80 Kano Government-Trained Pilots Now Teachers And Civil Servants
About 80 Kano graduates trained as commercial pilots in Jordan have been converted to school teachers and civil servants by the state government. Investigations by Daily Trust revealed that instead of sending them to Zaria Aviation College for professional certification, the pilots were deployed to Kano State Secondary School Management Board and Kano State Civil Service Commission for posting to schools and ministries.
Multiple sources revealed that about 40 of them were sent to secondary schools and ministries of Finance and Land in July, 2015. However, those sent to schools were not yet accepted, with “irregularities” cited in their appointments. While those in ministries had resumed, they have not been paid salaries ever since.
In March 2013, the then-governor Rabi’u Kwankwaso’s administration awarded a N1.1 billion ($6.7 million) special scholarship to 100 young graduates from the state for an 18-month professional pilot training course at the Mid-East Aviation Academy, Amman, Jordan. One of the pilots who declined being named for fear of victimisation said of the 100 graduates offered the scholarship, only 85 completed the course. He said 82 of them are back into the country in batches while three others are still in the aviation college. The remaining 15 didn’t attend the course for one reason or the other.
The Mid-East Aviation Academy is a flight training organisation that offers courses in pilot training, aircraft engineering and avionics, and is certified by the Jordanian Civil Aviation Regulatory Commission, a statement by Kwankwaso’s spokesperson Malam Baba Dantiye said during a ceremony held for the trainees before their departure.
Though a pilot can still be trained in Nigeria at N9 million or below, the Kwankwaso regime sent them to Jordan at about N11 million each. The scholarship was coordinated by the office of the Secretary to the State Government (SSG). “Our vision is to equip Kano indigenes to face the challenges of globalisation and take advantage of the local and international opportunities to improve their lot,” Kwankwaso said. He also added that the foreign training would expose beneficiaries to best practices in aircraft management in addition to fostering a global citizenship.
‘Conversion to teachers, civil servants’
Multiple sources who spoke to Daily Trust said the pilots require about N500 million to undergo the second and last batch of the training in Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria. According to them, Abdullahi Ganduje administration seems to be foot-dragging in footing their bills. One of the pilots told our reporter that the Kwankwaso administration spent N11 million on each of the students for the first training in Jordan, but they require another type-rating license to complement their study.
“Kano state government had spend N11 million for each one of the 100 students for the duration of our study, that will give you commercial pilot license. This license is like a background, when you have this license, you can fly as a pilot. But that is not enough. For you to get this commercial pilot license, you have to fly a cumulative of 230 hours to qualify,” he said, adding: “After this license, what you then require to fly as a pilot is another two-month training, called type-rating. This is the bone of contention with Kano State government. The Ganduje administration has refused to pay for us to undergo that training at the moment.”
The source also said the type-rating study will enable them study specific types of aircrafts ranging from Boeing 373, 747, 777 and Airbus A380, A320, A330, offered in a number of European countries and the United States. He said the cost of the training is relative to the company and the type of aircraft. But the cost is between four to five million naira per trainee, he said.
The source told Daily Trust that a majority of them went to Lagos for a medical and a Computer-Based Test (CBT) to enable them have Nigerian licenses, which made them eligible to fly in Nigeria. He said Kwankwaso administration paid for those who returned before he left office to go to Lagos for the medical examinations. “They sent us in batches of 10 and 15, after the executive council’s approval. And that continued, also, at the beginning of the Ganduje administration,” he said. He continued, stressing that the present state governor was not unaware of the need to undergo the second training, as some of the students had once met him in Saudi Arabia during lesser Hajj, when he was the deputy governor and urged them to put it in writing for onward transmission to the then governor, which they did.
The source continued his narration: “When we came back to Kano, it was the election period and we found it difficult to meet any top government official. After Ganduje became the new governor, we continued with our push to see the governor, through the SSG’s office. And by coincidence, the SSG has not been changed, so he is aware of the situation since his office is directly overseeing our study. To be honest, the SSG’s office is responsible for our present predicament, as they told us that what was earlier planned could not be realised, citing change of government and that we should be given (appointment) offers in government ministries and government schools before the government settles and looks at our situation again.”
And that was what happened, as Daily Trust checks showed. The source said: “They collected our CVs and printed offers from ministries and some from secondary schools. We don’t know the criteria they used in dispatching us. We accepted, but up till now, there is no word, since June/July of 2015.” The fear of all the trained pilots, he said, as time passes, so does the value of their license.
The students said after exhausting all avenues to reach out to the governor, they decided to take their matter to the Emir of Kano Muhammadu Sanusi II. Surprisingly, the state government came out to deny knowledge of their return from Jordan and also accused them of trying to tarnish the image of the government.
