30th March, 2011
The alarm raised by stakeholders in the aviation industry over ageing workforce and lack of succession plan in the sector must be taken seriously.
At a one-day workshop organised in Lagos State on Monday by the Accident Investigation Bureau, AIB, aviation experts warned that if nothing urgent is done, the dearth of qualified workforce in just a few years will have perilous safety implications for the Nigerian airspace.
The stakeholders warned that if the government does not act now by training more pilots, air traffic controllers, accident investigators, meteorological staff, firefighters and other key workers in the sector, the country will soon depend on either foreigners or inexperienced hands in flying our planes or manning other sensitive tasks and positions. This is unacceptable!
Already, the stakeholders said, expatriates are gradually taking over the sector, which according to them, is taking millions of naira away from our country every month.
It is no longer a secret that Indians, Pakistanis, Lebanese, Britons, French, and citizens of other nations in the Middle East, Asia and Europe dominate the list of pilots operating our domestic airlines. On the Arik Air flight to United States for instance, all crew members, including the pilot, co-pilot and other cabin crews are all foreigners.
The Nigerian aviation industry is currently bogged down by several operational challenges like decaying infrastructure, under-capitalisation, credit worthiness of operators, and negative effects of global recession.
This, according to the Minister of Aviation, Mrs. Fidelia Njeze, is the result of two decades of policy neglect and improper implementation of standards that has ultimately taken its toll on the orderly succession of exiting personnel in the industry.
But, no matter the rhetoric or buck passing by government officials, it is imperative that government acts now to prevent the looming crisis.
The Nigerian College of Aviation Technology, NCAT, in Zaria, has not received the attention it deserves. A multi-billion naira hangar constructed many years ago has been taken over by grass. Some simulators which students must use to simulate real flights have broken down. The dormitories, the toilets and other infrastructure in the college are not well kept.
Although some work is ongoing at the college, a lot more needs to be done to give a facelift to an institution where student pilots pay N7 million for a two-year course.
The high school fee has driven many students away from NCAT. As a result, there are many states in Nigeria that cannot boast of just one trained pilot.
While some states in the country subsidise the training of pilots from their states, others simply don’t show any interest.
Safety is the cornerstone of the air transportation business. Safety, however, cannot be attained when an industry lacks adequate competent and qualified personnel. An analysis of the Nigerian aviation industry’s human resources would reveal a gloomy future. This can be reversed with the right policies, funding and personnel.
It is important to note that while ageing infrastructure can be fixed within a short period, given availability of funds, it takes time to fix ageing workforce.
Whoever emerges President next month must make it a priority to pay the necessary attention and resources to revive an industry key to the country’s economic progress.
We must not wait until planes begin to crash and lives are lost before we act.