparently done through local and international fora and media.

    He added that anybody who was interested in getting in information on funds spent and other processes was free to do so, stressing that the ministry would be willing to respond.

    The minister lamented that besides the huge revenue loss due to absence of a national carrier, Nigerians still pay exorbitantly to use air carriers belonging to other countries.

    According to him, one of the major ways to save Nigerians of exorbitant airfares is to have a national carrier.

    ”When I was in the House of Representatives in 2006, we did invite British Airways to discus and the answer we got was that they charge exorbitantly because Nigerians can afford it.

    “They charge these fees without corresponding challenge. It is very difficult for the ministry to tell entrepreneurs what they should charge.

    “This is the whole importance of having a national carrier. It is about competition. Nigerians are highly mobile people with very huge businesses. You find out that the first class and business class is always full,’’ he said.

    Read also: Sirika, 400 delegates for NUATE conference

    The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Aviation, Sen. Adamu Aliero, commended the minister for his efforts at repositioning the aviation sector.

    He, however, said that the sector was capable of generating huge revenue for the country if well positioned.

    He advised the minister to engage more often with critical stakeholders including the National Assembly for advice in carrying out his mandate.

    He further advised agencies under the ministry to be up and doing in securing the lives of Nigerians, who often use air transport as well as ensuring that they complied with international best practices.

  • Breaking: FG unveils name, livery for National Carrier 

    The Federal Government has unveiled the name and livery for the national carrier that would be launched at the end of this year.

    The name; ‘Nigeria Air’ was unveiled by the Minister of State for Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika at the Farnborough Airshow in the United Kingdom on Wednesday.

    The event had in attendance, stakeholders, aircraft manufacturers, prospective investors and Nigerian government delegation including the Permanent Secretary Federal Ministry of Transportation, Sabiu Zakari.

    Others who were in attendance include; Chairman, Senate Committee on Aviation Senator Adamu Aliero, and Chairperson, House Committee on Aviation, Hon. Nkeiruka Onyejeocha.

    Read Also:National Carrier: Sirika meets aircraft manufacturers investors in UK

    According to a statement by the Deputy Director, Media and Public Affairs of the ministry, James Odaudu, the government came up with the name after it engaged over 400,000 people on social media.

    Speaking after the unveiling, Sirika, said: “I am very pleased to tell you that we are finally on track to launching a new national flag carrier for our country: Nigeria Air.

    “We are all fully committed to fulfilling the campaign promise made by our President, Muhammadu Buhari in 2015.  We are aiming to launch Nigeria Air by the end of this year.

    “I want to personally thank our Transaction Advisers, led by AMG, and the special Task Force, who have worked diligently to achieve the results so far and overcome the challenges involved.

    “We obtained the Certificate of Compliance from the Nigerian Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) two weeks ago and can now go into the investor search. I am confident that we will have a well-run national flag carrier, a global player, compliant to international safety standards, one which has the customer at its heart.

    “We hope to establish an airline that communicates the essence of our beautiful country, an airline we can all be proud of”, he said.

    On how it came up with thr name and livery for the carrier, the minister said: “Following extensive market research, the branding of our new airline, Nigeria Air, demonstrates a true flag carrier of our nation, soaring through the skies in the shape of our nation’s eagle.”

    “The branding and naming of the new national carrier comes on the back of a social media campaign undertaken under the auspices of The Ministry of Transportation (Aviation) which invited Nigerian youth and students for their input and creativity to come up with a name for the new Nigerian flag carrier.

    “The Facebook page and websitenameyourairlinenigeria engaged over 400,000 people up until the deadline for submissions, which was on 25th June 2018.

    “In addition, detailed and extensive market research was commissioned by the Ministry of Transportation (Aviation), which involved focus groups across Nigeria and over 100 interviews with aviation stakeholders and professionals, politicians, Nigerian business owners, students and a broad spectrum of people across Nigeria.”

    He said the research concluded that Nigeria is a proud nation with diverse populace, a strong cultural heritage and a people that are hungry for a unifying national flag carrier.

    Sirika also said that the Nigerian Government will support the launch of the new flag carrier with viability gap funding, in a Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement to deliver a national flag carrier, guided by the international ICAO standards that will stand the IOSA audit from the start, and lead to a fast IATA membership for international operation.

    He assured Nigerians and the international community that government had learnt a lot of lessons from the experience of the defunct Nigeria Airways, and now determined not to repeat the mistakes that led to its demise.

    This, he said, informed the decision to take the Public Private Partnership (PPP) approach.

