The House of Representatives has urged the Federal government to reopen the operation of flights in at least each of the six geopolitical zones in the country.
The call is coming weeks afte the federal government had made plans to reopen three airports shutdown as a result of the Covid 19 pandemic.
The three airports include Portharcourt, Nnamdi Azikiwe International airport and the Murtala Mohammed international airport
But the lawmakers are insisting that the government should rather consider the opening of each airports in the geopolitical zones
The motion was sponsored by Representatives Tahir Monguno from Borno State (APC)
“Notes that Nigerian Government closed its airports to the international traffic on March 23rd and a week |ater all the local traffics were also stopped following the discovery of first index case of the COVlD-19 pandemic to curtail the spread of the virus.”
“Also notes that the coronavirus pandemic has brought global air travel to an unprecedented halt as the United Nation’s World Tourism Organization (WTO) states that 100% of 217 countries worldwide have COVlD-19 related travel restrictions in place. Such measures, the WTO says, represent “the most severe restriction on international travel in history”
“Also notes that most countries in the world have maintained guided local flight for easy movement of people especially the essential workers and goods but banned international flights”
“Aware: that the continued ban on local flights will further suffocate the economy and equally cripple the local air transport sector including several other ancillary businesses directly or indirectly linked to it and thereby escalate the unemployment situation in the country”
Further aware: that some of the airlines and other service providers within the industry immediately sent their staff on compulsory leave without pay and thus brought untold hardships to many homes directly or indirectly connected to the affected employees.
Rep. Monguno also noted that all the statutory agencies like the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, (FAAN). Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, (NAMA), Nigeria Civil Aviation AUthOfitY. (NCAA) the Nigerian College Aviation Technology, (NCAt) Zaire, the Nigeria Meteorological Agency, (NIMET) and the Air Accident lnvestigation Bureau, (AlB) which generate their revenue are Struggling to pay staff.
“He is concerned that traveling within the country has become severe nightmare as a result of the poor state of our roads and the challenging security situation makes the reopening of our airports more imperative”
Also concerned that most of the airplanes now lying idle at the various airports across the country will require huge sums of money in hard currency to service them if efforts are not made to put them back into operations thus posing more hardship for the operators
The House further urged Mr. President to immediately direct the Presidential Task force on COVlD-19 and Ministry of Aviation and its agencies to commence local Flights beginning with the opening of at least one Airport in each of the six Geo-Political Zones to give all zones a sense of belonging and ensure equity and fairness.
” Also Urged the Federal Government to direct relevant agencies of the Ministry of Aviation to develop acceptable Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) that will be in tandem with the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) for the Airlines and Workers.
“Further directs Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and Nigeria Civil aviation Authority (NCAA) to ensure that airports and aircrafts are routinely disinfected promptly. ‘ Mandates the House Committee on Aviation, Legislative Compliance and Ad hoc Committee on COVlD-19 to monitor compliance and report back to the house within two weeks for further Legislative actions
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