LAAC Tasks Chidioka, Aviation Minister On Priorities

Following President Goodluck Jonathan’s swearing-in, on Wednesday, Mr. Osita Chidoka, as the new Minister of Aviation, a league of Aviation journalist said that completion of ongoing airport projects should be the Ministry’s priority.

Until his nomination and confirmation by the Senate as a Minister, Chidoka was the former Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Commission.

Jonathan made the announcement shortly before the commencement of the weekly Federal Executive Council meeting.

Members of the League of Airport and Aviation Correspondents (LAAC) said that ompleting all ongoing airport projects, would be in the interest of transforming the aviation sector, which its road map and master plan should be implemented irrespective of who is appointed the minister of aviation.

In a press statement signed by Chukwuemeke Iwelumo, LAAC’s chairman, he said the League has no doubt the new minister would bring his wealth of experience to bare in order to transform the industry.

He urged the Minister to carry industry stakeholders along in order to succeed in implementing government policies and programmes set to turn around the aviation sector as one of the engines of driving the nation's economy

Iwelunmo said Mr Chidoka's appointment is coming at the time the aviation industry in Nigeria was in dire need of attention.

He advised the new minister not to leave any stone unturned in his quest to salvage the sector, which is on its march towards discovery after many years of infrastructure decay, obsolete airport and air navigation equipment as well as ill-motivated personnel and policy inconsistencies.

The League urged Chidoka to be wary of sycophants in the aviation sector who may be out to mislead him.

He urged the new minister to learn from the mistakes of his predecessors.

"We have to advise the new minister to learn from the mistakes of his predecessors. Aviation is dynamic and there is need for him to engage well meaning stakeholders in the sector in order to succeed. He should be wary of those sycophants that are waiting to pull him down"

He urged him to engage workers in training, complete all ongoing projects and allow parastatal chiefs to do their professional biddings, adding that experience has shown that head of agencies were always summoned to Abuja instead of doing their job in their offices.

The body remarked that there is high expectation from the former FRSC Corps Marshal hence the need for him to live up to expectation adding that Nigerians are becoming dissatisfied with excuses of non performance.

He listed areas of priority for the New Minister to tackle to include, completion of all ongoing work on terminals across the country, the Murtala Mohammed Airport cargo apron and the cooling systems of MMIA.

According to LAAC chairman another area of concern include immediate commencement of the construction of the second runway for the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja.

He said a situation where an international airport was closed for a day for runway maintenance is unacceptable.

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