Business
Aviation Sector Generates 60,000 Jobs In 12 Months -Maku
The Minister of Information, Mr Labaran Maku,
on Wednesday said that the aviation sector had created no fewer than 60,000
jobs in the last 12 months.
Maku said this while briefing State House
Correspondents about the outcome of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting
presided over by President Goodluck Jonathan, at the State House, Abuja.
He said that most part of the council meeting
was devoted to review of the progress made in the last 12 months by Ministries
of Aviation and that of Telecommunication Technology, respectively.
Maku said that in a power-point presentation
by the Minister of Aviation, Ms Stella Oduah, the
council was shown the progress made in the
reconstruction of the local terminals of 11 airports across the country.
He added that the sector witnessed
significant improvement in the installation of safety standard equipment,
comparable to those in developed countries of the world.
He said that Oduah had also proposed the
expansion of six new international airports in 2013, while
the Murtala Mohammed International Airport,
Lagos, and the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, would be made
regional hubs of aviation in West Africa.
Maku said the plan to have a national carrier
that would be private sector-driven was ongoing and special cargo terminals
would be constructed in some states to promote the agriculture sector.
The Minister of Communication Technology, Mrs
Omobola Johnson, also made a power-point presentation to the council on the
ministry’s achievements in less than 18 months of its establishment.
Johnson said the ministry had shown
commitment to the development of the broad-band technology to expand Internet
and telephone services.
She said the ministry had developed
programmes of access to computer by children, capacity building for civil
servants in the field of technology as well as local content development.
She noted that the ministry contributed 5.7
per cent to the country’s GDP and enhanced
job creation for youths.
She added that the ministry was developing
e-governance platform through the establishment
of ICT Contact Centre, where people could
assess information on the country.