- Minister Keyamo commits to retaining and enhancing aviation roadmap, focusing on service improvements and addressing passenger concerns
- Minister Keyamo pledges continuity with aviation roadmap while considering additions, emphasizes people-centric approach, briefings, and agency engagement
Festus Keyamo, Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, has stated that he will not abandon the aviation roadmap put in place by the previous administration.
He did, however, hint at tinkering with the roadmap by adding to it.
The Aviation Roadmap unveiled by his immediate predecessor, Senator Hadi Sirika, includes a national carrier, airport concession, and the establishment of a Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) facility, among other projects.
However, the majority of the projects did not come to fruition during Muhammadu Buhari’s eight-year presidency.
Keyamo, who was the previous administration’s Minister of State for Labour and Productivity, took over at the Ministry of Aviation, promising to look into the roadmap.
Dr. Emmanuel Meribole, the Permanent Secretary, and other Ministry officials greeted him.
I have read the roadmap, the one developed in 2016, I read it thoroughly, our intention is not to disrupt things that have been done so well, if there are things that have not been done so well we will look at it thoroughly.
We may have to add to the roadmap but not pull it down totally because I know it was a product of a roundtable held in 2016, so if it was well thought out, I like the structure that I saw,” he was quoted as saying during his first day in office, Keyamo said.
As he settles in at the Ministry, the new Minister stated that he will receive briefings from the Ministry’s Directors as well as heads of agencies in the coming days.
In addition, he promised to work on addressing passenger complaints and improving service delivery in the aviation industry.
We are going to move from very complex issues to simple issues that every Nigerian faces the complaints they have. They may not know the work we are doing behind in terms of safety, but usually, people appreciate what they see every day like the cleanliness of the environment, and how early they get their flight among others.
At every point in time, we must put the people first. I intend to start getting briefings from the directors first, then agencies starting from tomorrow. The Permanent Secretary should draw a schedule up for the briefings, he stated.