Aviation Minister Denies Marginalising North

A month after Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation, Ms. Stella Oduah, was accused of flooding the aviation industry with southeasterners and sacking others, she has denied allegations that she is marginalising the North.

The Deputy Minority Leader in the House of Representatives, Abdulrahman Suleiman Kawu, recently accused the Minister of working against the interests of Northern Nigeria, adding that President Goodluck Jonathan should call her to order.

“The South East zone has the Managing Directors of Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Nigeria College of Aviation Technology Zaria (NCAT), Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET), while the South-South got the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and the South West got three slots of  Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) whereas the entire northern region comprising three geopolitical zones was left with nothing,” he said.

Oduah has also been accused of marginalising the North in the citing of Cargo Terminals as well as landing rights by some foreign airlines into the Malam Aminiu Kano International Airport, (MAKIA), Kano, Northern Nigeria.

Joseph Obi, Special Assistant, Media, to the Minister of Aviation, said all the allegations are false.

“The charge that a Cargo Terminal meant for the North East geo-political zone was diverted to Asaba, the Delta state capital is also incorrect, misleading and false. For the records, all originally proposed designated cargo terminals are as follows: Cargo terminal at Port Harcourt Airport, Cargo terminal at Kano airport, Cargo terminal at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, Cargo terminal at Lagos airport, Cargo terminal at Asaba, Owerri and Calabar airports,” Obi said.

H said others are Cargo terminal, Yola, Cargo terminal, Jos airport, Cargo terminal, Makurdi airport, Cargo terminal, Jalingo airport, Cargo terminals at Maiduguri, Ilorin and Akure airports.

“From the foregoing, it is clear that whoever is peddling the rumour about attempts to deny the Norh East of the infrastructure of a Cargo terminal in the zone is clearly misinformed,” Obi said.

He explained that Emirates and Etihad Airlines as well as Turkish and Ethiopian Airways all have landing rights in Kano but are yet to resume operations there.

“By the agreement, the airlines are equally entitled to operate cargo services to the said destinations. It is therefore inconceivable that anyone, including the Aviation Minister would unilaterally deny them rights and privileges already conferred by the BASA,” Obi said.

—Simon Ateba