The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Policy and Coordination, Hadiza Bala Usman, has called for reforms within Nigeria’s aviation sector.
In a meeting with key officials from the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Usman, who is the Head of the Central Results Delivery Coordination Unit (CRDCU), recommended revisiting the draft policy on sanctions for airlines, stressing the importance of addressing the growing number of flight delays and cancellations.
The meeting with key officials of the aviation ministry led by the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, was part of CRDCU’s engagement with Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) to review the Q1–Q3 2024 Performance Assessment Report on the implementation of Presidential Priorities and Ministerial Deliverables.
The meeting was also attended by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr. Ibrahim Kana; Managing Director/CEO of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Mrs. Olubunmi Kuku; and other heads of departments and agencies under the Ministry.
The Special Adviser commended Keyamo and leadership of the Ministry for ensuring progress within the sector. However, she expressed concerns with the Ministry and its agencies over their submission of incomplete information, which hinders the independent assessment of progress towards achieving certain deliverables.
She also highlighted the Ministry’s shortcomings in stakeholder and customer engagement, a key deliverable that also requires urgent improvement.
The Special Adviser recommended that the Ministry and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) revisit the draft policy on sanctions for airlines.
She described this critical given the increasing number of flight delays and cancellations and the impact on affected passengers.
She further recommended a revision of the current target of 224 days for resolving customer complaints, describing it as unrealistic and in need of urgent recalibration to align with global best practices.
She further emphasised the need to revise the current target of 224 days for resolving customer complaints, describing it as unrealistic.
Minister Festus Keyamo thanked Usman for her recommendations and assured that the Ministry would address the concerns raised and improve performance in the sector.