No be lie I go talk am o! The Federal Government don drop N87,309,964,483 for Ministry of Aviation for 2026 budget wey dem send go National Assembly. E no reach wetin dem carry come last year, wey be N105,953,496,365, so na about N18.6 billion dem don reduce.
But make I yan true, this new budget still dey better than wetin dem allocate for 2024, wey be N63,317,450,275. The document wey show all dis details tell us sey dem don put N14,779,174,252 for personnel costs, N2,338,000,548 for overhead, and a whopping N70,192,789,683 for capital projects.
Wetin dey sweet na say dem don plan to use N33,906,953,400 for maintain airport wahala, including terminal buildings, runways, and all dem fencing wey dey inside airport. Dem go even upgrade Wi-Fi for some airports, if you fit catch am for just N800 million, and water-cooling chillers go dey installed for Lagos and Abuja airports for N500 million.
As for the naija airport infrastructure matter, dem go design sewage treatment plant for Owerri Airport for just N21 million and do bi-annual Joint Aviation Trade Unions stakeholders’ forum wey go cost N150 million. Say wetin? Cracks go seal on runways and taxiways for Port Harcourt, Kano, and Lagos with N800 million.
And e no stop there o! Dem don plan to do serious refurbishment for Katsina and Calabar airports wey go chop small small money like N175 million and N200 million respectively. Maiduguri Airport apron go expand too for N800 million. Dem no wan hear say nobody sabi do airport wahala.
The big guy for Aero Contractors, Ado Sanusi, don come out talk say make Federal Government o, anybody dey sleep on top una aviation wahala. Him talk say policies alone no go solve the issue wey don dey for the industry since. Na proper reforms wey go touch every corner of the aviation sector we need.
Sanusi make case for second runway wey go plenty better gree for Abuja and Lagos upgrade, so that airlines go fit operate like kings. He talk sey, “We dey look up to see infrastructure wey go change our operations. All dis policies dey fine but we still need proper work to fit fly well for aviation.”
Him face dey serious as he dey question all dis reforms wey dem dey shout about, sey if dem no go touch the private sector and involve investors, e go just dey like say we dey joke for the aviation matter. E no be just about infrastructure alone, but everything wey concern aviation.”
Dis guy talk true, without proper framework and solid plans, na wetin we go just dey see na more talk and less action. Aviation sector go dey ground despite all dis budget and policy plans, no be so!
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