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?
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