OLAYINKA Abioye is the immediate past secretary-general of the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) and retired Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) staff member. In this interview with EHIME ALEX, Abioye, who says he has travelled to over 170 countries, shares insights on several issues in the Nigerian aviation industry and suggests ways to tackle them.
The ICIR: What’s your appraisal of the Nigerian aviation industry?
Olayinka Abioye: Several government policies have devastated the aviation industry, affecting domestic airline operations and the travelling public. One of the challenges we are having in the aviation sector is the inconsistency in the prices of flights, which arose out of the global problem of foreign exchange. As we know, 99.9 per cent of everything in aviation is global – the rules are standard, and the recommended practices are international.
You can’t cut corners. Airline operators purchase their aircraft and fuel at a very high cost, although they get waivers on spare parts. Still, they must go overseas when taking their planes for a comprehensive check. An air ticket, Abuja-Lagos, could sell for N50,000 in the morning; by afternoon, it has gone to N75,000, and by evening, N100,000. Why can’t we have consistent prices?
We also have dilapidated structures. Some of our infrastructures, which cost millions of dollars to implement, are over-aged and need rehabilitation. But our focus has been so much twisted towards generating revenue rather than providing seamless service that makes air travel comfortable and attractive to passengers.
The ICIR: The government should provide infrastructure, but why is the private sector not finding investing in these facilities lucrative?
Olayinka Abioye: Two things! The government will not see the establishment of the MRO (maintenance, repair and overhaul), as people cannot easily steal money from it. I am aware that airline operators in Nigeria apply to the Federal Government for foreign exchange to take their aircraft outside the country for maintenance. It will shock you that about 50 per cent of what is approved is with the BDCs (Bureau de Change). They engage in round-tripping when the dollars are made available to them. I don’t need to bring evidence; we know what is happening in this industry.
There was a convention in Johannesburg where decisions were made for any airline operator to get an aircraft on lease and pay over time. Nigerian operators don’t usually fulfil the terms. They will agree, sign, and initiate payments but suddenly stop paying. How do you expect investors from overseas to come when we cannot even be trusted? We breach agreements, we cut corners, and we deceive people.
Do you know how Sirika deceived Nigerians and the whole black race with the National Carrier? What the Federal Executive Council approved for Sirika has never happened in aviation history for a minister to secure such approval for the development of the aviation sector. Look at the new terminal building in Lagos Airport; it is a shame. It has no space for a bigger-bodied aircraft to park when they land. Why are we building a terminal that cannot accommodate aircraft like the Emirates and Qatar? It is a shame that the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, the best so far in Nigeria, after many years, we can’t see what the billions of allocations were used for. Until we cleanse our brains from stealing syndromes, we can’t develop.
We have three good MROs, but our appetite for things from overseas is also part of our problems. We have competent technicians and professionals who can handle any aeroplane to service, repair, and maintain. How many of our airlines patronise them?
On the side of the private sector, even though the last administration established a policy on the ease of doing business to woo investors, the Nigerian system has been so twisted in such a way that you can hardly do business without bribing somebody. Jet A1 is not produced in Nigeria; why? We learnt from history that in the 1970s, Nigeria was one of the six most significant oil producers. Where are we now? We are nowhere because our refineries have been shut down deliberately.
The ICIR: What’s your opinion on the recent shake-off in the aviation sector?
Olayinka Abioye: Truthfully, I felt sad because I know many of the people who were unceremoniously disengaged from service. They are very brilliant men and women, competent and highly professional. But greedy Sirika brought them in at the very wrong period of his tenure. How can a minister who meant well for Nigeria employ people a few days before leaving office? That is wickedness! We knew their end would come from the onset because when you leave office and hurriedly employ people, you create problems. The new minister did the right thing by bringing fresh people to occupy the positions.
The ICIR: You have been critical about the lapses in the aviation sector and have recently written two open letters to the minister. What should the minister focus on to ensure the aviation sector is revamped?