    The Minister also explained that the unveiling of the airline at the Farnborough International Airshow was cognisant of the fact that being the largest congregation of global aviation industry players, the event affords the best opportunity to market the airline to prospective investors and register it in the minds of all stakeholders ahead of its formal launch billed to take place in Abuja before the end of the year.

    He also the Ministry was also currently running an aviation road map that includes airport concessions, Aerotropolis, an aircraft Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) Center, agro allied terminals, the National Carrier and an aircraft leasing company.

  • FEC okays N192.9 billion for roads, bridges 

    The Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting on Wednesday approved N192.9 billion for roads and bridges in the country.

    This was disclosed by the Minister of State for Power, Works and Housing, Mustapha Shehuri, at the end of FEC meeting chaired by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    Shehuri was with the Minister of State for Aviation, Hadi Sirika, Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Okechukwu Enelamah and the Senior Special Assistant on Media and publicity, Garba Shehu.

    He said that FEC approved N5.9 billion for the construction of 16.7 kilometers Suleja-Chaaza-Banguru road and spur to Rafinsayin in Niger State.

    “It also provided for 15 meters of bridge construction,” he added.

    He went on “Another memo approved is the dualization of Ilorin-Jebba-Mokwa-Bokani road in Kwara and Niger states to CGC at the cost of N130 billion. The contract’s life span is 36 months.

    “The Council also approved construction of Ibi Bridge across River Benue connecting Taraba and Plateau states at the cost of N57 billion.” he stated

    Enelamah said that FEC also approved memo for effective implementation of project ‘Made in Nigeria’ for export.

    He said that it was aimed at developing world class export oriented special economic zones in the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria.

    “The plan is to begin the development of those economic zones across the six geopolitical zones as follows: Lagos, Katsina, Abia, Calabar, Kano.

    “In addition, the Council also approved pre-development work in develop of Green Field Special Economic Zone in Akwa  Ibom, Benue, Ebonyi, Edo, Gombe, Kwara, and Sokoto states with further roll out to other states in phase two.” he said

    He said that FEC approved payments to consultations totalling N2.655 billion for various projects that will be undertaken by different consultations that will lead to implementation of these zones.

    He added “This is for one set of consultants. The aggregate amount which includes another set is N3.172 billion for all the special economic zones

    “The total budget for developing these zones will be in excess N250 billion and it will include partners.This is going to be done through something called The Nigerian Special Economic Zones Company Limited, which is a public private partnership.

    “The Federal Government is going to own 20 percent of that company and AFRIEXIM bank is going to be a shareholder and other investors like the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority and other international investors. It is going to be developed in such a way that it will be world class. We are going to see rapid implementation now that council approval has been obtained,” he said.

    He said that his Ministry also got approvals for two specific things including strict compliance with the provisions of Executive Order 001 and that all Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to respond to complains within 72 hours timeline on government portal.

    On the Brookings report that Nigeria has already overtaken India as the country with the largest number of extreme poor in early 2018, Enelamah said “I think first, we need to understand when we get these reports that there are reports that are lagging in indicators which means, people are reporting on history. There are reports that are leading indicators which means that they are forward looking and of course, there reports that capture generally what you do which is current. They are actually dealing with what is current. So, when you get reports from Brooking institutes or all sorts of people, you need to look at the context.

    “Somebody may have written a report when we were in recession. Remember that if you are in a recession, what it means is that even though, your population is growing, people don’t stop procreating, your growth fact, which means that in theory depending on how they run those numbers, you will be going the other way.

    “There is absolutely no question that there an urgency to create employment in Nigeria. And it has to be a collective responsibility. What I can tell you, with certainty based on ones background in business and economics, is that if we complete the things on infrastructure and you implement these reports we are doing, that is what I mean by a leading indicator, poverty will go down.

    “There is no magic to it. But you have to do it first, you have put in the infrastructure, you have to implement the economic programme which is what will create the opportunities, they don’t drop from the sky. So, I think we should roll up our sleeves as a people and do the work because, if we don’t do it, our people continue to bear children obviously, they would get poorer.

    “So, I don’t think we should kill ourselves that poverty is something just happen. I think comes out of the urgent need we have as a country which is why we are focusing as a government to make sure that we create the enabling environment, the infrastructure that and the things that are required to create opportunities for our people and I believe that will happen in the process of time,” he said.

    Sirika said that Council approved N993 million to build simulator house for the point 373 simulator already procured in Zaria.

