13th November
By Paul Mumeh (Abuja) and Rotmi Durojaiye (Lagos)

They have resorted to lobbying him with free tickets, but the man talks tough, and says he cannot be bought. He has the backing of the Villa.

Aviation workers too are gripped by fear. The unqualified are to be replaced with professionals.

Since the meeting, the operators have been sending emissaries to Fani-Kayode, pleading with him to tread softly.

One (name withheld) wrote to him on Friday, with a promise to offer free economy tickets to him, members of his family, and staff, throughout his tenure.

"I don’t take Greek gift," he snapped in reply. "It is against government anti-corruption crusade, it is against my personal philosophy. Anytime I or any member of my family or staff want to embark on any journey, God is ready to fund it. We do have the means to fund our journeys. I am happy God has not failed us in this regard. So, keep your gift to yourself."

Fani-Kayode has cautioned his staff not to entertain any airline operator not on appointment in his office, according to sources.

It was learnt that President Olusegun Obasanjo at the weekend also warned him not to succumb to pressure.

"If I send a note to you on behalf of any operator, tear it," the President was quoted as telling him at the Villa.

During his meeting with the airlines in Abuja last week, Fani-Kayode said a new government policy on aviation would determine how licences are issued and whether the right people issued them.

It would also determine whether licencees should continue to operate.

Any operator or personnel found to have committed criminal acts would be prosecuted and the licence of such an airline withdrawn.

To Fani-Kayode, it is time for consolidation in the industry, and those who cannot raise their capital base should be prepared to bow out.

"I am not here for a debate, I am here to give you a new government directive on how to sanitise the aviation industry. It is either you abide by the rules or you quit."

He urged them to buy new aircraft as the government may ban old ones.

As part of the clean up, the government is set to lay off about 4,000 aviation workers, as recommended by the Presidential Task Force on Aviation, headed by Air Marshal Paul Dike, the Chief of Air Staff.

Obasanjo last week ordered the Ministry of Finance to immediately release N19.5 billion to the Ministry of Aviation to facilitate implementation of the proposal. Part of the money will be used to pay severance packages.

In its report, submitted in June, the task force recommended a major restructuring of aviation agencies to weed out unqualified staff and inject professionally competent personnel, so as to raise efficiency level and fulfill the requirements of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).

Among those targeted are the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN); Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA); Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA); Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET); and Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria.

The Ministry of Aviation will equally lay off some.

Ill health, indiscipline, and old age are part of the yardsticks for the redundancy.

The task force recommended the disengagement of corrupt personnel, professionalisation of all directorates and removal of ageing workers, those whose productivity have stagnated, dwindled or those incompetent or not transparent in the conduct of official business.

The task force was set up by Obasanjo last December following the rash of air crashes. It probed the accidents and recommended measures to make Nigerian aviation more vibrant and competitive.

The recommendations covered the rehabilitation of infrastructure, funding, airline recapitalisation, accident investigation and reporting, insurance, bilateral air service agreements, manpower development, personnel, licensing, and restructuring of the NCAT.

Meanwhile, a posh helicopter worth N2.7 billion will be delivered to the Presidency on November 27.

This was announced at the weekend by Stephen Oronsaye, Principal Secretary to the President, during a budget defence session with the Senate Committee on Federal Character and Governmental Affairs.

The cost was factored into the 2006 budget for State House, which has a total allocation of N19,457,027,780 this year, but reduced to N14,999,999,396 in 2007.

Oronsaye told the committee that the warrant for all monies for the last quarter of the year has been released.

Committee Chairman, Ike Ekweremadu, said although he is yet to see the helicopter, the committee has been assured that it is one of the best available.

"Remember that on 29th of May 2007, Obasanjo would be leaving office and handing over to someone else. I cannot see him handing over a second-hand plane to someone else," he said.

He denied that the National Assembly is pampering Obasanjo by approving both a plane and a helicopter for him.

"Don’t forget that Mr. President is the symbol of this country, and, so, we cannot endanger his life. As he goes in May, he will not go with the helicopter. Some of the ones we are using presently were purchased during the Shagari era (1979 to 1983). We cannot compromise the life of our President."