Olayinka Abioye: The Honourable Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development is a general overseer of the ministry. His primary responsibility is supervising the chief executive officers he has appointed and ensuring they work in tandem with rules establishing their various agencies. Then, the secondary responsibility is to meet with investors and stakeholders and engage them in meaningful discussions, reaching and signing agreements. But the main thrust of the entire thing rests with the chief executive officers.
Over the years, we have seen competent and ready-to-work CEOs who were made incompetent and dysfunctional by the unnecessary and avoidable interference of the minister and ministry officials. They interfere too much in the running of these agencies, which should not be. But when you have a governing board, provided by law, they also stand as a check and balance on the CEOs.
When they have issues, they take it to the minister. The minister has a weight to carry over or on the shoulders of the board, and the board has a weight to carry over or on the shoulders of the CEOs. When these three legs work together, you will see the fantastic rehabilitation and rejuvenation of the industry because our problems are very few and doable things. The challenges we face can be tackled within one year.
How can you have an airport that has no runway light for years? How much does it cost to fix a runway light? Without a runway light, an aircraft takes off and taxis from the domestic terminal to the international before it can make its night flight; it is unheard of. We say we are giants of Africa, and we are not but only giants in corruption.
The ICIR: Since March 2023, one of the runways at the Lagos Airport has yet to be used. What do you think is responsible?
Olayinka Abioye: It is a purely institutional failure. If we procure equipment for use and it is stolen, who stole it? We have security agencies with airport cameras. How many people were apprehended? What was the outcome of the investigation? How many people were indicted in the exercise? We have not heard anything. If the lights are stolen, can’t we buy another one? We have companies in Nigeria that can handle runway lighting. The CEO may not have the powers to approve such things, but the minister has.
Unfortunately, the airline operators are also a problem to themselves; they are busy fighting for power. What for? Why can’t they come together for the progress of the airlines? The dishonesty widening among them has created a loophole for the government to cheat and not respect them. We saw that with the former minister. The minister is there because of the airlines; without them, there is no minister. No one can exist without the other.
So, infrastructures are supposed to be up and running 24/7. That is how aviation runs; if there is a disconnect somewhere, you fix it before 24 hours. These are doable things. I know all this because I was a former Nigerian Airspace Management Agency communications department staff member before I retired. I am very concerned about the way things are run. Some people will feel threatened that this man is exposing some things. No! Instead, it is to ensure we correct our wrongs and run a perfect system because we have the capacity and the human resources to run a functional system. We should not be made a laughingstock of the entire African nations.
The ICIR: You have been critical about the 40 per cent internally generated revenue, now 50 per cent, which the agencies in the aviation sector remit to the Federal Government coffers. If Nigerians think the government is corrupt, can the agencies be prudent with the percentage retained?
Olayinka Abioye: If I answer your question directly, I will inadvertently admit that the 40 per cent the government receives from the agencies is justifiable. It is not! Aviation is a service provider; we must run the system effectively, efficiently, and expeditiously. For instance, FAAN ensures that all the 22 airports it manages work efficiently. FAAN’s electricity bill runs into billions amid Nigeria’s chaotic electricity supply. Maintenance of their facilities across the airport is enormous. So, the 60 per cent is even small. We know the government gives waivers to the industry to grow, but it is an aberration for the aviation sector to give out over 40 per cent of its revenue needed to run the industry when we consider the running of the aviation sector, its over-bloated employees and other expenditures.
I am aware that occasionally, there are capital projects; each agency will bring some money, and the government will complement. But sometimes, the ministry writes and says go and do this project. They will not care how the agency gets the money to execute it, and it must be done. These are the challenges. I will advocate that the new administration let these agencies run in the best manner established by law with their money in full. I have had the privilege of going to over 170 countries; I know what I see in some airports. What does it cost to do solar? It is a shame that we cannot generate our independent power with the calibre of engineers we have. If we do, it will reduce expenditure on fuel and diesel.
The ICIR: How can we change the narrative that workers’ unions are reactionary and not proactive?
