By EMMANUEL ELEBEKE

Recently, Delta state government commissioned the newly constructed Asaba airport, increasing the number of airports in the country. While some commended the initiative as a landmark project, others saw it as a duplication of the existing ones. In this interview, former President of Nigerian Aviation Safety Initiative, NASI, Captain Tito Omaghomi, says the airport has grave implication for safety. He also commented on security and infrastructure c at the nation’s airports. He, in this interview, also speaks on the recent attainment of category 1 certificate by FAAN, infrastructure at the nation’s airports and autonomy of NCAA. Excerpts:

The newly constructed Asaba international airport recently came into operation, as an experienced aviator, do you think it is proper for all the states in Nigeria to have an airports as others who do not have may want to have theirs?

I think the number of airports in Nigeria is sufficient. People are duplicating airports in Nigeria like Delta State government is doing. Let’s look at it. You have an airport in Benin, and another in Warri and now Asaba. Tomorrow, somebody will have an airport in Sapele. It is good to have airport but people don’t know the technical implications of having airports very close to themselves. Example: the airports in Port Hacourt, Owerri, Enugu are definitions for airport area.

How do you mean?

From the geographical centre of an airport up to certain radius constitute an airport area. So, when two airports fall in the same airport area, that is an accident looking for where to happen.

You take off from PH airport going east bound, you see Enugu airport under you. If you are going southern, you see Owerri airport. From Benin, before you finish making your turn, you see Asaba airport, Warri airport. These airports are too close to each other.

Everybody wants an airport in his state but they don’t consider the safety implications. This is a prestigious project. Nobody wants to go too far before entering airplane to Abuja but, at the same time, they should look at the proximity of these airport areas. They lie within airport area which can be hazardous. I’m talking to you as an FAA advanced instructor with licence and I flew airplane for 35 years before I retired.

The spate of bobing in the country is on the increase, how can we enhace security at the nation’s airports?

Security in our nation’s airports is porous. With airports, we all know that the world is a global village. What affects Murtala International Airport affects Miami International Airport, JFK International Airport, and other airports across the globe. So, if security is right here, it is right in all these airports. If it is wrong, it is wrong in all airports. It can be right in Miami and JFK international airports but if it is not right here in the MMA, Lagos, it is not right anywhere in the world.

From my observation, I discovered that cars are packed indiscriminately at our airports, left, right and centre. Some are abandoned right there in front of departure. FAAN should d o something about it. Anybody can come there with cars full of bombs and abandoned them there. Then, it will be a national disaster.

How can Nigeria sustain the category 1 certification recently attained from the US FAA.certification?

Well, I have to congratulate the aviation industry in Nigeria, especially the director general of NAMA. However, what they should know is that it is one thing to have the certification and another thing to keep it. And so the attainment of the certification is not a guarantee. It is all about sustainability . If you can’t maintain it, it will be withdrawn. It is our duty now to maintain what we have obtained and we need to work harder to maintain it.

Do you think the management deserve commendation?

The DG of NCAA and his team have done a good job with the co-operation of all other agencies because I know how stringent checks can be. The NCAA doesn’t joke with checks and they can come at anytime without notice. Whatever NCAA has done to attain this feat, they should maintain it, for it to be worthy of its attainment.

How would you assess the infrastructure at the nation’s airports?

We are trying. They said they have 100% radar coverage now, which is the most important thing when you talk about infrastructure. It is not the indigenes that make up an airport. Facility has to be there so that you can take off and land. There used to be a time when if you come to Lagos, you can’t land , you have to use Cotonou as your alternate and you go to a small country to and land because all the facilities are working. If you go to Lome, as well, you land because the facilities are working.

They don’t have big structures in those airports. Their airport terminals are like huts compared to MMA, Lagos but the facilities are right; that is why we use those airports as alternate airports.

National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers, NAAPE, has of recent been agitating against domination of airlines by expatriate pilots, which has left most of its members jobless.

What can’r Nigeria have a national career?

Airways which government did not pay for. So, how could such an airline make profit? I have taken the minister of external affairs from Lagos to Nairobi, where the plane was kept on the ground for one week and revenue was being lost and government didn’t pay.

The Prime Minister of Britain, when he is flying, going on official tour, the best they can do is to block the 1st class, passengers will be at the back and they go wherever they want to go. In Britain, you can’t withdraw a whole airplane and say you want to fly the prime minister. It is not done but this is what we did in this country for so long time, especially during Olympic games, government missions, peace missions, etc.

Is the NCAA, in your opinion, really autonomous, especially considering that the minister of aviation still has influence on the DG’s operations?

I don’t think so. That organization is presumed to be autonomous. If the man at the head allows himself to be used by the minister or interfere in his operations, it is quite unfortunate. It is either he has something to hide or he is not sure of himself. And that will be sad. We need technocrats to man all these parastatals. They should be able to bring to the notice of the minister decisions they need to take for the good of the aviation industry.

Definitely, the minister will bow to them. I can recall the time the MD of FAAN Peter Igbinedion fell out with the ministers, fought with them as they went and came, refused to dance to their tunes and held his ground. He still went away with it and nobody could touch him. If everybody could maintain his stand, the minister will not impose himself on them.

What would be your advice to government?

The pilot is like a wine. The older the wine, the better it becomes. People always talk about new airplanes but nobody is talking about new pilots because a new pilot has no experience. With new airplane, we are happy with older pilots but, now, Nigeria has thrown away all her pilots. They have all left to look for greener pasture. Nigeria Airways was a training ground for pilots.

I make bold to tell you that Nigeria is the only place in the world where you see a pilot holding a licence that has six to eight type-ratings of aircraft he is licensed to fly. Anywhere in the world, people just train on one airplane, and they fly it until they retire, but the average Nigerian pilot has 6,7 -8 type-ratings on his licence.

So, government should think of having their own national carrier in view of what is happening in Dakar. What will happen in the next Hajj operation, when people will go on pilgrimage and nobody will bring them back? It is the Nigeria Airways that was doing the monkey job for government.