A former Director-General of the Nigeria Civil
Aviation Authority (NCAA), Dr Harold Demuren, has faulted the recent Bilateral
Air Services Agreement (BASA) signed by the Federal Government with the State
of Qatar.
NAN reports that Demuren made the remark on Wednesday,
while speaking at the Quarter One 2016 Breakfast Meeting of the Aviation Round
Table (ART) in Lagos.
NAN reports that the BASA was signed by the Minister
of State for Aviation, Capt. Hadi Sirika, on the sidelines of President
Muhammadu Buhari’s recent state visit to Qatar.
The agreement is expected to pave way for more
direct flights between major cities of both countries, on the principle of
reciprocity by the designated airlines, on behalf of the countries.
Sirika had said after the signing of the agreement
that the accord would promote trade, commerce, tourism and travel, between both
countries.
However, Demuren argued that Nigeria presently had
no airline that could compete favourably with Qatar Airways, thus making the
agreement lopsided.
He said the agreement would now give Qatar Airways,
which currently has seven frequencies into Nigeria, more entry points into the
country and further compound the woes of the domestic airlines.
Demuren said: “It is good politics to sign BASA
agreements, but it is bad economics. Airline operation is an invisible trade.
Anytime you buy a ticket from a foreign airline, that money will be taken back
in dollars.
“So each time you sign a BASA agreement, you are
simply committing your foreign exchange because you will be putting pressure on
our
naira.
“Presently, Nigeria airlines cannot compete with
Qatar Airways in terms of equipment, personnel, maintenance and other areas.
“I am not saying that we should not sign BASA .What
I am saying is that if we must sign BASA, we must know the content of the BASA
we are signing.”
He said that in the past, international airlines
that operated into the country based on BASAs paid royalties which was how the
government got some money in return for its investment.
According to him, presently, some of these airlines
no longer pay royalties, thereby denying the Federal Government much-needed
revenue.
Also speaking, a former Managing Director of the
defunct Nigeria Airways, Mr Andrew Okunuga, said Nigeria should grow its
domestic
airlines to become international players, in order
to benefit from such agreements.
Okunuga stated that Arik Air and Medview Airlines
should have been present when the latest BASA with Qatar was signed, adding
that this would have been more beneficial to the country.
On his part, a former Commissioner of the Accident
Investigation Bureau (AIB), Dr Sam Oduselu, called for more autonomy for the
AIB and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), to enable them to perform
their statutory functions effectively.
Oduselu said: “For accident reports to have the
desired impacts, I believe certain things must be in place.
“Similarly, the accident investigation body must be
truly autonomous and be free to release its reports as soon as they are ready.
“The investigation body must muster the political
will to exercise its autonomy, as enshrined in the enabling law and its
regulations.
“The agency must have access to adequate funding to
be able to carry out its functions effectively.
“It is my opinion that full autonomy must be
extended to the NCAA, if we truly desire a safe and secured aviation industry.”
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