Lagos — That majority of
the pilots operating in Nigeria today are foreigners is no longer news.
The issue that is giving aviation stakeholders, pilots and the Federal
Government sleepless night is how to curtail the influx of foreign
pilots into country.
The incursion by these
foreign pilots has got to the stage that even Airline Operators of
Nigeria (AON) and the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and
Engineers (NAAPE) have started complaining about the unhealthy trend.
The reason for their
agitation is simple. While the influx of foreign pilots into the country
is having a negative effect on the economy, the development also
constitute a huge financial burden to the airlines.
Today, while close to 600
Nigerian pilots are roaming the streets searching for jobs; foreign
pilots are coming into the country in droves and securing jobs with
ease.
The influx made the
National Assembly through the Senate President, David Mark to say that
the lawmakers would consider a local content regulation for the nation's
aviation industry to compel airlines both local and foreign to employ
certain number of Nigerian pilots.
This was during the
unveiling of 127 pilots and aircraft maintenance engineers trained by
the Office of the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta.
The Senate President, who
was represented by Senate Deputy Leader, Abdul Ningi, said the
regulation would be passed into law in due course.
Foreign pilots
Employing foreign pilots
takes a huge chunk of airline's finance compared to securing the
services of their Nigerian counterparts. For example, the airlines
employing foreign pilots are expected to accommodate them in five star
hotels. Often times, they spend more time in their home country compared
to the time they spend working for the airline that employed them.
Besides, they do not contribute to the economy of Nigeria instead they
repatriate hard currency to their various home countries. The amount of
capital flight involved in the process of engaging foreign pilots is
enormous. But despite that, some airlines still run after them because
they do not want to spend money to train Nigerian pilots.
Experts' reaction
The proposed initiative
by the National Assembly has elicited further reactions on how best to
resolve the issue. The Chairman of Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON)
and the grand patron of Nigerian Professional Pilots (NPP), Capt. Nogie
Meggison, who confirmed the influx of foreign pilots into Nigeria,
called on the Federal Government to put in a place a proactive policy
that will address the projected 500 Nigerian licensed pilots that are
unemployed.
He said the number of
unemployed pilots would have increased significantly from the current
300 when the over 100 student pilots' sent to Jordan by the Kano State
government graduated later this year.
Meggison, who is not
comfortable with the development, said that unless something is done
urgently, such development constitutes a disincentive to the growth and
development of the Nigerian aviation industry.
He said well over 400
Nigeria licensed aircraft engineers are also out of job, appealing to
the Federal Government to put in place an employment policy that would
ensure these aviation professionals are engaged by both indigenous and
foreign carriers operating into the country.
The AON chairman said
that even though some domestic carriers have done well by engaging some
of the pilots, there is still room for improvement.
He posited that an
enabling policy that would check the influx of foreign pilots and
engineers by foreign register through the number of flying hours would
go a long way to assist Nigerian licensed pilots.
Meggison said there are
over 1,000 foreign pilots engaged by both local and foreign registered
airplane flying in Nigeria and that apart from that, there are over 500
foreign aircraft engineers employed in the country.
According to him, "The
government should compel foreign carriers to set up a line station for
aircraft maintenance in the country and employ local engineers to assist
in turning around line maintenance and log time this will go a long way
to assist the growth of the sector. They should look into other avenues
also, if policies are not put in place the challenge of unemployment of
pilots and engineers may not be resolved as soon as possible."
He continued, "It is
shameful that qualified Nigerian licensed youth pilots and engineers are
now driving 'kabu Kabu' to make ends meet. This is totally
unacceptable. Over the years, the aviation industry has grown. About six
years ago, the number of private jets has increased from 20 to 150.
Even, commercial airplanes have grown from 20 to 100, but it has not
reflected to the employment of our youths, who are qualified trained as
pilots and engineers with commercial pilot license."
He said it was time the
Federal Government implemented and enforce the expatriate quota policy
in the aviation sector to create room for the employment of indigenous
professionals, as being practiced in most parts of the world.
Meggison cited Brazil,
India, Cameroon, Russia and Egypt as some of the countries where
policies exists that prescribes that on every airplane cockpit there
must be a national passport holder inside.
"For any aircraft that is
flying in such countries, whether local or foreign registered once the
airplane has stayed in the country for more 30days cumulating in one
year it must comply with cockpit laws," he said.
The JedAir boss said that
apart from the implementing the policy, another way to create jobs for
indigenous professionals in the aviation industry is the establishment
of aircraft maintenance centers.
"Government needs a
policy to create avenues for qualified youths to get employment in the
aviation sector. About 2000 skilled professional jobs can be created in
first year, while 5000 skill jobs could be created in the next three
years." he said.
