For uplifting the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos, to international standard, the Programme Chair of the world leading capacity building institute in the United States of America, Empowerment Plus Institute, EMPIN, Sheila Wall, has commended the Minister of Aviation, Stella Oduah.
Wall who expressed satisfaction over the turnaround at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos during her recent visit said ,
“I am impressed with what I saw at the Nigerian airport today, compared to what it was seven years ago when I led a team of scholars to Nigeria to facilitate a training on institutional capacity building course at Transcorp Hotel in Abuja. I was totally dismayed by the infrastructural deficit of Nigerian airports that we used.
“The then terminals exposed the disturbing level of neglected social infrastructure . The navigational facilities were deathtraps and one of my colleagues described the situation as an airspace safety catastrophe. This is a great milestone for the ministry of Aviation and her leadership. This is a complete turnaround. I hope the authorities will sustain this level of development in other key sectors of the economy.”
To attract favourable rating by the international community, she said Nigeria’s leadership must see the need for operational infrastructures as a roadmap to address developmental challenges.
Explaining why she was in Nigeria, she said “EMPIN had just concluded a one week training course in Cameroon on ‘Regulating and Monitoring Public-Private Partnership’. I came in from Cameroon in transit to Davos, Switzerland where I will be presenting a paper on ‘Entrepreneurial Techniques for Managing Government Organisations and State-Owned Enterprises’ at the World Economic Forum.
“Your Minister of Aviation and her team need to be commended for making a difference. This is a clear indication that Nigeria will get it right with capable hands on deck,” she added.
Wall urged the Nigerian media to promote the country, adding, “ It’s an essential obligation for you as journalists to be balanced, ethical and investigative in your reports. You have to report or write about good things recorded in your country, not only bad things. Some of these stories are relied upon by academicians, scholars, researchers and policymakers in presenting the key indicators or position of your country before the international community.”