    According to him, the Council also noted the seasonal rain prediction report by NIMET towards giving accurate rainfall across the country.

    Garba Shehu disclosed that the Minister of Education got one approval for JAMB.

    He said “JAMB had run computer-based tests for people who seek admissions into universities in order to stop leakages and all that. They have started to set up their infrastructures for conducting those examinations.

    “Today, they requested for government to buy one of the Computer Based Test (CBT) organizations at N133 million including infrastructure and equipment.

    “The effort is that JAMB wants to take total control of all these examinations in order to avoid leakages,” he stated.

    He also disclosed that the Council approved N353 million for the procurement of 32 meter turntable ladder to fight fire up-to 12 floors in the FCT

     

  • Senate summons Sirika, others over air mishaps

    Senate summons Sirika, others over air mishaps

    The Senate Tuesday resolved to invite Minister of State for Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, to brief it on steps taken by his ministry to minimize air mishaps in the country.

    Apart from Sirika, who is mandated appear before the Senate in plenary, the upper chamber also invited heads of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) and every other relevant agency in the aviation industry to give a full briefing on the steps that have been taken to minimise human errors and avoid preventable air crashes.

    The resolution followed the adoption of a motion on “The need to minimize the possibility of Air Mishaps and Near Fatalities in Nigeria,” sponsored by Senator Gbenga Ashafa (Lagos East) and eight others.

    Ashafa in his lead debate prayed the Senate to observe that on the 20th of February, 2018 the story of a near fatal incident involving Dana Airlines with number 9J0363 hit the news waves.

    He noted that it was reported that the aircraft overshot the runway upon landing at the Port Harcourt Airport, on a flight from Abuja.

    He said that the incident was attributed to the wet surface of the runway

    Ashafa recalled that “just a few weeks before the afore stated event, there was also panic on Wednesday, 7th of February, 2018, when the emergency door of an aircraft conveying passengers to Abuja fell off upon landing at the Nnamdi Azikiwe, International Airport in Abuja.”

    The Lagos East lawmaker said that he is aware that while the said aircraft was cleared to return to service on the same day by the relevant authorities the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), “an experienced pilot interviewed was of the opinion that the aircraft might have experienced a component failure.”

    He noted that report quoted the pilot to have said “What happened is likely to be a component failure due to hand landing. It couldn’t have fallen off when the aircraft was airborne because the aircraft cabin is pressurised. It is very difficult for that to happen but it could fall off when the aircraft is on the ground”;

    He expressed concern that “these recent occurrences might be a sign of a sequence of human errors, caused by the failure of  officials and staff of the agencies saddled with the responsibility of guaranteeing safety to carry out their due diligence before issuing clearance for aircrafts to operate within the Nigerian airspace.”

    Ashafa further recalled with sadness that Nigeria has experienced a significant number of air catastrophes that cost the lives of hundreds of Nigerians, due to a range of causes including human and technical error.

    He said that a chronicle of air mishaps caused by human error as reported  an article titled: Human errors, dereliction of duty are major causes of plane crashes in Nigeria, stated as follows: ”Avoidable human errors and dereliction of duty by public officials working in the aviation sector have been major reasons for the loss of hundreds of lives in air crashes in Nigeria, reports by the Aviation Investigation Bureau (AIB) have shown.”

    The report, he said, stated further that:”Some of the human errors identified by AIB as causes of the plane crashes include non-lightening of runways and airfields, poorly constructed drainage culverts, inaccurate information by the control tower, lack of proper certification of radio operators and poor supervision of aircraft imported into the country.”

    He stated with concern that “it is against this backdrop that it has now become imperative to move with speed and  alacrity in order to ensure that all relevant agencies in the Aviation industry do their work with excellence and minimal human error in order to prevent avoidable loss of human lives.”

    All senators who contributed to the motion agreed that urgent steps should be taken to fix the aviation section in the interest of the flying public.

    Read Also: Senate seeks immediate end to NASU strike

  • FG approves upgrade of Benin Airport to Int’l standard

    FG approves upgrade of Benin Airport to Int’l standard

    The Minister of State for Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika, has said that the Federal Government has approved the upgrade of the Benin Airport to international standard with a cargo terminal.

    The minister disclosed this during his courtesy visit to the governor at the Government House in Benin City, Edo State, on Monday.

    Sirika said the approval was due to the fact the Benin Airport is one of the oldest airports in Nigeria and that the zone needs a standard international airport to serve its growing economic interests.

