N1tn needed to turn around aviation sector – Minister

The Minister of State for Aviation, Hadi Sirika, on Tuesday in Abuja said the Federal Government needed One Trillion Naira to turn around the country’s aviation sector.

Sirika said this at a four-day public hearing organised by the House of Representatives Committee on Aviation.

The hearing is focused on “The Need to Rescue the Ailing Aviation Industry from Imminent Collapse.’’

Sirika stressed that the government had no plans to sell the country’s airports, but frowned at the poor state of infrastructure in the aviation sector.

He said, “One trillion naira will be needed to turn around our aviation sector, we will not sell the airports and nobody is carrying any structure to anywhere.

“In fact, what we intend to do is to put them into better use.”

The Minister disclosed that the ministry had inaugurated a 9-man delivery team to interface with stakeholders in the aviation sector on concession of the airports.

According to him, the team would liaise with labour unions to oversee the day to day running of the concession.

He said the process would be carried out in a better, more transparent and effective manner.

“We have to improve upon what the Nigerian Ports Authority has done to ensure there is more efficient and transparent process and ensure that government also makes more money,’’ Sirika said.

Earlier, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara said there was need to ensure fiscal discipline in the use of public funds in the aviation sector.

 

TODAY