The Federal Government may have concluded plans to scrap the Ministry of Aviation by making it a department under the Ministry of Transport in line with the decision reached by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament in 2000.
A source told New Telegraph yesterday that President Muhammadu Buhari was considering the idea of pruning his government to make for efficient administration and was ready to implement the decision, which he considered cost effective.
The source added that the president was favourably disposed to the idea, not only because of the huge cost of running the ministry, but to curb alleged monumental fraud in the sector.
The sector is replete with financial scandals and wastage that led to the unceremonious removal of four ministers. In 2007, the allegation of misappropriation of over N19.5 billion-aviation intervention fund contributed to the removal of Prof. Babalola Borishade as minister.
The case is still in court while the exminister has maintained his innocence. His successor, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, is also embroiled in a legal battle to clear his name from the controversial N5 billion safe tower scandal.
Both Mr. Babatunde Omotoba and Ms. Stella Oduah were also unceremoniously kicked out of office over N60 billion Abuja Airport runway mess and purchase of two bulletproof cars for N255 million respectively.
It was also learnt that a former minister was allegedly collecting N100 million from the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) monthly alone under the guise of project execution. If Buhari did not change his mind on scrapping the ministry, then, there would not be a Minister of Aviation in the current dispensation.
Rather, there would be Minister of Transport as fashioned out by Chief Olusegun Obasanjo in the second leg of his eight years period.
In the Ministry of Transport, instead of a substantive minister in the sector, there might be a director general or secretary to head the Department of Aviation in the ministry while the agencies would be managed by directors as against the positions of managing directors.
In 2000, the ECOWAS Parliament had recommended that memberstates should not appoint ministers to preside over aviation, stating that rather, the parliament recognises a minister of transport to be in charge with specialists in various segments of transportation, including aviation.
It was in line with the decision reached at the ECOWAS Parliament that made former President Obasanjo to merge the Aviation Ministry with that of transport in 2007.
But rather than a Department of Aviation, the sector had a Minister of State for Transport 2, a move, which some stakeholders and professionals in the sector felt further increased the financial burdens on the government.
A United States-based aviation consultant, Mr. Deba Uwadiae has been in the forefront of scrapping of the Ministry of Aviation as it is done in most parts of the world, including the United Kingdom and the US.
He had called for the scrapping of the ministry and other nebulous appointments like that of Senior Special Assistant (SSA).
He said while the rest of the world closed their aviation ministries, Nigeria kept hers, adding that if the government was sincere about reducing the cost of governance, the ministry should be scrapped.

http://newtelegraphonline.com/fg-may-scrap-aviation-ministry-2/

May

June

Ok, just for the f**k of it.....


July

I support the call for the crapping of Aviation Ministry. I hope it saves enough for the government


August

scrap d motherf*ker, all they do is to collect bribe from d airlines.

nigerian aviation sector is worst than u ca imagine... na only God de save passengers.

Quickly.If not for our crazy ways of rewarding political affiliations, why create aviation as if its a not a means of transportation.

All for cost cutting & saving.

December!!

Bad news to some people

INTROVERT:
Mayweather

which carrier ar u using

Why create aviation ministry in the first place when we have ministry of transport one of the many Avenue of waste PDP created for Nigeria since 1999

jantofubu:
which carrier ar u using

Mosquito