EAGER to expand their tentacles, federal aviation authorities are in the final stages of adding more airports to their portfolio. Regarding this, the Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, Hamisu Yadudu, told a recent conference of aviation unions that three new airports being built by state governments would soon join the airports under the control of the agency. Bearing in mind that a majority of the airports being currently managed by FAAN are not viable, it is hard to share in FAAN’s expansionism.
Although the idea of FAAN taking over airports might appeal to the states, the plain truth is that the agency is already biting off more than it can chew. Currently, it is managing 22 airports. With three more, the number will climb to 25. Regrettably, a majority of the current airports are out of sorts, not delivering jobs or creating wealth. In the recent past, a $500 million Chinese loan, a N300 billion intervention fund and a N49 billion renovation pot have all been enmeshed in controversy, failing to deliver on the stated intentions to enhance aviation nationwide.
Official records illustrate the morass. Among the lot, only the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos can stand on its own. Yadudu, like the previous FAAN bosses, says that the MMA generates 80 per cent of the income being used to run the other airports. That means not even the other so-called international airports in Abuja, Port Harcourt, Enugu, Calabar and Kano are viable. That is a sobering thought. It should provoke a fundamental shift in FAAN’s business strategy. There are a handful of private airports and the way to go is to facilitate private sector investment and lead in the sector.
By extrapolation, state government-owned airports are also not economically viable. The records speak for themselves. FAAN data showed that, of the 15.2 million-passenger traffic in the industry in 2018, Lagos recorded 6.7 million, Abuja 4.6 million and Port Harcourt 1.14 million. Clearly, this means FAAN’s 19 other airports are struggling.
These negative economic indicators notwithstanding, several state governments own airports. Some are fast-tracking the process to build more. Aware that the Federal Government will later on take responsibility for managing them, the governors are sparing no efforts to establish airports in their domains. There are airports in Ibadan, Akure, Benin, Asaba, Yenagoa, Kaduna, Maiduguri, Makurdi, Sokoto, Owerri, Minna and other state capitals that exist only in name. Some airports in the north operate once or twice a year, perhaps during the pilgrimage to Mecca. To give a sense of viability, some governors acquire aircraft with taxpayers’ money and junket around.
In the midst of this uncertainty, Nasarawa, Ekiti, Osun, Jigawa, Abia, Anambra, Ogun, Kebbi and Bauchi are currently constructing airports. To create a notion of infrastructure enhancement, some of the governors label their pet projects cargo airports. To the uninitiated, that might sound impressive, but, generally, it is not a sustainable economic venture, as state governments build airports mainly to feather their political nests. Besides, very little commercial or productive activities are going on to warrant the white elephant.
Currently, the airport in Ibadan could serve the interests of the states contiguous to it. The same goes for the airport in Akure: the states close to it could utilise it for their export business. The airports in Sokoto, Kaduna and Kano can also serve the states in the North-West, some of which are engaged in constructing their own airports. Already, there are airports in Calabar, Uyo, Yenagoa and Port Harcourt, obviating the necessity of other airports in that region. Instead of airport projects, these states should join forces to build standard expressways to connect their domains and the airports to service their cargo businesses.
Worryingly, the Federal Government creates the impression that in aviation more is better. It might actually be in jurisdictions that prioritise economic benefits over political considerations. In this respect, data from London-based Aviation Council International stated that the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta, the United States, China’s Beijing Capital, UAE’s Dubai International, US’s Los Angeles and Japan’s Tokyo Haneda were the world’s top five most viable airports by passenger traffic in 2018. While Atlanta processed 107.39 million passengers that year to top the chart, Beijing had 100.98 in second. In third, Dubai saw 89.18 million passengers and Los Angeles received 87.53 million in fourth, while Tokyo rounded off the top five with 87.13 million passengers.
In Nigeria’s case, FAAN’s 22 airports recorded 12.7 million passengers in 2017. Nigeria’s total numbers are nowhere near the top global players. In 2018, this grew to 15.2 million, FAAN’s 2018 Annual Report stated. These figures pale in comparison with the global aviation trends, and it is easy to see why. Most Nigerian airports are derelict, inefficient, ill-equipped, with bribe-seeking officials and poorly lit runways. Impunity by the VIPs renders standard entry and exit security checks a joke. Early this year, international flights terminating at the MMIA were diverted to Accra in Ghana and other West African airports because the airport had not installed some navigation equipment during the harmattan season.
Therefore, FAAN should start from the basics. For now, the pressing needs of states are mainly social infrastructure, such as rural and urban roads, hospitals, schools and electricity, not grandiose airport projects.
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