By Olu Ayela
The discussion about the aviation industry and not just the future of the Nigerian airport system is on the front burner once again as concession predators are rising nationwide. The topic has been a recurring mantra and until they have their pound of flesh, it is their way or the highway. It had always been triggered as soon as a new government hits town and the political jobbers and their hangers-on are looking for a piece of a juicy parastatal or agency to latch onto for sustenance in the new political cycle.
However, in this dispensation, the noise is so loud because of the background of this government that is steeped in change. Those who are genuinely opposed to the rotten way of handling government business in the past are asking that a dispassionate look be given to the process so that greed, avarice and self-centeredness will not trump the desire for true change. It is difficult to know where to deposit this appeal to save the Aviation industry in Nigeria and by extension the airports which are the property managers for all other government agencies that have businesses to conduct in the twenty one airports around the country.
The arguments for concession are louder because many of the hawkish elements are waiting to buy where they did not build. President Muhammadu Buhari seems to have been swayed by the persuasions for concession, if we are to take the Minister of State for Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, to be speaking for him. But, the man is known for integrity and should take care to review all that is being peddled before him. It is also not possible for the plea to be sent to the National Assembly whose privatization committee is poised already with the hammer to give the airports to the highest bidder. The only arbiter in this case is the court of public opinion and if the president would live up to his predecessor, may listen to the public and integrity may win. In his election campaign, the president swore that he would create jobs and provide both economic and legal frameworks that will make Nigeria livable for Nigerians under his government. Concessioning the airports will not create jobs; It will only make a few rich people richer and put the lives and means of livelihood of about six thousand Nigerians working there, not to count the pensioners and their families, at risk. There are too many hungry and desperate people on the streets already as the change process is unfolding and to allow the greed of a few Nigerians to compound this misery is an option that should be avoided.
The word on the lips of those in support of concession is that the airports are not viable and are not being managed as business operations fit for the twenty first century. Be that as it may, which of the entities in Nigeria, including the National Assembly and the governments at all levels, are operating as they should? This is an indication that something is fundamentally wrong with the system and should, therefore, be addressed holistically. There is also the accusation against the airport authority that it is over-staffed, which is correct. It is also the government and the politically- connected people who have used their cronies to fill the place to the extent that the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has become obese.
There are more directors in FAAN than the National Ports Authority (NPA). Currently, there are eleven directors and forty-two General Managers, which is way too large for the agency to work with to ensure viability. Graduates of less than ten years experience are already occupying positions of general managers and directors. Thankfully, this is the only administration that has not given in to the temptation to use FAAN as a dumping ground for job seekers. The money being wasted on salaries and emoluments can be used for the development of FAAN and will reduce the organization to a more manageable entity.
This will also increase the operational efficiency and profitability of the airports; and stimulate growth in the non-oil sector, if some of the airports being tagged as unprofitable are designated to airlift agricultural materials, solid minerals and other produce from around the country. It will, on the long run, make Nigeria more attractive as an investor’s haven and a regional hub.
To pursue the case of the non-performance of FAAN further, we can set it side by side with the Federal Government, whose annual budget is N6 trillion, which is a whole N1.2 trillion less than what just an airport, the Hartfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, Georgia generates annually at $24 billion. Do we for that reason pour scorn on the ability of the Federal Government? For years now, Nigerians have insisted that the National Assembly has not been an assembly for Nigerians because it is an assembly for waste. With all disgust spewed from there, it has not moved the people there to conduct themselves more appropriately and we are still hoping for something good to come from the Assembly.
Clearly, FAAN is not a drainpipe as many of those whose interest is to buy into the Authority are saying. FAAN generates about N33 billion annually and it can contribute twenty five percent of this money to the Federal Government which should look into the unwieldy size of the agency and weed out as many of the political appointees as possible so that the charges for salaries and emoluments would be drastically reduced. With what FAAN is generating and without the over- bearing interference of the Ministry and the National Assembly Committees which are constantly asking for favours, contracts and all manners of support for themselves and members of their families, there is so much FAAN can do and be viable.
To be concluded tomorrow
Ayela writes from Lagos