by ‘Ifreke Inyang [@Ifreke]
On Tuesday evening, the Minister of Aviation, Stella Oduah, took time out to interact with tweeters. The Minister of Aviation, with the hanfle: @stellaoduah, sat in for a tweet-meet session and evidently, the Nigerian community on Twitter was equally eager to get their questions answered.
“Good day Nigerians. It is with pleasure, that I welcome you to an engaging tweet-meet on our nations Aviation Industry #NGAviation,” the minister kicked off. She was also quick to establish the rules for the conversation. She wrote:
“We will all at all times address each other with respect even when we disagree. #NGAviation.”
“While it is important that everybody participates, I will not be able to respond to every individual due to time constraints. #NGAviation.”
“I will also start by responding to those that had asked questions about their experiences at the airport. #NGAviation.”
In the session that lasted a little over an hour, the minister went on to answer questions about the industry in general. Here are excerpts of some of the answers she supplied:
@sen8torBalo: All airports are to have perimeter fencing by mid next year.#NGAviation
@tobiodunowo: We are working with the OEMs to replace some of the cooling systems #NGAviation
@EIshow: NCAA currently has minimum standards for all the airlines and aircrafts coming into Nigeria #NGAviation
@tobiodunowo: Also working on an interim solution in the next few weeks before the central AC is fixed. #NGAviation
@mrsleevesup: The airlines are responsible for capturing biometrics upon checking rather than FAAN. However we will look into it #NGAviation
@sen8torBalo: The expansion of terminals is definitely in due process. #NGAviation
@femtop: We should have no excuses for the state of security at our airports, Ghana processes less passenger traffic than MMIA #NGAviation
@ebubec1: The toilets are being refurbished and new toilets are also being put up. #NGAviation
@ebubec1: We will from time to time oversee and make sure they improve because we are fully aware that customer service is key #NGAviation
@femtop: We revisited our security strategy & in the process of implementation.Also working with TSA and other technical partners #NGAviation
@iamlosa: We are repositioning the sector as a major contributor to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). #NGAviation
Our desire is to make air travel the preferred and safest means of transportation. #NGAviation
We are reviewing all concession agreements,permits and licenses,which have unfavorable terms to Government and the Nigerian public #NGAviation
We are currently repositioning the aviation security infrastructure and procedures to meet current threats and challenges. #NGAviation.
@fadlallahma: We’re working on a National Carrier that will be publicly owned with limited financial recourse to govt. #NGAviation
@EiENigeria: All airports are categorised for different uses. eg, some are agricultural hubs. Not all are for passenger use. #NGAviation
@iamlosa: We are in the process of concluding the classification. e.g. Taraba and Benue airports will be solely for agriculture. #NGAviation
We are strengthening the Nigerian College of Aviation and Technology to become a regional center of excellence in training #NGAviation
@Chykere: The website is a work in progress. More content information to be made available #NGAviation
@nnenna: In the interim we will be using buses, until we have have an airport rail/tram plan that can be deployed.
@StanVito We’ve realized that we don’t need an airport in every state. However state govts are free to build if they so desire. #NGAviation
@philsmart1: We are working with financial advisors to determine the right capital funding structure for the terminal expansion #NGAviation
@andepower: The power supply issue at NAMA is being addressed. Thanks for the observation.#NGAviation
@YomGreat: The Ibadan Airport is in the phase 2 of the remodelling project. We are starting work on it shortly. #NGAviation
@MobilePunch: Working to deliver the National Carrier by next year #NGAviation
Be rest assured that all your comments and questions will be taken into consideration #NGAviation
Further questions should be forwarded to [email protected] #NGAviation
I want to assure Nigerians that their interests with regards to Safety, Security, Comfort and Affordability will remain priority#NGAviation
madamneka: A communique shall be released this week on the outcome of this TweetMeet. #NGAviation
I just hope all these doesn't end up in the bin!