ABUJA (Federal Ministry of Aviation Report) –
The Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Aviation, Binta Bello has said that the establishment of a national carrier is a priority to the Nigerian Government. She said this recently while receiving the report of the committee set up on August 24th 2015 on the Establishment of a National Carrier.
Binta Bello assured the committee that their recommendations will be critically looked into by the Ministry which will make recommendations to the President for his considerations and approval for implementation. She espoused her appreciation the committee members’ commitment to the assignment, commending them for completing it within the given time.
The Chairman of the committee, Mohammed Abdulsalam said in his report that the committee consulted comprehensively with about 74 stakeholders ranging from airline operators to aviation agencies, service providers, financial consultants, institutional investors, aircraft and parts suppliers, former staff of Nigeria Airways Authority, maintenance repair organisation developers, aerodrome designers/builders and aviation staff unions, among others.
He added that the acceptance of the recommendations made by the committee by the authority will impact positively on the aviation industry in Nigeria and will translate into better service delivery and safer operations. Mohammed Abdulsalam indicated that apart from employing consultation strategies, the report also employed the system thinking paradigm as a pictorial analysis tool for understanding the inherent dynamics and complexities in the establishment of a national carrier.
The Committee Chairman concluded by appreciating the Ministry of Aviation for the opportunity given to them to carry out the important national assignment. Adding, committee was established with the following Terms of Reference: to review previous consultants’ submissions and recommendations on a National Carrier; to invite submissions from the Asset Management Corporation Of Nigeria (AMCON) on the debt profile of the domestic airlines; to consult widely with stakeholders on the establishment of a National Carrier; to review the report of the failure of Nigerian Airways and other private airlines; to consult with interested international partners on setting up a National Carrier on Public Private Partnership (PPP) basis; to develop the best optimum model for a National Carrier for Nigeria and to consider any other matters incidental to any of the above terms.