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“Alkali Modibbo is the Rector of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT) in Zaria. In an interview with IFEOMA OKEKE-KORIEOCHA, he discusses the college’s annual expenditure of at least N500 million to maintain two Bell 206 helicopters that are not in use, and why Nigeria’s 70 percent score in the recent International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) audit falls below acceptable aviation standards.

What are your thoughts on the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Safety audit?

The 70 percent score we received does not meet ICAO and aviation standards. In aviation, the minimum acceptable score is 75 percent, and anything below 75 percent is considered a failure. I was present at the briefing. Everyone involved, including the Ministry, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), NCAT, Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), and others, took the results in good faith.

An audit is not meant to be a witch hunt but to help you identify areas that need improvement. The Director-General of NCAA and the Permanent Secretary were content with the results, as many of the issues we face are related to the implementation of existing policies. Our policies are strong, but we often struggle with their implementation. However, NCAA is now taking corrective actions.

I would like to convey to Nigerians and all stakeholders that audits are beneficial. They help you identify and address issues, and if you have open items, it pushes you to resolve them and do better. If things are handed to you too easily, you may become complacent. ICAO auditors will return in about 18 months to check if we have addressed the identified gaps. In summary, Nigeria is making progress.

Could you provide more information about the alleged disappearance of two Bell 206 helicopters from the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology?

Firstly, airplanes do not simply disappear; when an aircraft takes off, it must eventually land. During the landing process, the aircraft will be required to provide information about its origin and destination. The two helicopters in question were acquired by the Federal Government around 12-13 years ago during the tenure of former President Goodluck Jonathan. They were purchased for pilot training purposes, although these helicopters are not suitable for initial pilot training. The college primarily conducts basic training.”.

“The helicopters are equipped with jet engines, which are significantly more expensive to operate for training purposes compared to piston engine airplanes. A single hour of training using jet engines would cost as much as an entire Private Pilot Licensing (PPL) course on piston engine airplanes. Therefore, the Ministry of Aviation made the decision to sell these helicopters and replace them with piston engine helicopters. The only authorized method for selling government properties is through an auction.

The process of selling these helicopters began in 2019, involving the submission of all necessary documentation and requests for approval and evaluation from the ministry. The ministry initially proposed selling the helicopters based on their bluebook rating, which represents the prices of new helicopters. However, it was not feasible to use bluebook pricing for old helicopters. We had to request the ministry to reconsider this approach, emphasizing that these helicopters had been in our possession for over a decade, sitting idle in the hangar. Yet, we continued to spend approximately N500 million annually to maintain them, even though they were not being used for training or generating revenue. This expenditure amounted to about N5 billion over five years, with neither helicopter accumulating more than 40 hours of flight time during the 12 to 13 years they were with us.

After discussions with the ministry, the Minister approved the sale of the helicopters, and we followed the proper procedures. We wrote to the Ministry, which then requested the Ministry of Works to engage valuers to assess the helicopters. Subsequently, the Ministry of Works enlisted approved Federal Government auctioneers, who conducted the auction. At the end of the process, the helicopters were sold to two different companies.

The helicopters were sold for approximately $600,000 each.

Regarding the replacement of these helicopters, the acquisition of new aircraft is not a simple task that can be accomplished overnight. It involves a series of steps and interactions with various government agencies. The Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development must request approval and initiate processes through the Ministry of Finance, which can be time-consuming before we can purchase piston engine airplanes.

Ideally, the funds from the sale of the helicopters could have allowed us to acquire two Robinson R44 and two R22 helicopters. However, due to foreign exchange constraints, the government might approve the purchase of one R44 and one R22, as R44s have four seats, while R22s have two, making them suitable for training.

It’s worth noting that the absence of helicopters has not impacted our student training at the college because we have never used helicopters for training purposes. The previous government acquired helicopters for various agencies, including the Nigeria Police, Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), among others. As part of this initiative, the government decided to include two Bell 206 helicopters for NCAT.”

