Aviation Minister Stella Oduah yesterday denied allegations that she was pursuing policies aimed at weakening the North by barring foreign airlines from Kano and Abuja as well as taking away a cargo terminal meant for the Northeast. The Senate and the House of Representatives on Tuesday opened a probe of alleged refusal by the minister to grant permission to four foreign airlines to operate from the Abuja and Kano airports. On Wednesday, a senator from the Northeast said Mrs Oduah located a cargo terminal in Asaba, Delta State, even though it was meant to be built in the Northeast.
But the Aviation minister yesterday issued a statement describing the allegations, as "misinformation and deliberate falsehood."
On Tuesday, Rep. Aliyu Sani Madaki through a motion in the House of Representatives said Turkish, Ethiopian, Emirates and Skylines had submitted applications to the minister seeking to commence commercial flights to Kano but she instead asked them to go to Enugu.
Senate President David Mark also same day said "there are rumours that Emirates Airline and others wanted to come here, and the Aviation Minister said they should go to Enugu rather than go to Kano."
Then on Wednesday, Senator Ahmed Lawal said there were approvals for the building of cargo terminals in each of the six geo-political zones but the one meant for the Northeast was taken to Asaba.
"Nothing can be further from the truth," Mrs Oduah said in a statement by her spokesman Joe Obi.
The statement said: "On the alleged refusal to grant landing rights to Emirates and Etihad Airlines, we make haste to state that the Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) between Nigeria and the United Arad Emirates (UAE) clearly grants and entitles these airlines to operate flights into Lagos, Abuja and Kano International Airports.
"By the agreement, the airlines are equally entitled to operate cargo services to the said destinations. It is therefore inconceivable that anyone, including the Aviation Minister would unilaterally deny them rights and privileges already conferred by the BASA.
"It is instructive to point out that as at today, both Emirates and Etihad have since commenced operations into Lagos. However, the point has to be made that neither Emirates nor Etihad has indicated its intention yet to take up the opportunities provided by BASA to commence operations into MAKIA, Kano.
"Ethiopian Airways, like Emirates and Etihad, also has landing rights to operate into Lagos, Abuja and MAKIA, Kano. The airline has since commenced passenger operations into Lagos and Abuja International Airports. It is yet to commence its cargo operations into Kano as provided in the BASA.
"With regard to the Turkish Airways, the Ministry of Aviation on the 1st of August, 2012 granted approval to the airline to also operate into Makia, Kano. The approval also enjoined the airline to partner with the local carrier, IRS on the Kano route. It is therefore totally misleading to suggest that the airline was denied entry into MAKIA, Kano.
"Another foreign airline allegedly denied entry into Kano is Skyline Limited. To be sure, the Ministry of Aviation does not have any record of any foreign carrier by the name Skyline. This allegation, like the rest, is spurious, unfounded, false and ultimately misleading.
"The charge that a Cargo Terminal meant for the North East geo-political zone was diverted to Asaba, the Delta state capital is also incorrect, misleading and false. For the records, all originally proposed designated cargo terminals are as follows: Cargo terminal at Port Harcourt Airport, Cargo terminal at Kano airport, Cargo terminal at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, Cargo terminal at Lagos airport, Cargo terminal at Asaba, Owerri and Calabar airports.
"Others are Cargo terminal, Yola, Cargo terminal, Jos airport, Cargo terminal, Makurdi airport, Cargo terminal, Jalingo airport, Cargo terminals at Maiduguri, Ilorin and Akure airports. From the foregoing, it is clear that whoever is peddling the rumour about attempts to deny the North East of the infrastructure of a Cargo terminal in the zone is clearly misinformed.
"The Ministry hereby enjoins the general public, especially stakeholders in the aviation sector to take deliberate care to cross-check facts on any/all issue(s) before going public in the media as this is capable of not only misleading the general public, but also unnecessarily heightening tensions between and amongst different sections of the polity."
Daily Trust
That plan should not come to phase at all