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From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
The House of Representatives has summoned the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo over the state of facilities at airports across the country.
The lawmakers also insited on a full-scale audit of technical systems and projects, to ascertain the current state of radar systems, radio communications, the Safe Tower project, and the Aeronautical Information Service (AIS) Automation project, in airports across the country.
The audit, according to the parliament, should entail an assessment of required skills, qualifications, and adherence to professional standards.
Similarly, the Green chamber also mandated the government to conduct an audit of all contractors engaged in specialised areas at airports in the country in the last one year. The audit is expected to assess the knowledge, and competence, as well as their ability to perform their duties effectively.
This followed the adoption of a motion by Jesse Onuakalusi, on the need to maintain efficiency, high safety standards and security at airports across the country.
Onuakalusi, in his motion, noted that recent incidents have raised concerns about the competence and accountability of workers and contractors at various airports.
He said it was imperative to ensure that all personnel and contractors operating at the airport were qualified and competent to ensure the safety of passengers and stakeholders.
Onuakalusi expressed worry over “the abysmal state of our radar systems, which present a disaster waiting to happen, as they often fail at critical times, risking mid-air collisions.”
He expressed dismay over the state of communication radios, noting that previous attempts to resolve the challenges had not yielded positive results.
Consequently, the lawmaker stated that “pilots and controllers rely on relays from others for necessary instructions, risking national embarrassment.”
He added: “The stalled Safe Tower project, despite significant investment, needs urgent attention to improve the efficiency of our towers. The Aeronautical Information Service (AIS) Automation project has been ongoing for over 15 years without completion.”
Onuakalusi expressed concern that recent reports indicated “potential irregularities in the employment and appointment of personnel and contractors at major Nigerian airports, specifically in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Kano, and Enugu.
“The recruitment into technical areas must be regulated to prevent the manifestation of incompetence due to skewed recruitment processes. Moreover, appropriate sanctions for erring offenders related to airspace management should be enforced,” Onuakalusi said.