“If the government had consulted NCAT, we would have advised them against using Bell 206 helicopters for training purposes, as they are not suitable for such training. Nowhere in the world are Bell 206 helicopters used for pilot training. It’s akin to using a Boeing 737 aircraft to teach someone how to become a pilot, which is not done.

Regarding the Boeing 737 simulator aircraft at NCAT, the contract for its acquisition was initiated during the tenure of Princess Stella Oduah as the Minister of Aviation but the equipment was delivered during Hadi Sirika’s time as the Minister of Aviation. The primary objective was to reduce the number of Nigerians traveling abroad for such training, thereby conserving foreign exchange.

Simulators like these can only be placed in an institution, and NCAT is the only federal government-owned aviation school. The simulator was purchased by the Federal Government. If it had been placed in Lagos, for instance, there are no federal government-owned aviation schools in Lagos. The equipment arrived during the COVID-19 pandemic, and despite the challenges, it was successfully assembled. However, by the time it was assembled, the certification it came with from the United States had expired in April, while the assembly was completed in May.

We approached the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) for certification, but they stated that they lacked the capacity to certify the simulator for us. Thus, we needed to obtain certification from an approved Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) anywhere in the world.

Since then, we have made efforts to obtain the required certification from various countries and agencies, including Canada, South Africa, Ethiopia, Egypt, and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). At one point, a particular company quoted over 300,000 euros for certification, which was deemed too expensive. Instead, we opted to train technical staff from NCAA and NCAT on the simulator. Two pilots and two engineers from each organization participated in this training. The simulator is now nearing readiness for use, with engineers scheduled to undergo training by the end of this month. We anticipate it will be operational before the end of this year.

In terms of aircraft for training, we currently have more than 20 airplanes, comprising 15 TB 9s and five TB 20s. We’ve also received nine Diamond type aircraft out of the 20 agreed upon with Diamond Aircraft Manufacturers, with the remaining 11 to follow. Additionally, we have two multi-engine aircraft (Diamond 42) and seven single-engine Diamond 40s. Despite the availability of aircraft, we sometimes face a shortage of instructors due to remuneration issues. Salaries and allowances are determined by the Federal Government through the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), which makes it challenging to unilaterally adjust compensation. To retain our technical staff, especially flying instructors and air traffic controllers, we are exploring options to increase allowances within the framework of government policies. We’ve lost over 20 technical staff in the past five years to better-paying opportunities elsewhere.

The issue of poaching instructors is not unique to us; NAMA faces a similar challenge, particularly with air traffic controllers. According to ICAO, NAMA is below international standards regarding air traffic controllers, which prompts controllers to seek higher-paying positions with NAMA. The Ministry is actively working on resolving these challenges, including adjusting allowances and salaries. Once these measures are in place, we can explore the possibility of recruiting additional technical staff and instructors, especially for air traffic control services.”

Relocating the simulator from Zaria to Lagos would be cost-prohibitive, especially given the devaluation of the naira. The expenses associated with such a move could amount to nearly half the price of purchasing a new simulator. Additionally, it’s important to consider that the government invested significant resources in acquiring the current simulator, and it has not been put to use as yet. This lack of utilization might discourage further government investments in additional simulators.

One alternative solution I’ve proposed is Public Private Participation (PPP), where NCAT could partner with private institutions for simulator equipment training. It’s not feasible for NCAT to acquire simulators for every region in Nigeria due to resource limitations. While there may not be individual investors willing to purchase simulators, simulators represent a lucrative business opportunity with minimal risk – no fuel costs, no battery replacements, and no risk of crashes. The main requirements are regular servicing and maintenance.

NCAT is prepared to offer a portion of its land to any potential investor interested in bringing a simulator and establishing a joint venture with NCAT. However, our primary focus now is getting the Zaria simulator operational and generating revenue. Once we have a working model, we can be more open to attracting investors for expansion and additional ventures.