Business
Bureau Hails FG Over 5% PSC Approval
The Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB), has lauded the Federal Government for approving that five per cent of the revenue from Passengers Service Charge (PSC) should be remitted to the bureau.
The approval for the remittance of the revenue, collected by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), was given by the Minister of State for Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika.
The Tide source reports that the AIB Commissioner, Mr Akin Olateru, made the disclosure when he spoke to newsmen recently at the bureau’s headquarters at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos.
Olateru decried the criticisms that had trailed the move from a section of the aviation industry, noting that several AIB projects had been stalled because of paucity of funds.
He said, “Anybody that says it is not fair for us to get a part of the PSC is wicked because who owns the two agencies? It is the Federal Government.
“We all share the Ticket Sales Charge (TSC) and FAAN doesn’t share its PSC with anybody and the government in its wisdom says ‘FAAN, please give AIB five per cent.’ I don’t think that is too much. It is within the power of the minister to do that.’’
He said the AIB only gets a meagre three per cent of the revenue from the five per cent TSC and the Cargo Sales Charge (CSC) collected on behalf of the parastatal agencies by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), while other agencies get more.
According to him, NCAA in accordance with the Civil Aviation Act 2006, gets 58 per cent, while the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), earns 23 per cent.
Olateru added that, the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), gets seven per cent, while the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET), earns 9 per cent of the total sum.
He noted that of the agencies in the sector, only FAAN earns the PSC 100 per cent and still collects charges for adverts, parking and landing of aircraft and tolls from vehicles coming in and exiting the airports across the country.
The AIB commissioner said paucity of funds had stalled the release of the over 35 accident investigation reports, due to non-training of accident investigators since 2013.
Meanwhile, a combined team of officials from Singapore and the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), have arrived in Nigeria on Sunday to assist AIB in the technical evaluation of its Flight Safety Laboratory and capacity development.
Olateru, who confirmed the development, said the Singaporean team was led by Mr Michael Toft, while Mr Caj Frostel led the ICAO team.
He said that Nigeria decided to call on Singapore for the training of its personnel on the equipment as the Asian country had the same equipment.
Olateru described the laboratory equipment as unique, noting that only Nigeria had the state-of-the-art facility among West African countries.
“We wrote to Singapore because they have the same equipment as ours and graciously, they have agreed to support us with the required manpower and training
“The team arrived Nigeria today (Sunday) and will be in Abuja to train us on how to get the best out of this equipment,’’ he said.
Olateru explained that ICAO wanted the entire West African countries to benefit from the laboratory, hence the presence of its team for the same purpose.
“This will really help AIB because at the end of the day, it is about building an institution.
“Building institutions is not just about buying equipment, throwing money at people; it is about giving them the right exposure, which goes a long way.
“To me, within the next two years, we will build a very strong institution in AIB, which can take the lead and support the entire West African countries.’’
The Board stated this in a statement released by its Corporate Communications Directorate to newsmen, recently, during the inauguration of 140 trainees for the Train 7 Project.
The trainees had undergone the Nigerian Content Human Capacity Development (NC-HCD) programme it organised in partnership with the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Limited in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.
The Tide gathered that the training programme was an intensive three-month Advanced NC-HCD Programme for the US$5 billion NLNG Train 7 Project on Bonny Island, Rivers State.
The trainees, The Tide further learnt are graduates in different academic disciplines who have completed a 12-month Basic Training Programme in diverse oil-and-gas-industry-related skill sets and are now set for an on-the-job phase which includes active hands-on participation in operational areas such as Turn Around Maintenance (TAM), Commissioning, and Desktop Programmes.
The Corporate Communications Directorate of the NCDMB told The Tide that in November 2024, a set of 331 trainees under Batch A of the NLNG T7 HCD Training Programme began capacity development in facility management, engineering, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Health Safety and Environment (HSE), Quality Assurance and Quality Control, as well as welding and fabrication.
According to the Board, additional 77 trainees under Batch B of the same Training Programme began capacity development in data analytics and supply chain management among several other fields relevant to the operations of the oil and gas industry.
While addressing the trainees and trainers who were drawn from the Oil and Gas Trainers Association of Nigeria (OGTAN), Management Personnel of the NCDMB and NLNG, the Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Engr Felix Omatsola Ogbe, said the Advanced NC-HCD training is more than a milestone.
“The NC-HCD training programme is an expression of the collective commitment of the Board and the NLNG to nurturing world-class Nigerian professionals who will shape the future of our oil and gas industry.
