Listening to Prof. Babalola at the hand-over to the new Minister of Aviation Femi Fani-Kayode in the Conference Room of the Federal Ministry of Aviation, one would have wished he continued as the Minister of Aviation. Since the inception of the 4^th Republic, the academic professor has been embroiled in altercation in virtually all the ministries he had held forth like Ministries of Education, Power and Steel and Aviation before his latest movement to Culture and Tourism.  He has been in the eyes of the storm as his actions and inactions are grossly misunderstood or the public just refused to give him a breathing space.

 

While heading the ministry of education he received criticisms from his academic umbrella, Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) for his attitudes towards them and the educational system in Nigeria leading to his removal by President Obasanjo. The minister who seemed to have won the special favour of President Obasanjo had his career stagnantly going on when he became the chief executive at the Ministry of Power and Steel. While cooling off with friends at a relaxation garden in my neighourhood, the issue of Borishade’s performance at the Ministry of Power and Steel, especially as regards to NEPA, commentators viewed his performance as awful which saw to his movement to the Aviation Ministry despite a high exhibition of lack of direction, vision and unprofessionalism.

 

He had struggled to ensure that Nigeria scaled through ICAO’s inspection of our aviation instrumentation and infrastructure to get a clean bill but in less than a year in the helm of affairs at aviation, Nigeria was anguished and its people in sorrows and grief over five plane crashes under the ‘master of all trades’ Minister for lacking divine powers to stop the crashes. It is not out of place to say here that the crashes occurred on weekends. I do not know if there are some forces militating against his appointment into public office. Time shall tell if the once docile tourism sector growing in vibrancy under Femi Fani-Kayode’s short tenure, will sustain the tempo. One may have wished Fani-Kayode would have realized his dream of positioning the sector for productivity before swapping headships with Borishade. It is only hoped the oracle and stigma that have bedeviled his efforts may not follow him to infest the tourism industry and crash it to oblivion.

 

During the handover ceremony, Professor Borishade complained that N19bn reserve fund approved by President Obansanjo in April as intervention fund for the maintenance of infrastructure was still trapped in the Ministry of Finance. He asked his successor to work for the release of the money for sustainable maintenance as funding was critical to the success and safety in the aviation industry. While what may happen to the budgeted fund bothered the mind of the audience, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), breezed into the event. We became enthusiastic and excited on the puzzles: could it be that he knew or suspected there may be shoddy deals and that is why the money was not released and the necessary infrastructures not in place? He said that the change at the aviation ministry was a welcome development and pledged the commission’s assistance to sanitise the sector. He maintained that what is going on in the aviation sector is a reflection of what is going on in the larger society. He said his visit was in solidarity with Fani-Kayode while emphasizing that leadership matters when it is the right person in charge. I felt his comments were pregnant with meanings.

 

Fani-Kayode who has been left with a robust set of professionals and officers that had, in the past 10 months, put on processes and systems, must therefore succeed. Agreed there are challenges – technical and that from interest groups – he must not fail. I appreciate his courage when he promised to do his best saying that the job he has at hand is like a miltary posting as such he shall face the challenges squarely.

 

In his first press briefing after the handing over ceremony, Fani-Kayode threatened to suspend any airline that did not have the necessary finance to operate efficiently in the aviation sector. He lamented the incessant plane crashes lately and called for re-dedication in making our space airworthy. He promised to involve staff of the ministry, its agencies and industry stakeholders in that direction. He also called for prayers by all Nigerians to avert recurrence of the gory incidents.  A soulful beginning is imperative to push away the oracle that has always left us serial mourners. This initiative has been supported by the Archbishop of Lagos Diocese, Cardinal Anthony Olubunmi Okogie who has charged the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority to discharge its duties without fear or favour during a healing mass for the aviation industry at the Catholic Church of Ascension, Lagos. It is an understatement that the Nigerian aviation industry is sick and needs healing very fast.

 

Fani-Kayode who says funding is critical to the operations and safety of the Nigerian skies, highlighted three focal points of his stewardship in the aviation ministry to include the review of the financial strength of commercial airliners; review of licenses and certification of operators and implementation of the report of the Dike-led Committee. He said, and I agree with him, that no price is too high to pay for the Nigerian airspace safety while reiterating the importance of the job he has to perform and called for absolute discipline on the part of his staff and agencies as it will be no more business as usual.

 

Fani-Kayode’s briefing tends to reassure Nigerians of new commitment in the aviation industry. However, much work needs to be done especially in the area of calibration and training to compliment the new policy consolidation in the aviation sector. Following the arrest of Michael Dickson who was caught with five devices suspected to be explosives, it has been exposed how porous security at the airport had been. However we should watch out how such scare may not distract us from the real issues and investigations that may lead us to nothingness. The zeal of Fani-Kayode in his new job has secured the release of the N19 billion intervention fund and the way and manner he quickly grasped the technical issues involved with the aviation ministry is commendable.

 

Nigerians should give their support to this new initiative and eschew undue sentiments and phobia of flying. At least we can see that efforts are being made to sanitise the industry with the grounding of four airlines’ Operating Certificates by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority. In this struggle for the safety of our skies, we should not compromise on standards by putting the right professionals in the right field. We must succeed!