Like their counterparts, the House of Reps, the Senate yesterday commended the giant strides of the aviation Minister, Princess Stella Adaeze Oduah in transforming the aviation sector in Nigeria.
Speaking during the 2013 budget defence at the National Assembly, Senator Babalola Odunsi a member of the committee commended the face-lift given to the airport terminals across the country, and expressed joy that the testimonies of air travellers about a new travelling experience is heart-warming.
Senator Odunsi alluded to a Documentary in an electronic media which not only show-cased the transformed terminals, but also the testimonies of ordinary air travellers whom he said were visibly elated at the new look the airports are now wearing. ”We congratulate and commend you for the work you are doing and for this publicity. We saw air travellers expressing happiness about the turn-around at the airports; this is what we all desire for our people and the sector”, the Lawmaker declared.
In her presentation of the 2013 budget to the committee, the Minister said the budget of the Federal Ministry of Aviation aims to improve and consolidate the on-going effort at infrastructural upgrade and the certification of all airports in the country in accordance with ICAO standards. She declared that it is unacceptable that not all airports in the country are certified today.
To achieve the aim of securing due certification for all the nation’s airports, the Minister said the current effort at reconstruction and remodelling of the airports would be consolidated and improved upon in the
2013 fiscal year especially with regard to the provision of safety-critical infrastructure.
Areas that will receive priority attention include Landing instruments, security and communication infrastructure, water hydrants, fire fighting vehicles, airfield lighting and interrupted, 24-hour electricity supply.
Others include equipment for the control and prevention of bird strikes, conveyor belts, functional air-conditioning systems for the remodelled terminals, Avio bridges, sufficient apron buses to halt the risky practice whereby passengers walk through the tarmacs to board aircraft, Welfare buses for aviation workers to alleviate their hardship in terms of transportation to and from work, amongst others.
She stated that this infrastructure upgrade is beside the construction of five new international airport terminals and several perishable and cargo terminals across the nation’s airport. ”The aim of all these projects is to modernise our airports, gradually phase out all obsolete equipment and infrastructure and bring our airports to international standards and best practices. This is the only way we can get our airports to be certified”, Oduah declared.
Speaking in the same vein, Chairman, Senate Committee on Aviation, Senator Hope Uzodinma said it is ”very sad that most of our airports are not certified in accordance with ICAO standards. We must therefore do everything possible to get them certified”.
The Chairman said other areas which deserve serious attention; and upon which government must find a way to fund in the 2013 budget is capacity building and training of professionals/experts by the Nigerian College of Aviation Technolgy (NCAT), airfield lighting as well the maintenance of the runways.
He emphasised that the Senate and the Ministry must collectively work together to ensure that the 2013 budget improves upon the achievements recorded in 2012 in order to be able to deliver on the expectations of Nigerians who not only expect functional facilities at the airports, but also that Aviation plays a pivotal role in the economic development of the nation. ”Let me say that our watch-word for year 2013 budget is must be prudence; realistic, tenacious and accountable execution of capital projects”, the Chairman concluded.