ABUJA—Aviation Sector Nigeria hosts International
Civil Aviation Organisation, ICAO, President Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday, said
he was under serious pressure from Nigerians to establish a national airline.
Buhari also reiterated the determination of his
administration to speed up the improvement of aviation infrastructure in the
country for the benefit of the country’s economic development.
The president spoke as Minister of State for
Aviation, Hadi Sirika, said the country would benefit greatly from investment
inflow after the meeting, which started,
yesterday, in Abuja. Speaking while
receiving the President of ICAO, Muyiwa Aliu, at State House, Abuja, yesterday,
Buhari told his guests that he was under tremendous pressure from many
patriotic Nigerians to establish a national carrier.
“I equally
support a national airline for both patriotic and economic reasons. We have
enough trained citizens, including pilots and engineers. But Nigerians need to
know how we lost the one we had before,” he said, referring to the defunct
Nigeria Airways. Buhari declared his total support and commitment to work with
regulatory agencies in the aviation sector to make air travel safer throughout
the country.
According to a statement by the Senior Special
Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, the President,
who received three awards recently won by Nigeria from ICAO, expressed delight
with the high ranking accorded Nigeria in safety and security at the nation’s
airports, following measures put in place to address gaps in airport security.
The statement further stated that Minister of State,
Aviation, Hadi Sirika, who led the ICAO delegation, informed President Buhari
that the Nigeria was hosting the meeting of International World Aviation Forum
in Abuja, adding that it was the first time such a conference would hold
anywhere outside Montreal, Canada.
He said over
40 aviation ministers and representatives from 70 countries, World Bank,
African Development Bank, manufacturers of aircraft and aviation equipment will
attend this year’s conference focusing on “Financing Development of Aviation
Infrastructure.”
In an interview with the State House correspondents
after the closed-door meeting with President Buhari, Sirika, said: “The purpose
of this forum is to connect needs and sources of financing for member states.
“Nigeria will not be left behind.
There is World Bank, Boeing, Airbus, African
Development Bank, and so on. Nigeria will not sit by. We will take advantage of
the opportunity to close some deals if we can or at least agree to something
and sign some Memorandum of Understanding regarding not only the national carrier
but financing of others infrastructural needs of the country.”
“This is very important to us and we are grateful to
ICAO for agreeing to host the forum in Nigeria. We will make sure we make,
progress before we depart. “We have been working since we came,
Aviation is beyond robust airport or carrier, there
is a lot more. What is more important show safe you take off from one point and
land safely on the other point. “The Civil Aviation Centre Zaria is now called
Nigeria Aviation College of Technology, has become regional, center of
excellence, one of the best in the world, not more than 20 of their kind around
the world.
This is a plus for this administration that we took
it there. “For the first time ever Nigeria has certified two of its airports:
Abuja and Lagos according to the standards and the recommended practices of
International Civil Aviation Organisation. For me this is a great achievement.”
Also speaking on the benefits Nigeria will derive from hosting the meeting,
President of
ICAO Council, Dr. Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu, said: “Nigeria will benefit in
terms of infrastructure development and the fact that you have the heads of
IATA, which is an association of airlines transit international, the Civil Air
Navigation Services Association, manufactures like Boeing and of course
financing institutions- the World Bank.
“There will
be an inflow of private sector investment in the sector not only for airport
infrastructure but air navigation as well as capacity building. So, there are
significant benefits Nigeria will reap from the event. It will help Aviation
develop more rapidly because it is so important for social economic integration
not only of nigeria but in the African region.
“Aviation is a catalyst for social economic
development and there is a lot of benefits to derive downstream from aviation.”
The Secretary General of the African Civil Aviation Commission, Iyabo Shoshina,
said the country could use aviation as catalyst for growth. She stated that
countries like Ghana, Togo, Rwanda, and Ethiopia are using aviation to develop
their economy.
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