FG may fund airspace safety with BASA fund
- N’Assembly seeks fresh funding for NAMA to tackle decrepit facilities
The Federal Government has concluded plans to assist Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) tackle the myriad of infrastructure deficit bedeviling the nation’s airspace.
This is coming as the House of Representatives has equally thrown its weight behind expediting approval for budgetary allocation to tackle many of airspace infrastructure.
Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Aviation, Nnolim Nnaji whose committee carried out oversight on the aviation sector lauded NAMA for providing Communication, Navigation and Surveillance (CNS) that could compete with its peers in any part of the world said the lower House of the National Assembly would also look at alternate funding for the agency to meet its objective of airspace safety.
He disclosed that the National Assembly could help the agency to access the Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) funds to acquire more safety critical facilities.
The Federal Government had in 2012 released $60 million out of $70 million BASA funds reportedly used to rehabilitate 11 of the 22 Federal Government-owned airports.
They are funds that accrued from royalties paid by airlines that Nigerian carriers do not operate into their country.
There are indications that the BASA fund accruals may have risen to over $100 million (N38.1 billion).
The fund is domiciled with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) but managed by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), with the Director General as signatory.
Speaking to journalists after tour of facilities, Nnaji said, “There are areas of partnership with NAMA regarding funding; part of it is budgetary provision which we told you people that we actually passed their budget without hitches”.
“They are happy with what the committee did regarding their budget. We are also looking into their Internally Generated Revenue. You know that there is also the BASA fund that we can also approve to also help NAMA do their work. NAMA is very critical to us and we will continuously support NAMA regarding funding”, he added.
He expressed concern about lot of challenges and difficulties on our roads which he said has forced a lot of people to embrace air travel, adding that it was necessary to support the sector by making it safer.
He urged everybody to come together with a view to funding the sector by supporting various ongoing projects especially in NAMA where the agency recently acquired and installed over $24 million Instrument Landing System (ILS).
“This is the time for everybody to come together to see how we can support the air industry that is the thing that is available now. We are here to see how we can support the various projects and things the agency plans to execute”.
“NAMA is a very critical agency that provides air navigational aids. We are open to support NAMA. Whatever we can do, both from the legislative point, we have a Bill that was sent by Mr. President to us. Very soon we will call for the public hearing and you also need to come, if there is anything, support, any amendment that you need, any advice that you need to give when we hold the public hearing, it Is a joint task that we all come and make sure that the institution is very sound”.
The Managing Director of NAMA, Capt. Fola Akinkuotu admitted that cost of provision of equipment would gulp several millions of dollars just as he declined to give actual cost of replacement of navigational aids.
The equipment we need is in billions of dollars. Key aspect of NAMA’s job is communications, navigation and surveillance.
During its oversight visit, the Committee led by Nnaji visited the Total Radar Coverage of Nigeria (TRACON)site, some Instrument Landing Systems (ILS) sites, Localiser, Glide Slope and the control tower.
