Princess Stella Adaeze Oduah was an unusual draft in the nominations for Vanguard’s Man of the year. Neither her entrepreneurial skills which earned her a huge fortune in the oil and gas industry nor her acclaimed role in mobilising finances for Dr. Goodluck Jonathan’s presidential campaign mattered.

Rather, it was

’s six months stewardship of the nation’s aviation sector during which the convention of ineptitude and servitude to local and foreign interests was altered.

In six months of her ministerial duty, Oduah has significantly changed the scene.

Oduah’s first days in office as Minister of Aviation were, however, not totally pleasant. Given her relative inexperience in aviation, not a few stakeholders were critical of her appointment. Even more distasteful was her cultural gaffe during her first trip to Kano.

Princess Oduah in the manner of a down to earth businesswoman or as some said, a Nollywood actress, had arrived Kano on July 22 for the inspection of aviation facilities in Kano dressed in trousers and a blouse without a scarf. Host Governor Rabiu Kwankwanso had to reduce plans of a public reception to a private audience. A visit to the emir was ruled out.

*Adaeze

The Hajj terminals at Kano and Kaduna have been rebuilt and are besides other works in progress. As part of the Minister’s vision for the sector, the Ministry of Aviation is currently supervising the re-modelling of 11 airports across the country.

That is besides other strategic interventions in the sector that include the completion of the new control tower, runway resurfacing at Margaret Ekpo, Calabar, Ibadan, Maiduguri and Sokoto Airports, installation of low level wind shear alert system at Lagos airports and installation of six Doppler weather radar system; test running of the system in Abuja.

Importantly,when the concessionaire operating the new domestic terminal at the Murtala Muhammed Airport suddenly slammed a N2,500 tax on all passengers, it took the intervention of the Minister to halt the collections. It was an unusual intervention in a sector where operators had almost continuously collaborated with regulators to swindle passengers.

Princess Oduah’s deeds crossed national boundaries when the British authorities against the spirit of the Bilateral Air Services Agreement, BASA between Britain and Nigeria stopped Arik Air operations between Abuja and London’s Heathrow Airport.

The argument by the British was that Arik Air, which is currently the only operator from Nigeria servicing the Nigerian side of the agreement, could not obtain a slot for its flights from Abuja to Heathrow though the BASA gives each of the two countries 21 frequencies.

Under BASA the two British airliners British Airways and Virgin Atlantic operated all 21 frequencies, with both having seven each between Heathrow and Lagos and BA operating seven frequencies between Abuja and Heathrow.

Arik Air, which is the only Nigerian carrier currently operating flights into the UK, operates seven daily flights into Heathrow from Lagos and before the crisis in October, operated five flights a week into Heathrow from Abuja.

The import of the withdrawal of the five slots into Heathrow from Abuja from Arik meant that Nigeria could only operate seven flights out of its 21 frequencies to Britain while Britain continued to utilize its full 21 frequencies.

The persistence of the Ministry of Aviation in rectifying the harm done to Nigeria was an unusual development in the industry. Hitherto senior officials of the Ministry either under influence or whatever had continually mortgaged the interest of Nigeria and its airliners in favour of foreigners.

Remarkably, British Airways for one, has been given benefits including a dedicated check in area and a separate lounge. No Nigerian airline has been given those benefits in Nigeria and certainly not in Heathrow.

Besides, the Ministry of Aviation under Oduah’s watch, has also stepped into the ticketing differentials obtainable between Nigeria and London and between London and equidistant regions in the continent charged by BA and Virgin Atlantic.

The proactive actions of the Aviation Minister have no doubt cast her in a favourable light. Princess Oduah is the second runner up for Vanguard Man of the Year.