Scrap aviation ministry to ensure development, ART boss tells FG
Chukwuemeke Iwelunmo
President, Aviation Roundtable Safety Initiative (ART), Elder Gbenga Olowo, has attributed the poor growth in the Ministry of Aviation to overbearing influence from government officials and politicians, calling for the scrapping of the ministry.
Olowo described it as a clog in the wheel of progress and a major setback in the aviation sector.
He, therefore, called for the Ministry to be scrapped and made a small department in the Ministry of Transport as it is done in other climes.
“Aviation ministry should be shut down, I don’t know if you agree with me, it has always been my struggle because Aviation Ministry to a very large extent they are a clog on the wheel, clog on the wheel of Aviation movement”.
Elder Olowo during his opening speech at the ART Quarterly Breakfast Meeting in Lagos with theme: “Safety Challenges in Air Navigation and Air Traffic Service Delivery”, said the ministry was a distraction to the heads of the various Agencies who seem not to be focused in doing their jobs due to their frequent visits/ summons to Abuja by the minister.
“If we don’t have Aviation Ministry and we have a small department in transport, they wouldn’t be putting too much burden on the practitioners in the sector, they can focus, the DG can focus on Aviation and the guy in Maritime would focus on Maritime and the guy on road would focus on road and the minister would have so much to handle, they would not be disturbing aviation people, that is my drive”.
Olowu explained that the aviation industry under state has failed to perform up to expectation hence the rot in the sector.
According to him, with separate ministries, things will move faster in the aviation sector.
Olowo said the aviation industry has suffered from lack of plans in the past, saying there is the challenge of planning into the future.
Olowo added: “Aviation has been subjected to junior minister. I would like to see that cancelled totally, we don’t want a minister. We want aviation the way it is done in other area under transport, very small ministry, so that our professionals can do their job.
NCAA would be empowered to do what he has to do, NAMA would do its priority, and FAAN would place their priority on what they need to do and not political influence around them all the time”.
