Achievements of Ms. Stella Oduah, Minister of Aviation according to IjeomaNwogwugwu For instance, the Murtala Muhammad International Airport (MMIA) is one of the 11 airports simultaneously being upgraded and transformed around the country under Oduah’s watch. The international airport, which had become an eyesore and an embarrassment under successive aviation ministers, is being overhauled to a more acceptable terminal that would make travelling a less painful experience for air passengers. Among the new features at MMIA is the expansion of the A and B wings, as well as the installation of six new conveyor belts, each of which can handle passengers’ luggage from large Boeing 747 aircraft in just 45 minutes, a massive improvement over the old two conveyor belt system that used to take almost two hours from arrival to luggage collection in the past. Other improvements include the increase in immigration counters from 16 to 40 to ease passenger flow and facilitation. There is also the total overhaul of the air conditioning system with the installation of new chillers. In addition, there are plans to rehabilitate and duplicate the MMIA avio bridges leading to and from the aircraft. Should the minister conclude this project, departing and arriving passengers would be separated, as is the case with other international airports. Security screening points and scanners will also be increased to improve passenger flow through screening points and improve passenger and airport safety. It is not just MMIA that has been given a face lift, the Benin, Kano and Enugu airports, as well as the General Aviation Terminals (GAT) in Lagos and Abuja have all been revamped to more acceptable standards while work on Owerri, Port Harcourt, Yola, Sokoto, Akure and Ilorin airports is still on going. In the area of safety, Oduah has keyed into the concerns of the public that airline operators and the regulatory agencies responsible for civil aviation have often compromised safety standards in Nigeria’s airspace. Accordingly, she has ordered that the rehabilitation work at the airports must include airfield lighting that would enable big carriers like Arik Air operate 24 hours a day. She has also continued where her predecessors left off by ensuring that the Total Radar Coverage of Nigeria (TRACON) project is completed while ensuring that radio communications between the pilots and air traffic control is upgraded through the use of satellite technology. A noteworthy aspect is the migration to area radar, which is a system that enables pilots to communicate directly with destination airports from take off. With its installation, it will reduce the flight time and enable airlines to save fuel. The cost of fueling an aircraft accounts for more than 30 per cent of airlines’ operating cost. Add to this, the minister’s vision to create the Nigerian Aerotropolis model, which she terms a strategic approach to developing an airport city at and immediately around an international airport, possibly Lagos, that will serve as the multimodal and multifunctional commercial nexus anchoring aviation-enabled trade in goods and services, and driving it throughout the aerotropolis and greater province. The aerotropolis model is not dissimilar to what exists at the Dubai International Airport, Hong Kong International Airport and London’s Heathrow Airport, with its five terminals and a sixth (Terminal 2) under construction. But for this gargantuan project to take off, it would require serious commitment, planning, massive local and international funding, and private sector involvement, to succeed. How the minister intends to market and commence the aerotropolis project is one area this columnist is keen on monitoring. Is it any wonder stakeholders in the industry are singing Oduah’s praise from here to the high heavens? Speaking on the minister’s stewardship recently, Mr. Sam Iwuajoku, Chairman/CEO Quits Aviation Centre, a business jet terminal in Lagos, believes the minister’s achievements in aviation in the last two years have been unrivaled. He told this newspaper in a recent interview: “Ms. Stella Oduah has achieved the seemingly impossible in just two years in office. It is amazing how she has been able to upgrade 50 per cent of the airports in the country in one fell swoop, improved the face of aviation and allowed room for entrepreneurship to flourish by encouraging investment in the sector.” He said without the minister’s determination to improve the aviation sector, Nigeria’s airports would still be in shambles. “In my mind, she has performed meritoriously. Against the odds, she has upgraded more than ten airports simultaneously, a major accomplishment never achieved by other ministers before her. In addition, she is focused on improving safety in aviation and through her fortitude and has created the enabling environment for existing aviation operators and new investors in the sector. “A key achievement is the removal of duties on imported aircraft spare parts and equipment, which will help to reduce cost in the sector. Another one is encouraging private sector investment which facilitated the construction of Quits Aviation Centre, which boasts an ultra modern hangar operated by Execujet Aviation Group and a state-of-the art terminal for business aircraft,” he added.
Posted on: Fri, 23 Aug 2013 16:27:05 +0000