AON Raises Alarm on Unemployed Pilots, Others
The grand patron of Nigerian Professional Pilots (NPP) and Chairman, Airline Operators Of Nigeria (AON) Captain Nogie Meggison, has called on the Federal Government to put in a place a proactive policy that will address the estimated 500 Nigerian licensed pilots who are unemployed.
Meggison, who spoke in an interview in Lagos, said the number of unemployed pilots would increase further when the over 100 student pilots sent to Jordan by the Kano State Government graduate later this year.
This, he said, was in addition to the 52 youths trained under the Federal Government Amnesty Programme as well as the fresh batch of 100 graduating from the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology ( NCAT), and the 40 from the International Aviation College ( IAC), in Ilorin, Kwara State.
Meggison warned that such development was a disincentive to the growth and development of the Nigerian aviation industry.
According to him, over 400 Nigeria licensed aircraft engineers are also out of job, urging the Federal Government to put in place a policy that would ensure these aviation professionals are engaged by both operating in the country.indigenous and foreign carriers
He also canvassed a policy that would check the influx of foreign pilots and engineers into the country.
Meggison said there were over 1,000 foreign pilots and 500 foreign aircraft engineers engaged by both local and foreign registered airlines flying in Nigeria.
“The government should compel foreign carriers to set up a line station for aircraft maintenance in the country and employ local engineers to assist in turning around the growth of the sector.
“If policies are not put in place, the challenge of unemployment of pilots and engineers may not be resolved …It is shameful that Nigerian licensed pilots are now driving Kabukabu to make ends meet.”
Another way to generate jobs for indigenous professionals, he said, was the establishment of aircraft maintenance centres.
“About 2,000 skilled professional jobs can be created in the first year, while 5,000 skilled jobs could be created by the next three years easily.
There is no reason Nigeria, with her over 170 million estimated population should not be exporting skilled aviators to other parts of year world,” he declared.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has allayed fears over the mental fitness of pilots operating in the country.
The Deputy General Manager, Corporate Affairs of NCAA, Mr. Samuel Adurogboye, who disclosed this, said that the common cases the regulatory authority handle concerning pilots’ state of health were eye sight and heart issues and obesity.
Adurogboye said the authority always carried out medical tests on all pilots, foreign and local, every six months.
“I am not aware of any mental unfitness issue; but I know of issues of eye sight, obesity and heart, these are common among pilots here. The healthiest people on earth are the pilots because they are tested every six-months,’’ he said.
Adurogboye added that pilots who came into Nigeria to fly, no matter the country where they had their training, usually undergo the NCAA examination before they are given the NCAA licence to operate in Nigeria.
His words: “We will give you certain things to read like the syllabus and timetable to go and study, then after the agreed time, normally three months, you come and do exam. If you pass, we give you our own licence. The licence from here does not qualify you to fly in the USA or South Africa, likewise those from other countries do not qualify you to fly here.
