From IKENNA EMEWU, AbujaThe tussle between the Minister of Aviation, Princess Stella Oduah and the forces opposed to her office may not have abated as she has revealed that the fighters have not relented. In a chat with the media last weekend, in Abuja, Oduah said that beyond the political side to her travails, “so many entrenched interests in the aviation sector that for over 38 years, have held the sector according to their personal dictates, have refused to allow any meaningful development and change take place.”
She said that the persons and their agents were bent on rubbishing her for selfish interests, but vowed never to allow such interests to distract her from her goal of transforming the country’s aviation sector. Her words: “For over 38 years that our airports remained damning commentary on our status as part of the civilised world, or when our airspace existed without the modern and workable equipment and facilities to make the airspace safe, these category of persons saw no evil and heard no evil while they happily clapped their way to the banks. This group has carried on with bitter venom, throwing decency and honour overboard, lying and misleading the Nigerian populace even when they knew the truth, because my team and I changed the game in favour of Nigeria attaining her pride of place.” She described these groups as, “the entrenched, corrupt and profligate individuals and entities that have caused the serious rot in the aviation sector, adding, “I owe no apologies; all I owe them is to further inform them that the current generation has seen through them and are no longer willing to tolerate their antics.”
The minister noted that her initial enthusiasm was almost doused when she became aware of what transpired when the Permanent Secretary of the ministry appeared before a committee investigating into the ministry’s activities.
Preferring not to comment on the bulletproof cars saga, the minister said the transformation agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan has changed the ways of doing things significantly in the country, as the president recognised the infrastructural deficit in the nation and has taken bold steps to address them in order to bequeath to the next generation, a nation that can compete favourably in the comity of nations and imbue it with pride and patriotism.
“The massive investment and the aggressive prosecution of this agenda in this regard, have seen the aviation sector being transformed. Today, 22 airports owned by the Federal Government are at various stages of becoming decent and world class terminals. Nigeria’s airspace has become one of the safest in the world with the deployment of modern navigational equipment and infrastructure. The oversight capacity of the sector has been strengthened with the relevant regulations in place and the training and retraining of personnel.
“Our National Aviation Policy has been reviewed to chart the path to a safer and secure aviation sector.”
ReplyDelete“Corruption is not fought without due process being observed and he who is occupying a serious position should know a lot about it,but in your case the speedy work has spoken so much on the nature of personalities around you and the sector transformation thats ongoing.......Kudos to you madam but remain focus so that these bees don't distract you....Hon Daniel J.
Thank God for an air of calm that has returned to the Aviation ministry and the speedy progress of work going on in the aviation sector..madam just intensify your efforts on the work and foster your strenght on the facilities in the remodelling process in all the airports than trying to give ears to those who tend not to understand the sensitivity invovled in the aviation sector.But thank God for the drive of excellence in you ma...Chief Yusuf A.Magu
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