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RECENTLY, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu reshuffled his cabinet, thus bringing to an end the tenure of the ministers affected.
While six of the ministers were relieved of their jobs, fresh seven were appointed into different portfolios. Just as some were retained, some were redeployed to other ministries.
Again, while the Tinubu government has been criticised for retaining some of the ministers, few of those lucky to be retained must have been able to do so through their capacity and capability as witnessed in their outstanding performances in their different endeavours.
The minister of aviation and aerospace development, Festus Keyamo happened to fall into the category of the lucky ministers for having been able to carry out his assignment convincingly though with much more to do to successfully secure a special place in the heart of the government.
Therefore, it was not a surprise to many in the aviation sector when the name of Keyamo fell into the category of the Tinubu government’s favourite in view of the level of transformation he has achieved in the sector which prior to his coming had been thrown into a rudderless state following many unpopular policies foisted on the sector by the previous government.
Since the reshuffle, many key players who have commended the Tinubu government for still leaving Keyamo in aviation have expressed their confidence in his ability to further formulate policies which if well implemented will better the lot of the sector.
The Nigerian airlines under the aegis of Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) had in particular praised the government for retaining Keyamo in the sector.
According to the AON: “Since his initial appointment, Keyamo has demonstrated exceptional leadership, setting a new standard for the aviation sector. His relentless efforts and advocacy for policies that ensure the ease of doing business have brought about significant positive changes. AON members are proud to affirm that, under his stewardship, we have never had it this good.
“Through his dedication to implementing the Cape Town Convention, Honourable Keyamo played a pivotal role in improving Nigeria’s aviation rating from 40% to about 80% in a short period of time. His efforts in ensuring compliance with international standards facilitated greater access to aircraft financing and leasing, which bolstered the operational capacity of airlines and contributed significantly to the sector’s growth.”
Like the AON, other stakeholders have received the return of Keyamo with delight though with many challenging him not to rest on his oars While the Crucial Moment is joining others to congratulate Keyamo, it has however become pertinent to draw his attention to some areas he needs to focus on in his second coming which if well tackled, may write his name in gold at the end of his tenure.
For over one year now that Keyamo has been appointed to manage the affairs of the sector, many key players have expressed misgivings on why it has become almost impossible for him to remind the government that after one year in office, the different aviation agencies are still being managed without the board of directors.
The failure of the government to constitute the board of directors for the agencies was one of the major retrogressive mistakes made by the previous government which to a great extent led to the mismanagement of the sector by the former minister.
The absence of the boards was majorly responsible for the shenanigans that took place as the then minister for a whole eight years managed the sector at will without the boards to checkmate his excesses.
Despite the controversy this generated, many key players thought the present minister would have quickly learnt a serious lesson from this. But there seems to be no sign that the agencies will soon have the boards constituted under him.
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Also of concern is the inability of the minister as a legal icon to resolve the different litigations hanging on the neck of the government through one of the agencies, particularly the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).
For years, FAAN has been in court with some of its concessionaires, including BiCourtney Aviation Services Limited over the unclassified years approved to manage the MMA2 and the status of the General Aviation Terminal.
Other litigations hanging on the neck of government/FAAN include those between it and Maevis on one side, AIC and many others.
It is expected that the minister as a senior learned fellow will put these and other critical issues on the front burner in view of their sensitivity to the development of the sector.
Well, while the minister may have a very good reason for not paying attention to these problems in his first year in office, there is a great hope from many key players that the minister in his second coming will give priority to these areas.
