Port Harcourt — Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo sent me back to my childhood days when he dismissed many critics of the suspension of his order suspending flight operations by Dana Airline as puff-puff sellers posing as aviation experts. “The problem with this sector is that we have people who claim to be experts everywhere. Everybody is an aviation expert. People who have sold puff-puff at the airport will tell you that they have been at the airport for a long time, so they are aviation experts,” he said on national TV. I loved puff-puff as a kid in primary school in the Niger Delta. It was an ever-present help for troubled tummies especially during school hours when hunger pangs were known to visit. For those who don’t know, puff-puff is a concoction of flour, salt and sugar fried in balls. Cheap and affordable, it smells and tastes nice, especially eaten hot.
I’ve seen the stuff on snacks stands at airports in Nigeria, and I don’t know if the Minister had these in mind. Keyamo is a sharp-tongued Senior Advocate of Nigeria who doesn’t take prisoners in public discourse. He easily invents witty put-downs and delights headline writers with memorable sound bites. Imagine this: “Even airport puff-puff sellers claim to be aviation experts in Nigeria – Keyamo.”
On April 24, 2024, the Minister directed the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to suspend the operating licence of Dana Airline, barely two days after one of its aircraft skidded off the Lagos airport runway. The letter said: “In light of these incidents and with the paramount priority being the safety and well-being of our citizens and travellers, the Honourable Minister has directed that you immediately initiate the suspension of Dana Airline’s fleet until a comprehensive audit can be conducted. This audit should encompass all aspects of safety protocols, maintenance procedures, and financial health to ensure full compliance with our aviation regulations.”
The directive did not go down well with some stakeholders, among them a think-tank, the Aviation Roundtable and Safety Initiative (ASRTI.) It said the action “is contrary to law and process and to the promise of the honourable minister to respect both law and process and to restore autonomy to the NCAA.” Aside the puff- puff dimension, the Minister’s response to the criticism provides troubling insights into the state of Nigeria’s aviation industry and may explain why none of our five international airports (Lagos, Abuja, Kano, Port Harcourt and Enugu) is certified by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO.) Keyamo disclosed that an audit on Dana Airline two years ago “confirmed the unhealthy status of Dana aircraft.”
He was apparently referring to the suspension of the airline’s licence on July 20, 2022, after it was adjudged “financially unfit to maintain operations.” The airline had explained that the high cost of “jet fuel, unavailability of foreign exchange, and inflation” were the cause of its problems. However, the NCAA reinstated the license in November 2022, following what was described as “the airline’s success with NCAA audits.” The Minister disputed the reported outcome in his television interview. “There were internal reports before I came in under my predecessor that showed a series of infractions by the airline, and the conclusion was that they were not healthy enough to fly. What they did, how they did it before they told them to start flying again, we don’t know,” he said. Let me repeat the blinking words: “What they did, how they did it before they told them to start flying again, we don’t know.”
If the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development cannot understand or explain the decisions and actions of an agency under his supervision, then we are in trouble. If we look at it from this angle, his decision to suspend the same airline is the right one, but he should have gone further than that. He would have investigated why and how Dana planes were allowed to take to the sky again. Who did what? How? When? Why? Keyamo himself is aware of the problem. “The cleansing process is within the system because you see regulators at times buying big houses and driving big cars. Regulators who are supposed to be public servants,” he said in the interview. “They endanger the lives of Nigerians by cutting corners. Certain people, among them, falsify reports, checks, and training, among others. This sector is one of the most corrupt that I have seen because people bypass regulations.” Clearly, the matter on our hands is beyond puff-puff or Dana Airline. To fly or not to fly in Nigeria? This is the big question facing us.