SICK NATION, SICK JUNGLE, SICK LEADERS, AND VERY SICK FOLLOWERS/WORSHIPPERS
Nothing can be more painful than the pain of living in today’s Nigeria and the daily leadership shame that we experience every day
It is no longer news that most international airlines diverted their flights to Accra Ghana because the Instrument Landing Systems/facilities in Nigeria major airports are not working. What a shame !
Annually, the Federal Aviation Authority of Nigeria collects over N100billion / $277million from both local and international passengers that pass through our airports. These are revenues from the average 4.3m international passengers that they charge $50 each and the N1000 they take from the average 16million to 17million passengers that pass through the domestic routes.
These revenue lines just do not include the fees airlines and other users of the airports pay to the FAAN purse .
To instal and operate a world class and working ILS at any of our international airports with all the support infrastructure will not cost more than $10m/N3.6billion . The annual maintenance fee is just $1m/N360m
So, why is it so difficult for an agency that extorts conservatively over N160billion/$450m from passengers and stakeholders , who use our airports annually, to bring out as little as $10m to fix the main instrument that can help aircrafts take off and landing at our key airports .?
What is holding us back from totally LIBERALIZING AND PRIVATIZING THE MANAGEMENT OF OUR AIRPORTS to capable private sector operators .
GATWICK airport is owned and managed by GIP, which is pioneered by a Nigerian , Bayo Ogunlesi. Gatwick is far bigger and more professionally run than any airport we have in Africa , not to talk of the shithole , called Nigeria.
Most of our airports are like pigstyles . It is so annoying and frustrating for us to be subjected to so much suffering just because we refused to do the right things and have saddled conscienceless and grossly incompetent men and women with the task of running our MDAs.
Why have we refused to privatize the management of our key international airports? If Bayo Ogunlesi can excellently manage Gatwick, why can’t we beg him and allow him run our airports? Why do we love hurting ourselves.?
How can we continue to allow the lives of 198m people be messed up daily by these incompetent goons? How ? Why ?
The terrible pain and anguish that many Nigerians have been subjected to over the last 4 days, because their flights were diverted to accra Ghana is better imagined than experienced….
Ghana /Ghanians of all places and people are now the people showing us the way and rescuing us. How low can we sink before we all rise up to scream and stop this madness?
It is truly finished..ichabod. 😭😭😭
Nnaemeka Obiaraeri is a political and business commentator.
The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author.
