Dana Air: Aviation chief cautions NASS against politicising industry
Continuing he said, “When you single one particular airline for audit, especially when such call is not coming from the professionals, you create fear on the minds of the public especially the airlines passengers. Incidence and accidents are associated with aviation business which of course nobody prays for, but when it occurs, the relevant agencies steps in to forestall a re-occurrance. But when you undermine the responsibility of these agencies of government and go ahead to give directive without proper consultations, the result of such order maybe counter productive.”
Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of AfriJet, Alhaji Mohammed Tukur, has cautioned the political class, particularly those in positions of government, against attempts to politicise the aviation industry.
Tukur, in a press release titled “State of Aviation Industry in Nigeria”, issued in Lagos and copy of which was made available to TheDEFENDER on Friday, was speaking against the backdrop of the call by Senators of the Federal Republic for audit of Dana Air due incidences associated with the airlines in recent times.
He said, while his message of caution should not be seen as holding briefs for Dana “since I know the grave implications as an industry person when safety standards are compromised,” the aviation chief said it was important to draw the attention of the Federal Government to the fact that aviation industry should not be politicised.
Mohammed Tukur said, “Airlines business all over the world and its regulations are the same and never have we heard that Law makers anywhere calls for audit of an airline even on the event of the worst crash like the Malaysian air disaster that happened four years ago. As an industry stake holder, my concern is that we should not at this time create unnecessary panic for ourselves more so now the economy is gradually picking up, coupled with the fact that the upcoming Airport Council International (ACI), Conference billed for next month in Nigeria is around the corner.”
Continuing he said, “When you single one particular airline for audit, especially when such call is not coming from the professionals, you create fear on the minds of the public especially the airlines passengers. Incidence and accidents are associated with aviation business which of course nobody prays for, but when it occurs, the relevant agencies steps in to forestall a re-occurrance. But when you undermine the responsibility of these agencies of government and go ahead to give directive without proper consultations, the result of such order maybe counter productive.”
Tukur, who is former Deputy Secretary-General, Airlines Operators in Nigeria (AON), told those trying to bypass due process in addressing the issue of Dana what to do saying, “The only way to avoid such situation is to allow the relevant government Agency, saddled with this responsibility to do its job, that way, panic will not be created in the system as we have it today.”
The press release stated in full:
“The purpose of this press conference is for me as an industry player to rub- minds with you, my friends who are equally the watch dog of the aviation industry. Having said that, I want to state that the recent calls by the Distinguished Senators of the Federal Republic of Nigeria that Dana Air in particular should be audited because of incidences associated with the airlines lately calls for reflection on the industry.
“While I am not making case for the airlines since I know the grave implications as an industry person when safety standards are compromised, it is important to draw the attention of the federal government that aviation industry should not be politicized.
“Airlines business all over the world and its regulations are the same and never have we heard that Law makers anywhere calls for audit of an airline even on the event of the worst crash like the Malaysian air disaster that happened four years ago. As an industry stake holder, my concern is that we should not at this time create unnecessary panic for ourselves more so now the economy is gradually picking up, coupled with the fact that the upcoming Airport Council International (ACI), Conference billed for next month in Nigeria is around the corner.
“When you single one particular airline for audit, especially when such call is not coming from the professionals, you create fear on the minds of the public especially the airlines passengers. Incidence and accidents are associated with aviation business which of course nobody prays for, but when it occurs, the relevant agencies steps in to forestall a re-occurrence. But when you undermine the responsibility of these agencies of government and go ahead to give directive without proper consultations, the result of such order maybe counter productive. The only way to avoid such situation is to allow the relevant government Agency, saddled with this responsibility to do its job, that way, panic will not be created in the system as we have it today.
“It is therefore important to remind us that the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) was created by civil aviation act of 2006 which gave it autonomy and power to regulate the activities of airlines in the country. And again, for the fact that we passed the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) audit ,and being a category one status nation means that, the system is working. I must at this point commend the effort of the Honorable minister of state for aviation, Captain Hadi Sirika. For all I know if it were in the past, this kind of call could have led to withdrawal of licenses of some airlines. That is why we clamor always that a core professional should be appointed in the aviation industry.
“Ladies and gentlemen of the press, audit of an airline should not be celebrated on the front pages of newspapers. What I rather think should be applauded is safety compliance of an airline, that way the industry grows. Audit of an airline to determine its serviceability is solely the work of the Regulatory Authority, which NCAA in our own clime represents. And again, the call for audit should apply to all airlines and not only Dana.
“It is on record without mentioning names that some airlines had had problems in the recent times and so those airlines too should go through the rigor of audit. Politicians should tell us when and how to audit the airlines. The call for Dana audit has not only sent bad signals in the system but has equally posited us as a people who are not really in tone with the dynamism in the aviation industry given the fact that the industry does not have local content. The right thing to say here is for NCAA as a regulatory body, agency of the government to continue to play its statutory role to avoid painting a particular airline in bad light by those who knows little about aviation regulation.
“Gentlemen of the press, when an airline closes shop, what follows is job loss and I think the story of Nigeria Airways Limited (NAL), is still fresh in our minds and am sure this government is not ready to be throwing people out of job. So we don’t need reactionary measures but instead corrective measures is what we need on all of our sectors including aviation’s industry,” Alhaji Mohammed Tukur said in the March 16th, 2018 press release personally signed by him.
