A former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Dr. Olisa Agbakoba, has urged the President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari, to immediately commence reforms in the aviation sector by converting the presidential fleet for public use.

Agbakoba, who is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, said this in a statement on Sunday. He listed eight areas Buhari must concentrate on in order to succeed.

He said, “The aviation sector requires major reform. Nigeria has no presence in the aviation business. Nigeria Airways has been long comatose. Foreign aircraft dominate the Nigerian airspace and earn well over a trillion naira to our exclusion.

“A trillion naira is about a quarter of our entire national budget. The way forward is to redeploy all aircraft in the presidential fleet to form the hub of a new national carrier. Business for this new national carrier is easy to generate. I have proposed a bill, the Fly Nigeria Bill, to ensure that every government naira used to purchase a ticket must originate and terminate on a Nigerian carrier.

“The Fly Nigeria Bill, when passed into law, will create an instant market for our national carrier.”

Agbakoba said Nigerians were looking up to Buhari just as Americans looked up to Franklin Roosevelt for succour during the Great Depression of the 1930s.

He maintained that Buhari must concentrate on the fight against corruption, housing, constitutional reform, welfare, financial services, economic reform, national re-orientation and legal reform.

He said, “I see strong parallels between the great economic depressions that occurred in American in the 1930s and the present challenges in Nigeria. I will suggest that close attention be given to how President Roosevelt dealt with the challenges of the great depression that came to be known as “The New Deal”. Nigeria needs its own New Deal in very many directions.”

Agbakoba said in the area of housing, for instance, securing a mortgage had become almost impossible for low-income earners.

He said, “There is a shortage of housing for low-income earners and constantly growing housing demands (due to increase in population) that are unmet. Unfortunately, banks are reluctant to provide mortgage facilities to low-income earners.

“In order to solve the housing/mortgage challenges described above, the Nigerian Mortgage Refinance Company was established to promote home ownership and increase the availability and affordability of mortgage loans to Nigerians.

“In spite of the incorporation of NMRC on June 24 2013, not much has changed.”


http://www.punchng.com/politics/convert-presidential-fleet-to-passenger-planes-agbakoba/

Rotflmfao

His points make sense tho

Buhari will look into that

This man get head so? Presidential fleet? In as much as we all decry large number of aircraft in that fleet .....we all must try to understand that they are not configured for domestic passenger use. I would support charging of executive passengers using them for private or official shuttles as a means of paying for its own maintenance.

PDP is a curse to Nigeria, GEJ is a disaster to Nigerians....

Quote me and soriburuku ti wa fi ku danu bi efi.

Why not donate it to a Man of God?

bigtt76:
This man get head so? Presidential fleet? In as much as we all decry large number of aircraft in that fleet .....we all must try to understand that they are not configured for domestic passenger use. I would support charging of executive passengers using them for private or official shuttles as a means of paying for its own maintenance.

You can restructure almost about anything. Restructure the interior to accommodate passengers.

koikoi2:
Why not donate it to a Man of God?

koikoi2:
Why not donate it to a Man of God?

As per rapture tinz abi?

It would involved costs rather it would be cost effective using as is. Besides most of the planes nearing their active lifespan in service

lolaxavier:


You can restructure almost about anything. Restructure the interior to accommodate passengers.

bigtt76:
It would involved costs rather it would be cost effective using as is. Besides most of the planes nearing their active lifespan in service

You cannot compare presidential planes to all the death traps paraded in our aviation industry. They are used less and adequate maintenance is guaranteed. They should get new planes and have the presidential fleets as additional.

TeamSimple:
Buhari will look into that

GEJ be like "I will set up a committee to look into it"...

why didn't be tell GEJ this since all this years?

double0seven:
why didn't be tell GEJ this since all this years?

Because he knows GEJ only listens to Abati, Okupe and his clueless self.

U gat to b kiddin us, @007. GEJ who was almost at d point of acquiring another bird for his personal use on our scarce common wealth?...makin it like 7. C'mon! Dat guy has been a pest in d life of this country. We cant wait to see his back walahi......

double0seven:
why didn't be tell GEJ this since all this years?

This idea sounds great but the problem is Nigeria government has never made profit from any business.
Before you know what is happening they will start using the "Nigeria Airways" to carry friends and families; Some federal parastatals would start using the airlines on 'official' duties until fuel start finishing mid-air and before we say 2013, no more presidential jets and no national carriers.

My advise, sell the jets except two. Put the money into federal projects that the masses would benefit from.

Though Buhari may not do exactly what Agbakoba said, I see him retaining just one or two planes. The remaining nine will be sold just as Joyce Banda did in Malawi. Today the Malawian President uses commercial flights. Jonathan once sent Nigeria's presidential jet to pick her from Lilongwe, Malawi to Abuja to attend a meeting.

OrlandoOwoh:
Though Buhari may not do exactly what Agbakoba said, I see him retaining just one or two planes. The remaining nine will be sold just as Joyce Banda did in Malawi. Today the Malawian President uses commercial flights. Jonathan once sent Nigeria's presidential jet to pick her from Lilongwe, Malawi to Abuja to attend a meeting.

He won't sell all but I don't see him retaining those numerous fleets.

Conversion could simply mean, selling off the planes and buying proper passenger planes.

makes sense to me....waste of Naira

obailala:
Conversion could simply mean, selling off the planes and buying proper passenger planes.

This doesn't really happen in Nigeria but let's see if Buhari can help change the trend.