The Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, has restated the country’s commitment to the ideals of the International Civil Aviation Organisation as the world celebrates the 2022 International Civil Aviation Day.
In a statement by his Special Assistant Public Affairs, James Odaudu, the minister was quoted to have the 2022 International Civil Aviation Day theme: ‘Advancing Innovation for Global Aviation Development,’ aligned with the belief of the Nigerian government that aviation was a channel to achieving the development of other sectors as it remained the fastest and safest mode of a domestic and international movement.
He, however, emphasised that this belief informed the government’s commitment to the development of the sector for which it developed a roadmap at the inception of the Major General Muhammadu Buhari’s-led administration.
According to him, the implementation of the roadmap had led to several record-breaking achievements in the country’s aviation industry, which he said has been variously acknowledged and applauded by ICAO.
The statement reads in part, “Globally, it is a well-known fact that aviation doubles ev¬ery 15 years, but in the case of Nigeria, it has more than doubled and in another 15 years, it will quadruple.
“According to the National Bureau of Statistics, aviation became the fastest growing sector of the economy pre-Covid and during the Covid period, the third fastest grow¬ing sector and after the Covid, according to Airport Council International, ACI, we are at 111 percent of pre-Covid num¬bers.”
“Apart from Colombia, we are the only country on earth that recovered so fast, and we have added even 11 percent of pre-Covid numbers.”
According to Sirika, these statistics reinforce the continuous commitment of Nigeria to the ideals and aspirations of ICAO, whose regulations have continued to guide the industry in ensuring the safety records that the country has established.
Article first published on the Punch Website
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