“The Board has remained steadfast in its conviction that Human Capital Development is a critical investment in the sustainability and competitiveness of Nigeria’s oil and gas value chain”, the NCDMB boss said.
He said the situation has resulted in widened knowledge gaps and operational challenges.
As a globally regulated sector, he said it was important that stakeholders put measures in place to attract the talents required to move the industry forward.
Keyamo, therefore, called on stakeholders in the industry to be deliberate in identifying, encouraging, nurturing and harvesting young talents to ensure a sustainable supply of manpower to the aviation sector.
Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection of the FAAN, Mrs Obiageli Orah, in a release made available to aviation correspondents, noted that the Minister deemed it necessary to attract the right quality of human resources required to move the sector forward.
“As a globally regulated sector, it is important that stakeholders put measures in place to continually attract the right quality and quantity of human resources required to move the industry forward.
“It is important to note that organising training programmes are avenues through which we can breed, nurture, and harvest such human resources.
“One of the critical challenges facing the industry is the ageing and retiring workforce, leading to widened knowledge gaps and operational issues.
“Training programmes, I believe, is among other things designed to make aviation appealing to the younger generation, while encouraging them to develop interest in taking up a career in the industry”, the statement stated.
Meanwhile, some aviation stakeholders have expressed concerns of countless young Nigerians who seek to make their mark in aviation, tourism, and the wider transport ecosystem but often face steep barriers to entry.
According to them, lack of access, limited mentorship, financial constraints, skill mismatches, and systemic gaps, among others, have posed some constraints to them.
The Tide gathered that by the appointment, Ogbe becomes Nigeria’s representative on the Board of the 18-member continental body, which has its headquarters at Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo.
Ogbe was picked for this role by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, who doubles as the Chairman of the NCDMB Governing Council.
The notice of the Executive Secretary’s appointment was conveyed in a congratulatory letter signed by the Director of Support Services, APPO, Mrs. Philomena Ikoko, on behalf of the Secretary-General of the organisation, Dr. Omar Farouk Ibrahim.
She applauded the NCDMB boss on the confidence reposed in him by the Minister, expressing her belief that he would make immense contributions to the development of the African oil and gas industry.
Mrs Ikoko stated that Ogbe was joining the Executive Board of APPO at a challenging time for the oil and gas industry, especially in Africa.
“Your appointment is a major call to duty for Nigeria and the continent. The secretariat will give you the support you will need to make a success of your assignment”, she said.
According to a statement by the Directorate of Corporate Communications and Zonal Coordination, the NCDMB played key roles in catalysing the operations of APPO and the development of local content in Africa.
The statement added that the board was providing institutional support and mentorship to several oil producing countries in their formulation of local content policies.
“The NCDMB initiated the African Local Content Roundtable (ALCR) and hosted the inaugural edition in Yenagoa, Bayelsa state, in June 2021, and the event was attended by key officials of APPO and other oil industry players.
“The idea for the Africa Energy Bank (AEB) was mooted by NCDMB’s officials at the event, as one of the strategies that would accelerate the growth of the African oil and gas industry and deepen local content.
“The Board also collaborated with APPO to host subsequent editions of the African Local Content Roundtable (ALCR), including the 2023 edition held at Abuja.
“The Africa Energy Bank, which APPO is setting up at Abuja, is aimed at pooling financial resources needed to fund big-ticket oil and gas projects across the continent, and bridge funding challenges currently impeding the development of the sector”, the NCDMB’S said.
Meanwhile, the APPO Secretary-General has said the Africa Energy Bank seeks to fund oil and gas projects across economies in Africa and help to plug critical financing gaps that exist through the continent’s over reliance on financiers from the West.
He added that each APPO member country is expected to raise $83 million with an objective of raising $5 billion capital for the establishment of the Bank.
The Tide learnt that recently Nigeria, Angola and Ghana have contributed their share capital for the African Energy Bank, which represents 44 percent of the trio’s contributions to the minimum capital that is required from oil producing countries in the continent.
It would be recalled that at the Nigerian Oil and Gas Opportunity Fair (NOGOF) held recently, the NCDMB’s Scribe confirmed that the agency was part of key institutions that pooled resources for the formation of the Africa Energy Bank.
Ogbe announced that the Bank will open for business before the end of the 2nd quarter of this year, 2025, expressing hope that it will create more funding availability for local oil and gas projects and companies.
Similarly, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, had stated at the Offshore Technology Conference that Afrexim Bank has already raised $19billion for the take-off of the Africa Energy Bank.
According to him, $14 billion out of the funds represents the bank’s financial exposure on African oil and gas projects, with the additional $5 billion as take-off capital.
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