Stakeholders in the Nigerian aviation industry have tasked Hadi Sirika, the new minister of state for aviation, to focus on the construction of national hangar, training of qualified personnel and evolve workable policies for the country’s aviation industry.
The stakeholders said that Sirika was coming in at a time the industry was faced with challenges, but assured that as a professional in the sector, he should be able to tackle the challenges headlong.
Speaking with BusinessDay Wednesday at the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA), Lagos, Samuel Adewunmi, a former pilot with the defunct national carrier, Nigeria Airways, said he expected Sirika to bring the country’s aviation industry to international practices and standards.
He said despite over 90 years of aviation in Nigeria, the country could still not carry out Check D maintenance on aircraft, stressing that it was one of the major ways of encouraging capital flights outside the country.
He hinted that as a result of bad policies and inconsistent appointments in the sector, other African countries like South Africa, Ethiopia and Kenya had overtaken Nigeria in aviation industry, and also urged him to empower the sector in the area of engineering.
Also, Dele Ore, the immediate past president of Aviation Round Table (ART), said the scrapping of Ministry of Aviation was victory to good governance, reasoning and truth.
Ore noted that ART had over the years clamoured for the scrapping of Ministry of Aviation, stressing that the sector was now in line with the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), recommended practices and standards.
He insisted that the appointment of Sirika was a big departure from the previous appointments as those hitherto sent to the sector had little or no knowledge about the industry.
Also, Sheri Kyari, a former engineered with the Nigerian Airways, urged the new minister to ensure infrastructural development, security and safety of critical equipment for the sector to operate to its full capacity.
He also wants him to focus on the re-establishment of a national carrier for Nigeria as desired by the government, adding that type training for personnel in the sector would also go a long way in boosting employment opportunities for Nigeria.
