Friday, 28 September 2012
A LACK OF INTEGRITY - THE PROBLEM IN NIGERIAN AVIATION
By Michael O Banjo
Lately, different players in the Nigerian Aviation sector have traded blows on 'what is what' about the simple matter of how to fly paying customers from Point A to Point B in Nigeria. The tripartite bout included the airports infrastructure body, FAAN [Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria], the employees' union within FAAN and the dominant airline, Arik Air.
The direct fall-out of this conflcit was that Arik Air grounded its flights in protest at the invasion of its premises which included fully boarded aircraft by employees of FAAN who said they acting to request Airk Air to pay its debts - said to be 8 Billion Naira - by FAAN. Otherwise, their salaries would not be paid. The airline denied it owed that much to FAAN. FAAN denied it had anything to do with the action of its unionised employees. Arik Air played the victim-card, alleging political power-play and accused the Minister of Aviation of a witch-hunt after her alleged request for 5% of Arik's shareholding be given to her was refused.
This unglamorous exchange has led to questions about the nature of aviation in Nigeria. First of all, the important issue of funding of aviation assets and infrastructure. It is clear that the operations of FAAN are not robust enough to underpin the smooth running of airports in Nigeria. That FAAN employees have to invade the premises of a customer and force it to shut down its operations - effectively killing the goose laying the golden egg or cutting your nose to spite your face - is a sad reflection of the appalling state of employee engagement. That the leadership of FAAN was complicit or passive as this situation occurred is a serious indictment of the airports regulator.
But at the bottom of this recent episode in the parlous state of aviation in Nigeria is a lack of integrity at the heart of Big Business and Big Government. The allegation concerning unsavoury demand for shares by a serving Minister is a damaging one though it has been denied. However, as it with most things in Nigeria, there is no smoke without fire. An operator like Arik Air is a beautiful bride and worthy of courtship. And because there is so much known about underhand and insider deals by high government officials, most Nigerians will likely believe Arik Air.
If that is the case, the dedication of senior government officials is called into question. Because, if the head is rotten, what becomes of the body? Then it is obvious that operators who know the divided interests of senior officials will have little confidence in policy announcements that are usually a cloak for thieving of public funds. Some of these funds are actually hypothecated fees from operators like Arik Air. The fact that year in, year out, airlines and other aviation operators including ground services see scant improvement in the services FAAN provides is a major disincentive to paying the unreasonable fees.
Airlines are expensive to run anywhere. In Nigeria, it is doubly so as a result of a poor system for everything that needs state leadership
Now that the cloud of the recent conflict has cleared, we wait and see what happens next. Will there be a true commitment to airports renewal beyond the usual mantra of 'contracts announcement' and little change.
It is time that the stakeholders sat down and offer a genuine path to progress removed from personal interest.
And, by the way, in the spirit of Airport Reform, when is Aviation Minister Stella Oduah going to remove this eyesore at Murtala Muhammed International Airport?
Lately, different players in the Nigerian Aviation sector have traded blows on 'what is what' about the simple matter of how to fly paying customers from Point A to Point B in Nigeria. The tripartite bout included the airports infrastructure body, FAAN [Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria], the employees' union within FAAN and the dominant airline, Arik Air.
The direct fall-out of this conflcit was that Arik Air grounded its flights in protest at the invasion of its premises which included fully boarded aircraft by employees of FAAN who said they acting to request Airk Air to pay its debts - said to be 8 Billion Naira - by FAAN. Otherwise, their salaries would not be paid. The airline denied it owed that much to FAAN. FAAN denied it had anything to do with the action of its unionised employees. Arik Air played the victim-card, alleging political power-play and accused the Minister of Aviation of a witch-hunt after her alleged request for 5% of Arik's shareholding be given to her was refused.
This unglamorous exchange has led to questions about the nature of aviation in Nigeria. First of all, the important issue of funding of aviation assets and infrastructure. It is clear that the operations of FAAN are not robust enough to underpin the smooth running of airports in Nigeria. That FAAN employees have to invade the premises of a customer and force it to shut down its operations - effectively killing the goose laying the golden egg or cutting your nose to spite your face - is a sad reflection of the appalling state of employee engagement. That the leadership of FAAN was complicit or passive as this situation occurred is a serious indictment of the airports regulator.
