The House Committee on Aviation has commended the reappointment of Senator Hadi Sirika as Minister of Aviation by President Muhammadu Buhari saying it was good for continuity
The Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Nnolim Nnaji said that he would expect the Minister to hit the ground running because he was already familiar with the terrains.
“There are so much to be done within a short time to prepare the industry for the challenges posed by the emerging African Continental Free Trade Area (AFCFTA), so we don’t need a new person that will require a lot of time to learn the ropes”, he said.
The lawmaker representing Nkanu East and West Federal Constituency, Enugu State also stated that he is happy the Minister was coming at the time the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, (FAAN) was commencing the reconstruction of the Enugu Airport runway.
He urged the Minister whom he said understood the problems associated with Enugu airport, to use his knowledge as a seasoned aviator to ensure that the right things were done immediately because of the importance of the airport to the South East.
“I am sure he will be interested in finding out how the Enugu airport runway failed within six years of commissioning and believe he will assist our committee in unraveling the circumstances that led to the collapse of the runway during our investigation,” Nnaji said.
While congratulating him on his reappointment, Nnaji equally assured him of the cooperation of his committee towards providing a safe, viable and reliable air transport industry for the country.
He stressed that he welcomed his new portfolio as a substantive Minister of Aviation, which according to him would enable the Minister to be focused solely on the aviation industry.
The aviation committee chairman further made case for adequate funding of the industry because of its strategic role in stimulating the economy of Nigeria.
Nnaji who expressed concern over the glaring dominance of foreign airlines on the nation’s major international routes said that the legislative arm of government would work closely with the executive arm of government to correct the imbalance.
