The revelation last week by the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, that the federal government has lost over N120 billion in revenue due to the illegal activities of private jet owners, regulatory loopholes and weak enforcement in the last one decade is not only condemnable but also despicable.

For a comatose economy like that of Nigeria to be defrauded of a whopping N120 billion is tantamount to economic sabotage and lack of patriotism, consequently the perpetrators must be made to face the wrath of the law as well as other administrative and regulatory sanctions.

The minister, who disclosed this at the ministerial press briefing series in Abuja, said the federal government would crack down on illegal private jet operators in Nigeria by implementing stricter regulations to ensure compliance with aviation laws.

He said: ?One of the hydra-headed monsters that we met when we came and we have decided to tackle it head-on is the issue of using private jets for all kinds of illegal activities. They have been largely unmanned, unchecked and they just operate the way they like.

?Beyond that, they also deny the federal government of revenue. This has been happening for the past 40 to 50 years. When I came they said ?ministers don?t bother, they are the big men who own Nigeria, you can?t tackle them and we are losing revenue. In fact, the taskforce we set up said the federal government has lost N120 billion in the last one decade on illegal charter operations.?

Explaining how the private jet owners short-changed Nigeria, he said: ?These licenses come with significantly different fees. The PNCF license is much cheaper because it is meant for private use ? flying company directors, family members, or personal business trips. But if you want to operate commercial flights carrying passengers for a fee, you must obtain a different, more expensive license.?

?These private jets are being used for business operations daily, defrauding the government of revenue. Even worse, some apply to fly out of the country on charter flights without proper documentation. In many cases, authorities do not even have a full manifest of passengers or what is being transported. This is a serious security threat?.

Keyamo recalled instances of challenges faced identifying victims of private jet air crash owing to poor documentation practices.

Consequent upon this, a taskforce was set up and ?at one point, they even suggested shutting down the General Aviation Terminal (GAT), which serves private charter flights, for a complete security overhaul. While we cannot shut down the commercial section, we are reviewing their recommendations to implement necessary reforms without disrupting passenger movement.?

The minister assured Nigerians that the government remains committed to enforcing aviation regulations, because ?the president has given us a free hand to address this problem. Regardless of who is affected, we will ensure the law is followed.?

?Henceforth, the control tower will not clear any aircraft to fly without the pilot filing the manifest of passengers on board. Whether you are a ?big man? or not, the tower will not clear you for take-off unless passengers have presented their identity cards,? he further stated.

The minister also said ?Nigeria currently has 16 active private airlines servicing domestic, regional, and international routes. Moving forward, the government aims to facilitate more codeshare agreements between Nigerian airlines and major international carriers, fostering a stronger and more competitive aviation sector.?

Blueprint is miffed by the colossal loss in revenue from the activities of private airlines at a time the nation was suffering infrastructure decay and regulatory inefficiency. Consequently, we urge the federal government to formulate policies that will streamline the operations of private jet owners in Nigeria to curtail the humongous amount being lost by government to private pockets and also to ensure safety.

There is also the need to bring the culprits of this criminal and unpatriotic act to justice. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) must immediately swing into action by apprehending and arraigning the culprits in court on charges bordering on economic sabotage. This will serve as a deterrent to like-minded criminals.

While commending the aviation minister for taking on the so-called ?big men who own Nigeria? and uncovering the rot in the nation?s aviation and aerospace sector, it is expedient to note that virtually all the other sectors in Nigeria, including those at the sub-national level, are suffering a similar fate.

Other ministers are, therefore, advised to emulate Keyamo by implementing holistic and pragmatic reforms in their various ministries with a view to blocking revenue leakages and sabotage. Nigeria can no longer afford to allow a privileged few to plunder the nation?s commonwealth while the vast majority of its over 250 million people wallow in abject poverty. (Blueprint Editorial)

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