Olayinka Abioye: The perception of some of the stakeholders in the industry is that they don’t even like any union. We are the voice of the people. The success of any establishment depends largely on the well-being of the workers. If not for the unions, Sirika would have sold everything in the industry. When leaving office, he was hell-bent on destroying NAMA and FAAN buildings, but unions resisted. Now, there is a letter that FAAN should come back to Lagos. Would they have easily found a place if we had allowed the demolition? He wanted to concession; we were not against it but gave him options. Before I retired, I called his attention to one issue: Katsina produces agricultural products and has a large market. I told him, sir, you want to concession our airport, let us use Katsina International Airport as a test pilot and see how it works within 18 months. If we make a success story of it, we will then concession Lagos Airport.
I won’t say that some union members do not compromise, but when the government violates terms of employment, why won’t the union react? Unions worldwide react to negative things – attacks on their personnel and membership. No responsible union will see the wrong things and not react.
The ICIR: What do you mean when you say the aviation industry is highly regulated?
Olayinka Abioye: We operate according to the details of the International Civil Aviation Organisation, and Nigerian aviation operations cannot be different from other aviation systems. International standards and recommended practices exist, and we operate under these rules. The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, which oversees the entire Nigerian aviation system, also has its guidelines. FAAN, which manages all Federal Government airports, is regulated by the NCAA. Airlines also have rules and fly between specific times and carry passengers. When they delay or fail to do so, there is a fine. Recently, the NCAA came up with a rule that if you want to float an airline, you must provide six aircraft, although that policy is being modified because of public outcry. So, every regulation in the Nigerian aviation industry must be within what is recommended internationally. That is why the international body also visits each country annually to do an audit.
The ICIR: Has there been sanctions from the international body?
Olayinka Abioye: We have not been up and doing; that is the problem. The international aviation body does not sanction but takes time to recommend. They will tell us these are areas that require improvement; you have between so and so time to fix them. However, we make laws that need to be followed. All our airports are supposed to be audited to ensure that they follow the norms. Many things have been observed in the last audit, but when ICAO writes that they are coming in March, you will see speed in February. Why can we start from the day of the last audit result and begin to provide those corrective measures? But we will not do that.
Nigeria should be a leading light in Africa. If we can’t beat Egypt or Ethiopia, the best in Africa, we should be a leading light to other countries because we have far better human capacity than the Europeans. Our people go abroad and excel. Why can’t they excel here? It is just the political will and lawlessness.
On the relocation of FAAN, I can recall that in 1980, when I was employed, I signed a form that I was ready to serve in any airport in Nigeria. Some people will be posted out of Lagos; they don’t want to go; some people were brought from the North to the South and didn’t want to come. Some employed people came to Lagos, did their documentation and ran away. Is the South not part of Nigeria? Do they not sign the bond that they were willing to work in any part of Nigeria? So we have to be holistic about this thing. I recently sent five issues to the minister to address, and if he does those things, I can assure you that our system will change.
Sirika bought the Zaria Hotel for the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology. Have the papers been fine-tuned? Who is running or managing it, and what is the management structure? We don’t know! They sold two helicopters belonging to the college, where is the money or the helicopters? We don’t know! Why do we need a University of Aviation and Aerospace when NCAT was established by the United Nations in 1964? Is it dying with no amenities and patronage?
Aviation is a very sensitive industry. One aeroplane crash can affect the Nigerian nation and the global community because individuals from other countries can be in the same plane. The effect touches everybody as compensation, insurance, and others would be paid. A small mistake by any person can cause an air crash, which is why we need to put our house in order and do it as well as in other countries.
The ICIR: We have a new President, and virtually every issue rests on his shoulders. If you could advise the President, what would it be?
Olayinka Abioye: A lot of people don’t know Tinubu. You will be shocked at what he will do. Tinubu called a retreat, and after it, he said to all his ministers, you are accountable to people, and if you make a mistake, I will fire you. Come and sign this quality performance bond. So, when one or more petitions are written against any minister, the person is going. Also, the ministers are afraid because of social media, as their actions can be made open. So, they are also on their toes and have called on their chief executive officers to sign the bond. However, such sack or firing should not be at the whip and caprices of the minister. It must follow due diligence.