    He added that the airport will be fitted with necessary facilities within 12-months, as part of the plans to upgrade it to an international standard.

    He said that “Plans have been concluded to upgrade landing system with adequate radio equipment that will enable the Airport handle both day and night operations, even in adverse weather conditions.

    “There are plans to also extend the runway at the Benin Airport to enable it handle high volume of traffic with capacity to accommodate cargo planes.”

    Sirika further said, “Aviation connects businesses, trade, cultures, nations and people. With a standard airport in place, it becomes easy to achieve economic growth and development. We will work with Edo State Government to ensure that within the next 12 months, Benin Airport will become an International Standard Airport with all the necessary aviation equipment in place.”

    Governor Obaseki expressed appreciation to the Federal Government for the effort to make the Benin Airport an International Airport, noting, “This is the most astonishing news I have heard as a governor this year.”

    He said the federal government has shown commitment to support efforts to industrialise the state.

    According to him, “Our hope is that all the economic activities that will be generated from this critical investment will drive commence across the state and the country”.

    He said his administration has taken giant stride to establish Benin Industrial Park, Gelegele Sea Port and other laudable investments.

    “The effort this administration has made since assuming office is gradually paying off with the assurance coming from the Minister that in a couple of months, work will commence in Benin Airport to upgrade it to international standard,” Obaseki said.

    He added, “This administration is working hard to transform Edo State to an economic hub. What is missing is rail transport linking the state with other parts of the country. The upgrade of the Benin Airport to international standard will complement our strategic geographical location.”

  • FG okays N45 billion to clear Nigeria Airways workers’ backlog 

    FG okays N45 billion to clear Nigeria Airways workers’ backlog 

    The Federal Government has approved N45 billion to settle the outstanding payments owed the workers of the defunct Nigeria Airways.

    The Minister of State for Aviation, Hadi Sirika, briefed State House correspondents at the end of the FEC meeting chaired by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at the Presidential Villa.

    According to him, the Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, has been given directive on the payment to workers of the defunct Nigeria Airways

    The workers had staged protests against the over 20 years debt owed Nigeria Airways

    Details Later…

  • FG to deploy drones in aviation industry 

    FG to deploy drones in aviation industry 

    The Minister of State for Aviation, Hadi Sirika on Monday said that the Federal Government will explore the good uses of drones in the Nigeria aviation industry.

    He made the remark at the end of closed door meeting with Acting President Yemi Osinbajo at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    President of International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), Olumuyiwa Benard Aliyu, was part of the delegation that met the Acting President on Nigeria’s hosting of symposium on remotely piloted aircraft system.

    Sirika said “Nigeria is going to benefit immensely through this symposium. They have created awareness and we will use the outcome of the symposium to regulate more efficiently the use of unmanned air vehicles.

    “We are not going to over regulate but for sure we will regulate so that we will remain safe and secure and then make the industry much more efficient.

    “We will tap from the good uses of drones. We have seen during the symposium on how we can use drones to send blood samples, to rescue someone with heart attack or to deliver pizza or to take aerial photograph and so on.These are some of the benefits of unmanned vehicles

    “We hope that by regulating we will eliminate the dangers. For example if one unmanned vehicle is capable of carrying loads, you could think of them carrying a kilogram or two of bomb, with GPS and remotely piloted from a bedroom it can go and be dropped somewhere.

    “At this symposium we will share ideas and come up with solutions on the good uses of the drones and of course over the bad uses,” he said.

    On the Acting President’s response, he said “He has one himself and has flying drones himself, he is very much conscious and aware and he gave us the support and guidance that we need. He even warned that we should not over regulate so that we will not send people away.”

    Aliyu thanked the Acting President at Nigeria is hosting the symposium.

    He said that he was also in the Villa to express appreciation tothe government for the investment and support that is givento aviation development in Nigeria, which is supporting development of aviation in Africa and globally.

    He said “For Nigeria being a very responsible member of ICAO, I am also here to express the support that I still intend to continue to provide in this aviation development and to urge government to put aviation as the corner stone of the national development.”

     

  • Stranded Pilgrims: Minister’s absence stalls probe

    Stranded Pilgrims: Minister’s absence stalls probe

    Efforts of the Hon. Nkiruika Onyejeocha headed House of Representatives Committee on Aviation to unravel the circumstances that led to the inability of Ethiopian Airlines to return pilgrims of the 2017 HAJJ programme met a brick wall yesterday.

