President Muhammadu Buhari has been urged to carry a comprehensive forensic audit of the aviation sector, especially the Ministry of Aviation in view of the high level of corruption among officials. The advise was given by the Chairman of Arik Air, Sir Johnson Arumemi-Ikhide while speaking at the 2015 Breakfast Meeting of stakeholders organised by members of the Aviation Round Table (ART), a non-governmental body that promote safety and professionalism in the industry.
He noted that civil servants in the Ministry of Aviation are responsible for lack of growth of Nigerian registered airlines by putting many clogs in the wheel of progress of the airline and favouring foreign airlines in the allocation of lucrative routes while denying Nigerian carriers same.
The Arik Air boss specially alleged:" Many of the Civil Servants in Aviation Ministry are more richer than many airline operators as a result of their corrupt practices and collection bribes from some foreign airlines in the allocation of routes."
For example, he said that while the ministry approved Johannsburg-Abuja route for South Africa Airways apart from the Johannseburg-Lagos route, Arik Air sometime ago applied for a second entry point into South Africa's Cape Town under the former Minister, Ms Stella Adaeze-Oduah, but it was denied.
He added:" We also wanted to code-share with Etihad airline, they frustrated our move. Again, we tried to go to Libreville, the Civil Servants in the Ministry blocked us by not attending to our request. This is why I disagreed with people who are used to saying that Nigerian registered airlines are weak, when Nigerian civil servants who are supposed to protect Nigerian airlines favours foreign airlines because of percusites the receive at the detriment of Nigerian carriers."
Another example, he noted was when his airline wanted to establish a Maintenance,Repair Organisation in conjunction with Lufthansa after the signing of an agreement, the parcel of land earlier allocated to the airline in Lagos, was later divided into two and allocated half of the parcel of land to Nest Oil, while the other half was inadequate for the construction of the MRO hangar.
This attitude of the civil servants has contributed more to the lack of development in the industry, adding that:" civil Servants are responsible for all the negative happenings in the industry".
On the planned establishment of a new national carrier, he said he was not opposed to it as long as all the existing airlines and the national carrier being propagated are given level playing field.
He disclosed that by May, 2016, ARIK Air would have been listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange, and called on interested stakeholders to come forward to buy shares in the airline when the forms are out.
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