The Federal Executive Council (FEC), yesterday approved a new national civil aviation policy that will see all private jet owners in the country paying higher charges in accordance with international best practices. Minister of Aviation, Princess Stella Oduah who briefed State House Correspondents alongside her colleagues, the Minister of Information, Labaran Maku, Transport, Idris Umar, Minister of State Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Jumoke Akinjide, after the weekly FEC meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja said the existing aviation policy which was last revised 11 years ago did not provide for strict enforcement of payment of charges by private jet operators.
She said the private jet operators were not paying what they should pay. According to her, “the question is not of taking advantages, it is a question of doing the right thing. Are they paying what they are supposed to pay? The response is no, they are not. But we want to make sure that they do pay what they are supposed to pay. “These are part of the what the policy is addressing. We want to make sure that private jets are private jets and commercial jets are commercial jets and each will operate within the boxes they are meant to operate. So we don’t want to overcharge anyone, we dont to undercharge we want to do what is global standards”.
The policy she noted also addresses issues pertaining to the rights of passengers and owners of aircrafts, while spelling out clear guidelines on general aviation. The new policy has captures enforcement of rules to enhance standards. With the revised policy, the Accident Investigation Bureau AIB, would now ensure that its responsibilities go beyond investigation of accidents but implementation of outcomes and findings. Oduah said, “You must all agree with me that since then several things have taken place.
The security situation has changed and so the challenge has become more paramount that we must be intune with the global standards. We had to also revise the policy to ensure that safety is given optimum importance in the way we do things, definitely technology is involved in using the airports and so you can see its very important that we enhance the technology that we have within our airports and our airports facilities and so several of these was the essence in which we had to quickly review our aviation policy. “In doing that major highlights were general aviation. When we talk about general aviation we are talking about the private jets.
As of today we have about a hundred of them and having them we have no law, no policy no regulation to make sure that they are operating the way they should operate within ICAO laws and our aviation policy. But most importantly to be in tandem with global best policies, we also had to highlight passengers bill of right. What that means is that all passengers rights are being protected and at the same time the rights of the airlines operators should be protected as well so that you do not have conflict between passengers and operators. The policy has to take into cognisance the fact that you must have healthy operators. It is only when you have healthy operators that safety can be given the regards that it should be given. So in doing that you have to create a new directorate that focuses on economic and commercial regulations. For us it is very important.
Again when an airline is unhealthy they will have difficulty in complaince as far as the safety regulations are concerned, but the policy has to address those issues. “We also highlighted the bilateral relations that we have. What has been happening in the past, we had bilateral relations that are supposed to be reciprocal in nature but in practice it is not. We get paid royalties which does not resolve our problems so we had to change it to where we have full benefits of our bilateral relations which regards to airline operations. “Then that of national carrier, to have a policy that really addresses how we accomplish the national carrier that is in tandem with what Mr. President had promised, a private sector driven national carrier that represents who we are, what we are and our aspirations are taken into cognizance.
General safety and security at the airport, how best we can address them and monitor them because it has become a challenge in view of the new security issues that has emerged. “Generally we talked about Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB). The policy was very elaborate on how AIB should operate. AIB should not just investigate accidents and incidents they should ensure that the outcome of their report is fully implemented. So AIB will police NCAA to ensure that all the outcome of their invesitagion is adequately addressed. Finally it is the cognizance of the need to have a national climate policy, the policy addresses the framework that will drive that issue very well. We have been having climate issues and its not going to stop so we must have policies that will address these issues”.
The Council also approved the sum of N19.4 Billion for the construction of the Karshi Water Supply Scheme under the rural development efforts of the Federal Government, saying that the project would be completed in 30 months. The Minister of State for the FCT, Oloye Olajumoke Akinjide said that the water project would address the issue of water scarcity within Karshi and its environs. The project is to provide potable water and irrigation to that growing suburb of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Akinjide, explained that the project, would involve the construction of two dams to adequately cater for the agriculture and domestic/industrial use of residents of the area.
Transport minister, Idris Umar, made a presentation on the performance of his ministry in 2012, detailing the rehabilitation of rail lines and inland waterways. Aside the resuscitation of the Lagos-Kano rail-line, he said there are plans to collaborate with private sector to increase and improve inland waterway transport. While speaking on the performance of his ministry, the Minister of Transport, Idis Umar said that a total sum of N49.6 billion was approved for the ministry but only 56 per cent of the ministry’s budget has been released According to him, the ministry recorded remarkable achievement in the resuscitation of the rail system for the movement of people and goods as alternative to road transportation.
Umar maintained that the rail transportation from Lagos to Kano has been running smoothly, saying that the ministry would partner with the private sector to ensure further development of the transport sector.
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