Leadership (Abuja)
9 January 2009
opinion
Somehow, the new minister of aviation, Mr Babatunde Omotoba, reminds me of Femi Fani-Kayode, the former aviation minister. Both of them took over the ministry at a very young age. They are from the South-West. Their first major war as minister of aviation was with British Airways and both aggressively challenged the status quo (at least, on the pages of newspapers). The aggressive style, in a way, worked for Fani-Kayode, who lasted only six months, but within that period cynics in the system stayed below the horizon. Everyone was weary of the minister's vicious verbal attacks and his no-nonsense stance on some issues. The press was actively behind him and he paved his way in the little time he spent in the ministry. Before any of his weaknesses was exposed, he had left the scene and was virtually regarded as a messiah whose tenure witnessed no aircraft accident. In Fani-Kayode's words, "I had to fight many cult members in the aviation system with intense prayers to overcome their blood-thirsty desires to derail the sector." Whether cultism exists in our aviation system or not, one absolute truth is that there are constant plots to pull down many of those heading the agencies by those in the ministry and, also, by those in the agencies or parastatals under the ministry.
The former minister of aviation, Mr. Felix Hassan Hyat, was very gentle in his approach to issues in the industry. He had very little time to understand the cynical human nature of those in the system. He spent most of his time trying to instil justice and fair play and, at the same time, he was managing the fragile human intrigues that have become conspicuous symbols of failure of all the sectors of our economy. Mr. Hyat underrated the tenacity of those working with him despite warnings of impending backstabbing by his core lieutenants. He was too humane and just for a system that needs radical approach to overcome such intrigues. He realised too little too late that those who were brought into the system by former ministers of aviation paid more loyalty to their godfathers than any newly appointed minister of such gentility.
Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke, also a former minister of aviation, had too much to chew when she had to combine both aviation and the entire transport ministry. Aviation mafias hijacked her before she ascended the throne, and she virtually complied with their whims and caprices while in office. Looking back at her tenure, one can say that she worked tirelessly for those who dictate the pace of selfish interests in aviation sector in Nigeria. They are the lords of the system and the sector, and their interests must be protected at all times, whether the majority of Nigerians are ill-affected or not. These people would lobby the presidency or National Assembly to entrench their cronies in the system at all costs in order to serve their assumed righteous motives.
The new minister of aviation has a lot to contend with, especially in the areas of human intrigues and dire selfish desires of those working in and outside the system. A godfather may have installed the minister, who knows? And who cares? But what he does now while in office will surely become part of his testimonial when he leaves. There are always conflicts of interests, greed and selfishness in every government office in Nigeria and they have become part of our tradition. The future of this country, and the overall survival of the system mean nothing to an average civil servant and some of those given the responsibility to move the nation forward. Everyone wants to grab the biggest part of the Christmas turkey called Nigeria as much as possible within the shortest time before inevitable retrenchment. These people would kill, if necessary, to scare away any opposition to their intent to loot. Nigerians have come to embrace this popular culture and everyone is scrambling to lay his or her hands on the next lucrative government appointment to suck dry. No one is rational anymore because our ultimate values lie in how much one is worth financially, irrespective of the source of the money. Powerful Nigerians would pull down the very few people trying to make a positive difference in the system, since their interests may not be safeguarded.
A few weeks ago, the rector of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria, was subjected to yet another round of investigation by a group of people from the Ministry of Aviation as part of a fact-finding mission based on a petition by an anonymous petitioner who had accused the rector of selling the college's airplanes and, at the same time, giving the past minister of aviation, Mr Hyat, a "Ghana-must-go" bag of money. He was also accused of giving his official car to his family to use. Although there was no iota of truth in each and every accusation leveled against the rector, the plan to stir these issues was conceived in the ministry by someone whose interests were not protected enough. If the current rector were as vulnerable as his predecessor, Abba-Gana, who spent ten wasted years in the college appeasing those in the ministry, he would have had less confrontations or challenges. For the first time in the history of NCAT, the institution can boast 600 students in various arms of the school, and with flying students graduating on schedule. NCAT has become vibrant again after more than 20 years of repulsive inactivity. Unfortunately, this elated vibrancy means that some people's attention would be drawn to the college to sniff any available funds that must be drained through their proxies, or the rector must be removed for a more complying or obedient representative who must dance to their tune and would ultimately be rewarded with longevity on the job. That is how diabolical the system has become and, of course, very few people view this panoramically.
The challenges before the new minister are enormous and he needs more than a simple hawk's eye to see the difference between the essentials and the accessories. What exists in the aviation system in Nigeria right now is a replication of the overall national dilemma where the will to keep the nation on the right path has been dwarfed by individual desires to attain the illusive height of social respect through financial success. As the nation dies, so does the aviation system.
There is no roadmap of aviation development in Nigeria. Although the former minister, Hyat, made mention of the need for it, he did not have enough time to introduce it. The roadmap should be our compass to guide the sector to a more standardised flow of ideals and targets. The aviation system in Nigeria is completely ambiguous; even those who claim to be in it find it utterly shapeless as human intrigues have overshadowed rational acumen or thoughts.
Yes, it is too early to demand from the new minister a profound direction to take and to find out his vision for the sector, but, by and large, it has become his responsibility right from the moment he swore to the oath "to serve Nigeria and uphold the Ministry of Aviation with honesty and dedication". The validity of that oath should commence right about now by his trying to understand, first, the negative elements overweighing the system through their negative force of gravity. For those who are science-oriented, gravitational force is not negative in every aspect because, once thrust overcomes drag, lift is achieved at the same time. The same gravitational force is necessary to bring the airplane back to the ground. What the system is in dire need of is lift, and we must strive to overcome those who create drag in the system.
It is very difficult to ascertain how human intrigues are exhibited, as man himself is very complex. Good and evil come from the same family and even both parents are, sometimes, deceived about who is who. Separating good from evil may be difficult for the minister right now, but the difference between good and evil is visible to any rational person that is genuinely passionate about separating the two. The system must be overhauled for development to reign supreme, or we may, as well, dwell in the status quo.
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