Mkpoikana Udoma
Port HarcourtThe Federal Government on Thursday inaugurated an implementation team to drive its new initiative of collecting landing and take-off charges from helicopters operating in all platforms across the country’s airspace.
The team, according to the federal government’s consultant, Naebi Dynamic Concepts Limited, is expected to access all platforms, including oil rigs, airstrips, aerodromes and helipads located within the country.
The team, inaugurated by Naebi Dynamic Concepts Limited, comprised stakeholders in the aviation sector, including the Police, Department of State Services, Rivers State Government, Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, among others.
Speaking during the inauguration of the implementation committee for Rivers State held at the Port Harcourt International Airport, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Naebi Dynamic, Chike Stanley, commended President Muhammadu Buhari for the initiative.
Stanley explained that the inititive would help to generate over 15,000 jobs in the nearest future and curb criminality and restiveness among the youths.
He said he took the step to advance the mandate given to the firm by the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, which would help to increase the revenue generation in the sector and create employment opportunities across the country.
Stanley, who described the move as an internationally accepted standard, said no right-thinking oil multinational would flout the law, as contained in the amended NAMA Act.
He said: “Our mandate is to collect helicopter landing charges for IOCs and LOCs on all the platforms, oil rigs, airstrips, aerodromes, helipads, among others. The initiative is to generate jobs and increase the Internally Generated Revenue.
“It is also solving security problems. It has been tough but it has been wonderful. We are getting there. We have started. Already there is compliance at the airport and we hope to have more compliance. We thank the Minister for always giving us all the support that we need.
“I thank the President of Nigeria, who has created this platform. I thank the Minister of Aviation, who has stood his ground to ensure that jobs are created for Nigerian youths. In the next five years this platform will generate employment for more than 15,000 youths across the country.
“This will help to curb some level of insecurity. This opportunity will help to engage them. We have called the stakeholders to educate them on what has happened. They have written to NNPC, they have written to the Ministry of Petroleum. We are also taking people from these communities to train, employ and mentor.
“The essence of the meeting is a message that nobody is coming to harass any IOCs. This is a way to tell the IOCs that the government has directed access to be created to implement this.
“When you see them receive them. As an IOC you know that this is the standard practice in across the global aviation industry.
“This is an implementation committee for Rivers State. We are going to move from state to state. It is an implementation team to carry out the responsibility given to us by the Federal Government, and we have promise to give it our best.”
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