Capt Nogie Meggison
The influx of these pilots and aircraft engineers is giving the Federal Government cause to worry.
The ‘invasion’ of these foreign pilots has gotten to the stage that even Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) and the pilots and engineers umbrella body, the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE) are also worried.
Reasons for anxiety
They are worried not only because these pilots and engineers have taken over jobs that were meant for Nigerian pilots and engineers, but because of the effect the development has on the economy. They are also bothered by the huge financial burden it costs airlines that engage them. Today, while about 327 unemployed Nigerian pilots are roaming the streets searching for jobs, foreign pilots on the other hand are coming into the country in droves and securing the jobs with ease.
As result of this influx, one would have thought that the Federal Government would fashion out policy to checkmate the development all these years despite the assurance by the National Assembly through the Senate President, David Mark about two years ago, that NASS would consider a local content regulation for Nigeria’s aviation industry to compel airlines both local and foreign to employ certain number of Nigerian pilots.
Daily Independent recalled that during the unveiling of 127 pilots and aircraft maintenance engineers trained by the Office of the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta, Abdul Ningi,as part of the Amnesty programme, Mark had given the assurance that NASS would present a bill that would be passed into law in due course.
Challenges of employing foreign pilots
Employing foreign pilots takes a huge chunk of airline’s finance compared to securing the services of their Nigerian counterparts. For instance, the airlines employing foreign pilots are expected to accommodate them in five star hotels or guest houses .Often times, they spend more time in their home countries compared to the time they spend working for the airline that employed them. Besides, they do not contribute to Nigeria’s economy, instead they repatriate hard currency to their various home countries. The amount of capital flight involved in the process of engaging pilots is enormous. But despite that, some airlines still run after them.
Employment of fresh pilots
Both local and international airlines shy away from employing Nigerian pilots not because they are not qualified, but because they don’t want to invest in the training of Nigerian pilots.
According to the former Managing Director of Capital Airline, Mr Amos Akpan, the reason why airlines don’t engage these Nigerian pilots is simply because airlines lack the will to do so.
He stated that because these pilots needed to gain hours and rating, using the aircraft when they are employed, this part of training and skill acquisition would be costly to airlines, which explains why they prefer to have foreign pilots ,who already gain hours and who have been rated.
In his words, “This part of training or skill acquisition is costly to the operators. The operator bears the cost of wear and tear on the aircraft plus the instructor’s fee. To avoid this cost, the operators engage pilots and engineers already rated on their aircraft type with a minimum required hours. He maintained that airlines from other countries will not give their aircraft to Nigerian pilots to train and gain hours
Stakeholders reaction
Despite the assurance by the Senate Deputy Leader that a bill would be presented to checkmate the influx of foreign pilots about two years ago, nothing as at the time of compiling this report has happened
However, some weeks ago, the Aviation Minister, Chief Osita Chidoka made a policy statement that airlines operating both general aviation and commercial service must have Nigerian pilots in the cockpits.
The minister’s statement has elicited reactions among stakeholders in the aviation industry who are bothered about the domination of the Nigerian airspace by foreign pilots.
Speaking on the minister’s pronouncement, Capt. Meggison, who confirmed the influx of foreign pilots into Nigeria, said that what the minister said was in order, adding that in addition to that the Federal Government should put in a place a proactive policy that will address problem of the licensed pilots.
He said number of registered unemployed Nigerian pilots has risen to about 327 with the tendency of increasing.
Meggison, who is not comfortable with the development, said that unless something fast is done, such a situation constitutes a disincentive to the growth and development of the Nigerian aviation industry.
He added that well over 400 Nigerian licensed aircraft engineers are also out of job, appealing to the Federal Government to put in place an employment policy that would ensure that these aviation professionals are engaged by both indigenous and foreign carriers operating into the country.
The Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) chairman said that though, some domestic carriers have done well by engaging some of the pilots but that there is still room for improvement.
He posited that an enabling policy that would check the influx of foreign pilots and engineers by foreign registered through the number of flying hours would go a long way to assist Nigerian licensed pilots.
Meggison said there are over 1,000 foreign pilots engaged by both local and foreign registered airplane flying in Nigeria and that apart from that, there are over 500 foreign aircraft engineers employed in the country.
According to him, “The Government should compel foreign carriers to set up a line station for aircraft maintenance in the country and employ local engineers to assist in turning around line maintenance and log time. This will go a long way to assist the growth of the sector. They should look into other avenues also. If policies are not put in place, the challenge of unemployment of pilots and engineers may not be resolved as soon as possible
Meggison cited Brazil, India, Cameroon, Russia and Egypt where policies exist that prescribe that on every airplane cockpit there must be a national passport holder inside.
“For any aircraft that is flying in such countries, whether local or foreign registered, once the airplane has stayed in the country for more 30 days, cumulating in one year, it must comply with cockpit laws,” he said
He pointed out that one of the ways of achieving this is by opening aircraft maintenance line station in Nigeria like most other countries, where aircraft engineers could be employed.
He said, it is the practice in other countries of the world and that Government creates a conducive policy to drive employment of key aviation professionals, adding that in countries like Ethiopia, Kenya, South Africa and Egypt, their governments have perfected plans on how to use their aviation sector to create jobs for their youths .
According to him, “There is need for Government policies to make them to open line maintenance stations to provide hands on job training for Nigerians youths. If you go on board any Emirates, Etihad, Saudi Air, Kuwait or Qatar Airways flight, there is always other African nationals from other countries, who are aviation professionals exported to other countries. Whereas, Nigeria with her vast educated youth population, is nowhere to be found on board any of the flight”.
On his part, an aviation analysts, Mr Olumide Ohunayo, though commended the minister for the pronouncement, however, said that implementation and sustenance of the policy is a major issue.
He suggested that the Nigerian aviation content bill should not be limited to personnel alone, but other operational services with the enshrined principle of reciprocity and investment.
Speaking on the issue, the National President of Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association(ATSSSAN),Comrade Benjamin Okewu, said that there are laws to checkmate the influx of foreign pilots into Nigerian aviation but that the Nigerian Immigration Service(NIS) in connivance with the Human Resource Manager of these airlines are flouting the rules.
Okewu added that apart from initiating a local content bill for aviation industry, what happened is that when these pilots are entering Nigeria, what they fill in their forms would be different from the jobs they are doing for the airline.
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