SPEAKER of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, has cautioned against sharp practices in the aviation industry, saying they could draw the country back to between 2005 and 2006 when, according to him, aircraft were falling from the sky.Tambuwal's admonition is coming at a period when a ministerial report indicted some top officials of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) over alleged N13 billion fraud in the Total Radar Coverage of Nigeria (TRACON) project.The Minister of Aviation, Mrs. Stella Oduah-Ogiewonyi and anti-graft agencies are now studying the report.Speaking at the commissioning of the Hajj terminal building in Kano, Tambuwal described aviation business as capital intensive, noting that it demands the highest stability in terms of aircraft, personnel and ground facilities. According to the Speaker, the commissioning of the hajj building will further raise the country's aviation profile and make airlifting easier.Tambuwal, who noted that over the years, many airlines, including the former national carrier, Nigeria Airways had folded up, said the government's investment in the aviation industry has become critical for survival of the sector.He said the government would continue to provide enabling environment for business to survive domestically by providing facilities that will increase the industry's safety record and give necessary incentives for local investors in the sector.'The fierce competition among airlines today means that only the best in terms of management, comfort and safety records can afford to remain in business while boundary collapse and distances disappear. Every service provided by a nation is measured according to the universal standard of that sector', the Speaker said. He stated that unless the country constantly innovates and upgrades it, it would not be able to compete with the rest of the world in any field. He said the new terminal would tackle what he described as congestion and disorder that have become common across the airports during hajj operations.The Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Mr. George Ureisi, said due to shortage of funds, the authority decided to do some careful prioritising of projects. He noted 'the situation is almost the same across the airports and could not be fixed at the same time'.Ureisi commended the House of Representatives for helping in the sourcing of funds for aviation projects, noting that Nigerians have started seeing transformation in real terms that will give them the respect and dignity they deserve while in other countries for religious purpose.The FAAN boss, while lamenting the poor state of facilities across the airports in the country, said they had degenerated to the level that they were no longer dignifying to Nigerians, making it difficult to give priority to some over others.
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