18 — Vanguard, TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2015 PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari’s interest in establishing a new aviation national carrier became evident when, early in August 2015, he directed visiting top ministry of aviation officials led by the Permanent Secretary, Hajiya Binta Bello, to take steps towards actualising the project which was strongly recommended by the Ahmed Joda transition committee. Proponents of a new national carrier play up the benefits, which include national pride and the opportunities it will afford Nigeria to enjoy the fuller benefits of the Bilateral Aviation Services Agreements (BASA). Nigeria has made several attempts at owning national carriers but came out with our fingers burnt. The first was the ugly experiences of operating the defunct Nigerian Airways between 1958 and 2005. This exposed the crass inability of government employees to run businesses, especially airlines. The federal government sank billions of dollars in acquiring planes of all types. At a point, the Nigerian Airways could boast of dozens of aircraft plying most important routes at home and internationally but by 2005 the Airways had to be liquidated.
The Move For Aviation National Carrier A second attempt involved a government partnership with Virgin Atlantic owned by British billionaire, Richard Branson. The Virgin Nigeria that resulted from that effort soon collapsed. There were other attempts to float national carriers known variously as “Air Nigeria” and “Nigerian Global”. The nation only spent huge resources and yet nothing came of the effort. Beyond national pride and providing a lucrative avenue to provide jobs and political patronage to highly connected individuals, what grand national agenda does Nigeria truly intend to achieve? To get the credible answer to this question the federal
government must consult not just professionals and civil servants in the sector. The airline owners should also be brought on board so that if the national carrier is eventually floated, the interests of all parties will be protected for the overall good of the nation. We are calling for a pause to ponder on this policy move. It looks very much like another white elephant project. Nigeria is not financially in shape to cough out the $5 billion, which experts believe, is the least amount it will take to float a new national carrier. Besides, the defunct Nigerian Airways owed heavily to international creditors, who are waiting to collect their money as soon as government goes into another aviation venture. We call on the Federal Government to focus more energy on ensuring that existing airlines operate in a more conducive environment devoid of multiple taxation, expensive aviation fuel and the lot. We should rather empower our indigenous airlines to grow to a point where we can comfortably promote the viable ones among them to emerge as national carriers.
OPINION Open letter to Group MD, NNPC By Yohannah Bakut
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IR, I am strongly compelled by recent developments at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), particularly the recent appointment of Dr. Babatunde Victor Adeniran as Group Executive Director, (Commercial & Investment) of NNPC, to write you. Ordinarily, in seasons such as we are today where government is in dire need of people of like minds; true prefects of their classes with unassailable character and hallowed pedigree to reposition NNPC as well as the nation at large, a private letter would have been ideal but because as the saying goes, when a well-behaved child returns home with double honours, it is no longer his immediate family members that celebrate but the entire community. Therefore, to me, celebrating this great step in the right direction as exemplified in Dr.Adeniran’s appointment would not be properly captured in a private letter hence an open letter has become inevitable. But more than anything else, an open letter would expose the antics of mischief makers, as well as ensure that they are put in check or better still, confined to the waste bin where they rightly belong. Conversely, too, as NNPC begins a fresh start at recovery driven by competence and experience translated into putting as they say, round pegs in round holes such
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positive moves would be applauded to further deepen the ongoing reorganization. Never forget sir that the subject matter of the NNPC borders on national concern as opposed to personal interest that can only be handled in the open since it affects every citizen of Nigeria. Yet , I must sincerely apologize for forcing my way to your table, particularly as I am in the know of the enormous responsibilities before you - personal, professional and national - deserving equal attention in the face of very limited time. Sir, beyond commending you for taking a bold step defined by Dr.Adeniran’s appointment, this letter also aims at drawing your attention to the seeming well-orchestrated and scripted campaign of calumny against his person by some individuals and disgruntled groups, which mean no good for the corporation and the nation at large, especially an organization known as Civil Society Network Against Corruption (CSNAC). While everyone has a right to his or her opinion in a democratic setting such as ours, it touches on patriotic poverty and disdainful absurdity to place personal interest far and above national interest. All over the world today, visionary leaders
You must strongly resist distractions and ignore such self-serving groups
with thirst for excellence run with their First Eleven and never with a Reserve Team, much less, a Feeder Team, which undoubtedly, is what CSNAC, a strange and alien organization, is suggesting by their ill-advised media campaigns against Dr.Adeniran. Or, how else would one interpret the fact that an organization without history could suddenly wake up from the blues to advertise desperation for cheap attention as well as present selfserving negative campaigns to Nigerians as if they were in national interest. This, sir, combined among others, to make this open letter inevitable. Sir, in times like ours where people with shades of opinion easily dissolve into groups for selfish as opposed to general good, one can only be suspicious of CSNAC and treat its moves with a pinch of salt in order to avoid walking into booby traps eyes wide open. While intrigues and counter intrigues, blackmail and name-calling are normal in all fledgling democracies, it smacks of narrow-mindedness taken to a ridiculous height, to unjustly impugn on the integrity and character of a man whose career records are unassailable and meet the standard First Eleven required to turnaround the NNPC for national good. At the risk of sounding patronising, sir, I recall the enormous contributions of Dr.Adeniran as Senior Technical Adviser on Oil and Gas Commercial, to Total E & P Nigeria Limited spanning over 22 years. While as humans, we may have our shortcomings, there is no doubt that the NNPC and the nation would need this
massive experience in its repositioning drive. Therefore, for all well-meaning Nigerians, what matters most is national interest and positive result than recourse to negative tendencies that deprive the nation of the services of high-potent professionals as Dr.Adeniran. Unfortunately, everybody cannot think in the same way as exemplified by CSNAC’s ill-advised and mischievous campaign borne out of inordinate attraction to the filthy lucre of politics and lack of patriotism. Interestingly, Nigerians are in the know of moves like the CSNAC’s always deceptively dressed in the toga of uprightness while it is actually base greed and ego massage aimed at attacking common ideals. Sir, there is no gain emphasising fact that Nigerians are looking up to you to provide leadership in this critical time, but more than anything else, to be responsible for your decisions since at the end of it all the bulk stops on your table. I, therefore, enjoin you to follow your conviction, stand your grounds and insist on working with the First Eleven of proven, tested and excellence-driven persons, including Dr.Adeniran so they can provide a strong pillar of support in your drive to reposition NNPC for optimal performance and accountability. And, as you do this, you must strongly resist distractions and ignore such self-serving groups that would in the character of sponsored groups still turn 90 degrees to call you names in time of challenge. •Mr. Bakut, a public affairs commentator, wrote from Lagos.