Nigeria is committed to a world class safe air transportation system, President Goodluck Jonathan has said.
Represented by Vice President, Namadi Sambo, at the opening ceremony of the African Ministerial Conference on Aviation Safety in Africa, Jonathan said: “Our dream is to bequeath a lasting legacy of an effective and internationally competitive state-of-the-art air transportation infrastructure that guarantees maximum efficiency and bring the industry to globally acceptable safety and security standards.”
He disclosed that in order to ensure a robust and efficient domestic aviation sector, government was putting in place a single digit special intervention fund, “to grow domestic airlines and encourage high net-worth investors and indigenous companies to invest in the industry.”
He added: “Our commitment to the ongoing transformation of the Aviation Sector will be holistic and far-reaching.”
Jonathan challenged the African Ministers on Civil Aviation to pursue the goal of Zero Accidents and Zero Fatality in Africa, emphasising the need for effective collaboration among African countries in order to achieve these goals.
He said that Nigeria was committed to working with sister African countries and international stakeholders towards enhancing air safety in Africa.
“I believe very strongly that if air transportation is safe all over the world, it must be made safe in Africa,” he stated.
Jonathan, at the occasion, thanked the African Ministers for supporting Nigeria’s candidate for the position of the President of the International Civil Aviation Organisation, Dr. O. B. Aliu, in 2013.
In her remarks, Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation, Princess Stella Adaeze Oduah, called for effective partnership among sister African countries to enhance safe air travel on the continent.
Oduah noted that in order to ensure air safety, customer confidence and satisfaction, Nigeria was modernising the aviation sector by proving world class infrastructure, equipment and policy framework.
In their separate remarks, the President of ICAO, Dr. Roberto Kobeh Gonzaleze; Commissioner, African Union Commission, Dr. (Mrs.) Ibrahim Elam; Director and Director General, Airport Council International (AIC), Mrs. Angela Gittens, all called for effective collaboration among African states, pledging the support and assistance of their various organisation to ensure safe air travel in Africa.