BY AHMED AKANBI
The Senate has warned that suspending commercial landings and shutting airports for Very Important Personalities is pushing Nigeria toward an avoidable aviation disaster, after lawmakers recounted hours spent circling in the air or trapped on the tarmac.
The alarm followed an urgent motion by Senator Isah Jibrin (Kogi East), who demanded better coordination between aviation regulators and security agencies to stop exposing commercial aircraft to needless risk.
Jibrin, while presenting the motion, said aircraft that had already taken off were sometimes forced to remain airborne for an hour or longer because of VIP movements, exposing passengers and crew to fuel depletion, bad weather, air traffic congestion and other emergencies.
Acknowledging the need for security for the President and other designated officials, Jibrin insisted such privileges must not come at the expense of passenger safety.
He urged the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, Nigerian Airspace Management Agency and Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria to ensure proper advance coordination and notification of planned airspace restrictions to airlines.
Senator Diket Plang. (Plateau Central), drew on his aviation background to explain the danger, saying he worked with Kabo Air in 1996 as a station manager in Kano and Saudi Arabia, where he was trained in ground operations.
He said aviation depends on accurate timing and coordination, and airlines and airport authorities should be told about planned VIP movements before commercial flights are cleared for departure.
It is poor management, Plang said, to allow an aircraft to take off when authorities already know it cannot land on schedule, warning that although aircraft must carry enough fuel to reach alternative airports, that provision should not become an excuse for poor planning, especially with more private and government aircraft now operating in Nigerian airspace.
Senator Abdul Ningi (Bauchi Central), said Nigeria was increasingly operating like a lawless country, with passengers now used to unexplained delays and disruptions caused by VIP movements, lamenting that aviation regulators were more effective on paper than in passengers’ actual experience.
Recounting a personal ordeal, Ningi said he recently boarded a flight from Kano scheduled for about 40 minutes but spent about two and a half hours in the air because of VIP-related restrictions. Passengers, he said, were frustrated and angry, directing their complaints at the government and the National Assembly.
He condemned the disparity in treatment: travellers can be denied boarding for arriving a minute late, while airlines can keep passengers waiting for five or seven hours without adequate explanation or apology.
With harmattan approaching, he warned, poor coordination and prolonged delays could increase the risk of an emergency.
Ningi called for the heads of NCAA, NAMA and FAAN to appear before the Senate Committee on Aviation, with Senate leadership also involved, and said the National Assembly must accept part of the blame for failing to properly supervise the agencies.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio narrated how passengers were once stranded inside a bus for about three hours because of VIP movements. He said they had already been taken from the terminal toward their aircraft when the bus was suddenly stopped, leaving them sweating inside for hours.
Akpabio said that, as a former governor, he had to conceal his identity and avoid eye contact with other passengers who were raining abuses on government officials over the delay.
He also complained about poor coordination between airport authorities and the Presidency, with airports and airspace sometimes restricted long before the President actually departs.
In describing the vulnerability of air travellers, Akpabio reportedly referred to an aircraft as a “flying coffin,” stressing that passengers and crew remain exposed until the aircraft lands safely.
He said commercial aircraft are expected to carry adequate reserve fuel to divert, but raised concerns about allegations that some operators compromise on fuel to maximise passenger capacity.
Akpabio also recalled an aviation disaster allegedly linked to fuel exhaustion after a prolonged inability to land because of VIP-related restrictions, saying the circumstances must be examined to prevent a recurrence, and airport closures should be properly timed rather than imposed unnecessarily early.
He suggested the President might not even be aware of the extent of disruption caused.
Senator Neda Emasuen, Edo South, introduced an amendment to strengthen the Senate’s position, urging NCAA, NAMA, FAAN and other authorities to ensure operators make adequate arrangements for alternative airports where emergency diversion becomes necessary.
His position was that aircraft already airborne should not be left circling indefinitely while waiting for restricted airspace to reopen, but should be directed to suitable alternative airports where they can land safely and await clearance.
Ruling on the matter, Akpabio described the situation as a serious safety concern requiring immediate intervention, warning that failure to act could result in what he described as an “avoidable accident that is waiting to happen if nothing is done.”
He directed the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Aviation, Senator AbdulFatai Buhari (Oyo North) to immediately convene a meeting with the relevant aviation authorities to examine the situation and agree on practical solutions.