Crucial Moment

When the present Minister of Aviation,Princess Stella Adaeze Oduah, first declared her intention to make the federal government’s plan to remodel 12 out of the 22 airports across the country a reality, many Nigerians thought it was just a tall dream after all.

This thought may not be unconnected with the usual promises made by past public office holders in the country, who after making such promises failed to fulfill them at the end of the day.

The present aviation minister seems to have proved this notion wrong as witnessed in the level of jobs going on simultaneously at the airports.

Going through the airports in Lagos, Kano, Port Harcourt, Benin,  Abuja to mention but a view, restructuring exercise is going on which have been attested to by even passengers.

The ongoing remodeling will definitely go a long way in giving the aviation sector in the country a facelift which will be a far departure from the era when most of the airports had almost become mere dumping grounds with obsolete facilities.

Obviously, the ongoing remodeling is coming between 20 to 30 years after most of the airports were constructed. Against all criticisms and doubts expressed by many Nigerians, the Federal Government, through the aviation minister, should be commended for taking the step to upgrade the country’s airport infrastructure.

It is also expected that all good loving Nigerians, including all airport users, will play their own part by giving room for the wind of change blowing.

While all these are going on, there is an urgent need for the minister to carry out a second remodeling which this time around does not have to do with infrastructure but with human beings making use of the airports.

The need to remodel or give the airport users new orientation in line with the wind of change blowing becomes imperative as any attempt not to do this will rubbish the efforts so far made.

This human remodeling will have to start at the local wing of the Lagos airport, particularly at the General Aviation Terminal (GAT), which is presently undergoing serious restructuring.

Of particular concern, at the local terminal, is the uncivilised manner the car hire operators carry out their activities.

Despite the efforts being made by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to ensure orderliness there with its officials walking round the area to ensure there is seamless flight operations despite the ongoing remodelling, it seems these car hires want to  continue to live in the past.

This act of lawlessness on their part becomes more obvious each time flight arrives. The manner they surge forward to scout for passengers depicts the state of anarchy associated with the old Oshodi market until Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola, brought sanity to the place.

In a normal situation, airport car operators are expected to organise themselves in such a way that they would have representatives that will arrange how members carry passengers in turn. But this is contrary to what is obtained presently especially during evening flights. At this time, it is no more unusual to see the car operators shouting in all manner of languages for the sake of attracting passengers.

However, this human remodeling should be extended to all the airports undergoing remodeling.

It is at this point that the Crucial Moment is appealing to the minister to give priority to the re-orientation of airport users on how to comport themselves and do business at the airport or else the remodeling would have been a wasted effort and fortunes.