But at the bottom of this recent episode in the parlous state of aviation in Nigeria is a lack of integrity at the heart of Big Business and Big Government. The allegation concerning unsavoury demand for shares by a serving Minister is a damaging one though it has been denied. However, as it with most things in Nigeria, there is no smoke without fire. An operator like Arik Air is a beautiful bride and worthy of courtship. And because there is so much known about underhand and insider deals by high government officials, most Nigerians will likely believe Arik Air.
If that is the case, the dedication of senior government officials is called into question. Because, if the head is rotten, what becomes of the body? Then it is obvious that operators who know the divided interests of senior officials will have little confidence in policy announcements that are usually a cloak for thieving of public funds. Some of these funds are actually hypothecated fees from operators like Arik Air. The fact that year in, year out, airlines and other aviation operators including ground services see scant improvement in the services FAAN provides is a major disincentive to paying the unreasonable fees.
Airlines are expensive to run anywhere. In Nigeria, it is doubly so as a result of a poor system for everything that needs state leadership
Now that the cloud of the recent conflict has cleared, we wait and see what happens next. Will there be a true commitment to airports renewal beyond the usual mantra of 'contracts announcement' and little change.
It is time that the stakeholders sat down and offer a genuine path to progress removed from personal interest.
And, by the way, in the spirit of Airport Reform, when is Aviation Minister Stella Oduah going to remove this eyesore at Murtala Muhammed International Airport?
Monday, 17 September 2012
Lagos BRT to link Ikorodu to Lagos Island
Just in case you never heard...
"Lagos, a city famous for its hours long traffic jams, will expand its bus rapid transit (BRT) system to the Ikorudu neighborhood, adding 15 new stations and a dedicated bus lane running parallel to an existing roadway. The expanded system is forecast to carry 160,000 passengers daily." [TheCityFix].In its determination to resolve the endemic gridlock that plagues the city, the Lagos state authorities have commenced work on the extension of the Lagos BRT from the fringes of Ojota to the satellite city of Ikorodu. Lat April, while I was in Lagos, I drove to Ikorodu on a Sunday. To say it was an ordeal is an understatement. The single carriage road leading to it from Ketu through the ancient riverine communities at Majidun was inadequate. Entering Ikorodu itself was a difficult challenge as all the traffic into the town and by-passing it to neighbour towns like Ejinrin towards Sagamu and Ijebu-Ode was funneled via roundabout at the approach. It felt like hitting a brick wall at slow speed.
As usual, the typical scene was one of urban chaos. There were buses and lorries vying for the limited space. The 'agberos' [young men hustling for passengers into commercial vehicles] were having a field day. The road space had become a parking bay or bus stand or else it was used for makeshift shops and temporary kiosks. The LASTMA [Lagos State Traffic Management Authority] were not having any success managing the horrendous traffic. In fact, the entrance was worse than the exit. Leaving Ikorodu by 5pm on this fateful Sunday, we ran into heavy traffic approaching the same roundabout. It was the only sane way out of Ikorodu. You could decide to turn off the road into the side streets and join the Lagos Road beyond the roundabout. But one long look at the state of the side streets as well as the way that the cars on them tilted this way and that told you not to risk it. In the end, it took nearly 90 minutes to pass the junction.
The thought on my mind was that the government had failed to extend its magic wand to other needful parts of the megapolis. I also believed that the current regime had a plan to fix. Hence, I was delighted to learn that the BRT will soon be running from Ikorodu to Lagos Island. What a blessing!
I am certain that the Ikorodu BRT extension will bring matchless benefit to that area and the whole of Lagos. It will relieve congestion and reduce pollution. It will have direct economic benefit by reducing the amount of money spent on daily commute to the Lagos islands by employees and other travellers. Such savings will provide additional disposable income that will fuel the local economy. Ikorodu will also become the probably the first town in Lagos to have fully integrated transport through its already well-known ferry services.
I congratulate the Lagos state government on this milestone and can't wait to take a ride from Ikorodu to Lagos Island on a very smart BRT service.
Well done, Lagos!
Saturday, 15 September 2012
LIGHT RAIL NIGERIA UPDATE: allAfrica.com: Nigeria: Shifting the Abuja Light Rail Goal Post
allAfrica.com: Nigeria: Shifting the Abuja Light Rail Goal Post
Now, we wait for progress on this important project.
Now, we wait for progress on this important project.
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