The Minister of Aviation, Mrs Stella Oduah-Ogienwonyi has been told to provide a roap-map that will fast-track the development of the aviation sector.

The President of National Air Traffic Communicators Association of Nigeria, Comrade Philip Aderosoye stated this in an interview with newsmen in Lagos.

“There must be a road-map that will be of long-last effect, that will develop the industry and the minister should look at the parastatals on how to get energetic and patriotic men that will man them and make the ministry more professional”, he said.

He noted that the remodeling of the nation’s airports was long over due, describing as unreasonable the construction of airports by state governments.

“It is too political, stupid and does not bring development. The money the state governments are using to maintain these unviable airports ought to have been diverted for development that will benefit the people”, he said.

He stressed the need for the provision of operational vehicles and the recruitment of additional security personnel at the airports, adding that monitoring gadgets were only available at Abuja and Lagos.

Meanwhile, a call has gone to the federal government to set up an Aviation Manpower Development Board (AMDB) to address the growing challenge of dearth of skilled and efficient personnel.

Chief Executive Officer of Belujane Konsult and former General Manager, Public Affairs of the liquidated Nigeria Airways, Mr. Chris Aligbe made the call at the delegates conference of the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association, in Asaba, the Delta State capital.

Speaking on the topic “Human Capital Development and Succession Planning in the Aviation Sector, Prospects and challenges”, Aligbe explained that government should replicate the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) by establishing AMDB to address the manpower requirement in the aviation sector, given the huge sum of money involved in the training of pilots.

He stated that the absence of a well articulated policy on aviation manpower and lack of funding for manpower development were impediments to human capital development, stressing that there should be a body to cater for manpower need of the industry.

“Establishing a manpower development board is the right way to go, unless this is done we won’t get anywhere in the aviation industry. There must be a body that has to take a global look on the manpower requirement in the industry, plan for manpower development, have a data base, do a research and know which way to go. If you leave it to individual organizations, it won’t work”, he said.

Reward Akwu