The lack of adequate helicopter and aircraft pilots to man modern airplanes in the aviation industry, which have been giving aviation authorities a source of concern may be a thing of the past if comments by the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta, Kingsley Kuku,is anything to go by. The Special Adviser while speaking to journalists recently at the pre-departure briefing of the 74 ex- militants to Malaysia for degree programmes, said that some of the ex -militants will be heading to South Africa soon to be trained as commercial aircraft and helicopter pilots.
Kuku added that on completion of their training, they will be in position to work in Arik, Aero and other airlines in the country as pilots in the nearest future, as he can see some of them taking over these airlines.
He added that the ex- militants need these training so that they can useful not only to themselves but also to the society especially to the Niger Delta region in particular and Nigeria in particular.
According to him, “As we are talking now, we are in top gear with most of our people offshore; some will go to UK for vocational education, some will still go to South Africa and some are going to US for oil and gas training courses and some are going to South Africa for commercial pilot training as helicopter and aircraft pilots. I can see some of them taking over Arik, Aero air in the next two, three years”.
Efforts by the Federal Government using the Niger Delta Amnesty programme to train some ex- militants as commercial pilots in South Africa has given credence to fears entertained by stakeholders in the aviation industry that there is ageing pilots and engineers and other professionals in the system whose positions will create vacuum when they leave without replacement.
Speaking to Daily Independent on why this issue must be addressed by the Federal Government, the President National Association Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE) and an aircraft engineer, Balami Isaac David, said that some years ago before the demise of the national carrier; Nigeria Airways Limited (NAL), it was exporting pilots and aircraft engineers to Europe but that today Nigeria is busy importing pilots.
He said that when the defunct NAL was still operational, countries such as Ethiopia and Kenya, which are now making waves in the Africa aviation industry, were not NAL’s match, appealing to the government to look into the issue urgently.