    The Minister of State for Aviation, Hadi Sirika, who was pivotal to the hearing was absent Monday, causing the committee to adjourn the investigation till 10 am Tuesday

    The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Aviation, Sabiu Zakari, who represented the Minister was told to convey the new date and time to the Minister

    The Director General of Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, Capt Muktar Usman and the representatives of Ethiopian Airlines present were told  to return today for the hearing proper.

    Recall that last week! the House of Representatives had mandated its committee on Aviation to invite the Minister of Aviation, Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and Ethiopian Airlines to appear before it and give reasons for the excessive delays in bringing back Nigerians stranded in Saudi Arabia

    The Green Chamber flayed the airline for the recent long delays and disrespectful behavior towards Nigerians and other nationals from Saudi Arabia to Nigeria by the Airlines and said flight delay compensation be paid to them according to global aviation rules.

    The resolution of the House was sequel to the adoption of the prayers of a motion by Hon. Zakari Mohammed on complaints against Ethiopian Airlines.

    The lawmaker while moving the motion noted that Ethiopian Airlines due to the backlog and delays, have left over one thousand Nigerians stranded in Jeddah for over one week with most running out of funds to survive.

    The House also resolved that Ethiopian Airlines should apologize through two national dailies, to the affected passengers.

    Speaking yesterday, the chairman of the committee, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha who read the House resolution to those present said the issue is serious and requires the presence of the Minister.

    “The resolution says we should invite the minister and now the minister is not here. I’ve discussed with the members of the committee and we have resolved that the meeting cannot move on because the minister is not here.

    “The permanent secretary should convey the decision to the minister that the meeting is serious because by Thursday we must revert back to the House. It’s not something we can decide without the authorities being here,” She said.

  • FG procures of arms for Aviation Security personnel 

    FG procures of arms for Aviation Security personnel 

    The Federal Government Friday disclosed that it has commenced the procurement of arms for Aviation Security (AVSEC) personnel.

    The Minister of State for Aviation, Hadi Sirika said this in Abuja during the graduation ceremony of 35 AVSEC personnel who underwent Counter Terrorism Training organised by the United Nations.

    The 35 graduands who are master trainers would train aviation security experts in two training centres that will be established in Lagos and Zaria.

    The training will afford them opportunity to deliver and sustain high standard of aviation security screening across Nigeria’s civil aviation infrastructure.

    On why they need to carry arms, the minister gave an instance where Turkish airline passengers took to the tarmac to protest their luggage that was left in Istanbul.

    On the carrying of arms by AVSEC personnel, Sirika said: “I wrote a memo to President Buhari and also informed members of the Council that I want to reorganise aviation security and make them arms bearing wing of Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).

    “The passengers took to the tarmac because we have a very weak and incapacitated Aviation security. AVSEC personnel’s mind and soul are strong enough but they have not been given the equipment that would support them to discharge their duties.

    “They will be civil, very harmless, they won’t interfere with any process, they would be at the background but they would be fully ready and alert to respond to any emergency at the airport.

    On the procurement of arms, Sirika said: “We have already commenced the process of procuring arms and we are putting structures in place.

    “You know it is not just about giving arms to personnel and it’s use, the personnel has to be selected, has to be the right person, he has to have the right psychology and he must master the arts and signs of use of weapons, he has to understand that he is a civil Force and learn to use arms at the right. It is not an easy thing but we will get it done”

    He also assured Nigerians, the UN, aviation communities and the world that the ministry would be alive to responsibilities.

    Speaking in a pre-recorded tape, the Director of the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Centre, Dr. Jehangir Khan said the training demonstrates the willingness and the continued effort of Nigeria to battle terrorism and protect the people of Nigeria.

    On the essence of the training, he said: “it is designed to improve aviation security at all airports throughout Nigeria, through a more efficient security screening process for all passengers, in accordance with the international standards required by the International Civil Aviation Authority (ICAO) and the European Union.

    “The project will contribute directly to the Nigerian Government’s overall counter-terrorism strategy by helping to mitigate the threat posed to civil aviation by terrorist organizations and their operatives.

    “It also contributes to the implementation of the United Nations Security Council resolution 2309 adopted on 22 September 2016, which calls on Member States to take all necessary efforts to improve and protect aviation security worldwide.”

  • Abuja Airport reopens for operation after six weeks

    Abuja Airport reopens for operation after six weeks

    After six weeks closure, the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja was on Tuesday reopened for operation.

    The Minister of State for Aviation, Hadi Sirika was said to be on board the test flight from Kaduna international airport which landed at the Abuja airport on Tuesday morning.

    Details later…