Senate Orders Probe Into $40m, N33.6m Aviation Funds.

The Senate has mandated its Committees on Aviation and Anti-corruption to commence investigation into the disbursement of $40 million released by the Federal Government as loan to the Aviation industry for the purpose of rehabilitating and developing the sector’s poor infrastructure.

The aviation and anti-corruption committees were also mandated to probe a N33.55 billion released as loan to the sector following the adoption of the report of the Ad Hoc Committee on Aviation on the poor state of the aviation industry in Nigeria presented by the Chairman of the Committee, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso. The probe was sequel to the adoption of Sen. Kwankwaso’s 15-point recommendation which was presented to the Senate at plenary.

The President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki, urged the relevant committees to see to the implementation of the recommendations, stressing that the most important thing was for the lawmakers to ensure the strict implementation of the recommendations.

Other recommendations include mandating the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) to stop the collection of navigational charges on all training aircraft in Nigeria. The Senate also recommended that capacity building should be given priority in the aviation industry, and only qualified and properly trained personnel should be employed, in view of the delicate nature of the industry. It also recommended total collaboration between the aviation sector and the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) with a view to addressing aviation fuel price cost.

The Senate further recommended that financial provision should be made for the aviation industry in the 2016 budget, while leakages should be blocked to facilitate the development of aviation infrastructure. The lawmakers also recommended that the Federal Government should develop a financial programme as a bailout for the aviation sector, which should be tailored toward growing Nigerian airlines.

Senate also recommended that the Nigeria Airspace Management Agency, (NAMA), and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) should pay more attention to the provision of state-of-the-art flying equipment to enhance safety and assist pilots to do their jobs professionally, among others.