Following the high rate of air disasters in the country and in line with reforms in the aviation sector, Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), yesterday demanded that only brand new aircraft should be allowed to operate in the Nigerian airspace.
Speaking to newsmen in Abuja, the President of NSE, Ademola Isaac Olorunfemi, said that aviation is the life blood of global economy.
“It remains the most sophisticated industries in the world with enormous potential economic advantages. We commend the president for embarking on the restructuring of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA). However, the government must deliberately continue to create enabling environment for the industry to thrive through strategic policy formulation,” he said.
According to him, Nigeria has 22 federally-owned airports and an estimated passenger volume of 15 to 20 million by the year 2020, an indication that the country must ensure sound economic policies to make aviation a vehicle for national development and transformation.
“The public wants to be assured that aviation is safe. They want an aviation industry that offers choice and value. This can only be achieved by paying quality attention to safety, surveillance and human capital development in the industry,” he said.
Meanwhile, in a bid to tackle unemployment and low productivity in the Nigerian economy, NSE and the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency (SMEDAN) are collaborating with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between them.
The MoU is aimed at ensuring the substitution of imported products with indigenous alternatives, advocate and create awareness within the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) subsector on the need to imbibe the culture of patronising made in Nigeria goods, among other objectives.
Also speaking, the NSE president disclosed that in the MoU, the society shall identify research output and recommend same to SMEDAN for commercialisation. It will also provide information on available technologies in research institutions and advocate the mopping up of existing MSMEs development funds in various organisations for their effective utilisation to promote MSMEs in Nigeria.
This, according to him, would bring about the much-needed provision of sustainable infrastructure for the socio-economic development of Nigeria. Director General of SMEDAN, Alhaji Bature Masari, stated that the MoU would help in increasing productivity and tackle the high unemployment issue within the Nigerian economy.
Source : SunOnline