He pointed out that one
of the ways of achieving this is by opening aircraft maintenance line
station in Nigeria like most other countries, where aircraft engineers
could be employed.
In his words, "Our
neighbour Senegal gave a six months' notice that expires July 15th as
deadline for all foreign carriers to joint venture locals or open lines
station in Dakar or face suspension and the carriers have all complied.
We need a policy to drive employment of both indigenous pilots and
aircraft engineers."
He said that it is the
practice in other countries of the world and that government creates a
conducive policy to drive employment of key aviation professionals,
adding that in countries like Ethiopia, Kenya, South Africa and Egypt,
their governments have perfected plans on how to use their aviation
sector to create jobs for their youth.
The AON chairman said
this explains why these countries now export skilled aviation
professionals including pilots, aircraft engineers, cabin crew, quality
assurance mangers and technicians to other parts of the world and that
there is no reason Nigeria with an estimated population of 170 million
people should not export skilled aviator to other parts of year world.
He maintained that
government needs to address this problem, adding that even, the last
batch of 65 aircraft engineers that graduated from the Nigerian College
of Aviation Technology (NCAT) since last year 2013, not even one is yet
to get job.
Meggison added that on
the other hand, there are over 500 foreign aircraft engineers in Nigeria
and that most of the foreign carriers are putting flying spanners;
engineers on board in the business class to fly to Nigeria instead of
setting up a line station.
According to him, "There
is need for government policies to make them to open line maintenance
stations to provide hands on job training for Nigerians youths. If you
go on board any Emirates, Etihad, Saudi Air, Kuwait or Qatar Airways
flight, there is always other Africa nationals from other countries, who
are aviation professionals exported to other countries. Whereas
Nigerian with her vast educated youth population is nowhere to be found
on board any of the flight".
"60 years after our first
commercial flight by BOAC, It's time we create of jobs for our youths
in the aviation sector and be a major aviation force and contributor of
skilled aviator to the world, where one in every African aviator is a
Nigerian," he added.
On his part, an aviation
analysts, Olumide Ohunayo, who commended the National Assembly for the
proposed local content bill on aviation to compel airlines employ
Nigerian pilots, however, berated the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority
(NCAA) for not implementing the Civil Aviation Act.
He argued that if NCAA
cannot monitor and implement the Civil Aviation Act, there is no way the
bill proposed by the National Assembly or any decision reached by the
National Conference can change its mentality.
"In consonance with the
proposed National Assembly bill, the conferees are asking for an
increase in Nigerian participation in operation and services. This call
would be unnecessary if NCAA had lived up to its responsibility by
implementing the Civil Aviation Act to the letter. If the NCAA cannot
monitor and implement now, how will a bill or the Confab decision change
that mentality? he asked.
He suggested that the
Nigerian aviation content bill should not be limited to personnel alone,
but other operational services with the enshrined principle of
reciprocity and investment.
Commenting on the local
content bill for aviation mooted by the National Assembly to address the
influx of Nigerian pilots and engineers, the National Association of
Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE) said that it fully support the
idea by the legislators, describing it as a right step in the right
direction.
According to a statement
signed by the Public Relations Officer, Bunmi Gindeh, NAAPE is happy
because when enacted, it would make it compulsory for both local and
international airlines to employ Nigerian pilots and aircraft
maintenance engineers.
According to him, "The is
overjoyed with the statement of intention of the President of the
Senate, Federal Republic of Nigeria with regard to an impending Aviation
Local Content Act. We are particularly happy that the intended Act will
make it mandatory for Local and Foreign Airlines to engage Nigerian
Pilots and Aircraft Maintenance Engineers. We consider this statement to
be a monumental bright spot in the life of this assembly which will be
greatly celebrated when actualized."
Accordingly, NAAPE, he
said supports the National Assembly towards the realization of this
laudable project, as well as an unshakeable commitment to seeing it
through, adding that NASS can count on the co-operation and partnership
of NAAPE in all material respect to the project, particularly in the
aspect of technical information and materials.
The body appealed to the
Federal government to endeavor to use the Nigeria College of Aviation
Technology (NCAT) Zaria, which has standard training facilities and
manpower for training of pilots and Aircraft Maintenance Engineers
(AMEs).
Speaking on the issue,
the National President of Air Transport Services Senior Staff
Association (ATSSSAN), Benjamin Okewu, said that there are laws to
checkmate the influx of foreign pilots into Nigerian aviation but that
the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) in connivance with the Human
Resource Manager of these airlines are flouting the rules.
Okewu added that apart
from NASS initiating a local content bill for aviation industry, he
alleged that what happened is that when these pilots are entering
Nigeria, what they fill in their forms would be different from what the
jobs they are doing for the airline.
He said that this is done in connivance with airlines employing these foreign pilots.
Source: http://allafrica.com
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