More than moonlighting
It was not clear whether Kwankwaso’s administration had done a feasibility studies before sending the graduates to train as pilots. The question now is even if these pilots are certified, who will employ them? This is expedient because there are about 600 pilots that are currently unemployed in Nigeria.
Checks revealed that there are 7,103 pilots registered with the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA). Out of this, only 2,093 have current license while 93 have applied to revalidate theirs. A source said the remaining number might be those that are either unemployed, sick or incapacitated.
Daily Trust spoke to some pilots who resorted to selling recharge cards and driving taxis to make ends meet. Marian Macaulay (not real name), 25, completed her course three years ago at the NCAT where she bagged her Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL) multi-engine certificate which qualified her as a fully licensed commercial pilot. Soon after graduation, her passion for flying which actually motivated her to enrol for the certificate, became drenched as she is unable to get a job.
Since her graduation, she has been unemployed and in order to keep body and soul together, she currently sells recharge cards at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja. “I am a trained commercial pilot with CPL multi-engine certificate obtained from NCAT. Since I graduated I have tried to look for job in one of these airlines without success. I just don’t want to remain idle, that is why I resorted to the recharge card business at least to keep body and soul together,” she said.
Another unemployed pilot whose name was simply given as Tunji was sponsored by his father, who struggled hard to make the dream of his child a reality by sponsoring him until he became a fully-licensed commercial pilot. But like many of his colleagues who have gone through rigorous training to become a pilots, Tunji has found no aircraft to fly. Out of frustration, he has become a taxi driver in Lagos in order to assist his parents.
‘Misplaced priority’
The Executive Director of Centre for Aviation Safety and Research, Engr. Sheri Kyari said he would not support state government to continue to use state funds to sponsor few people to train as pilots. He said such investment would amount to waste of resources if the pilots cannot get employment. Kyari also noted that some of the pilots lack the required training and experience to be able to fit into the requirements of the airlines. He said it is a fact that many airlines are not ready to spend their money on fresh pilots.
“The nation is wasting resources to continue to train pilots. If out of 500 trained and all of them cannot get employment, it’s like government has wasted resources in a wrong direction,” Kyari said, adding: “Airlines are looking for hands they can deploy immediately. I don’t want state governments to continue to spend people’s money for a group of people. One pilot’s training can actually train about 20 doctors.”
‘Airlines must employ Nigerian pilots’
Chairman of Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), Capt. Noggie Megisson said his heart bled when he found out of the young lady, who after completing the required courses to become a pilot, is now hawking recharge cards. He said there are over 600 expatriate pilots in Nigeria.
To address the employment challenges, the various Bilateral Air Service Agreements (BASA) the country signed with various foreign airlines must be reviewed to compel them to employ Nigerian pilots.
Former director of Flights’ Operation of the defunct Nigerian Airways, Capt. Dele Ore told Daily Trust that the situation is breeding accidents to happen in future, as there is a shortage of young pilots. “Who will fly these aeroplanes in another 10 years? If they are not working, it means they are not gathering experience. If they don’t have experience, it means they cannot be commanders,” he said. He said to address the problem, any airline operating in Nigeria must be compelled to employ and train Nigerian pilots.
“It is very easy to address. Any aircraft operating in Nigeria must have on board a Nigerian pilot either as commander or co-pilot,” Ore said.
Also, rector of Ilorin International Aviation College, Capt. Nuruddeen Abdulmumeen said as long as airlines continue to employ foreign pilots, the unemployment problem would persist. He said, unlike the situation in Nigeria, Nigerian pilots hardly get employment in a foreign countries. He said the regulatory body has to implement a policy which stipulates that any aircraft flying in Nigeria must have indigenous pilots on board, adding that Nigerian trained pilots can fly anywhere in the world.
Abdulmumeen also said: “NCAA has talked so many times. If I go to India now, as a qualified pilot, I guarantee you, I cannot get a job in India and no Nigerian would get a job in India because they have a policy that they cannot employ foreigners as long as that aircraft is in that country generating revenue, whichever registration it is carrying, you must have their nationals flying it. But in Nigeria, the law is there but it is so weak that the airlines don’t implement it.”
Government’s angle
When contacted, the Kano State Commissioner for Information, Alhaji Muhammad Garba, said 10 of the pilots in question have been sponsored for training with AZMAN Air. He said 10 of the 82 “have been employed and integrated into the aviation sector.” He told Daily Trust that government has paid for their training and based on the agreement entered with the management of AZMAN Air, more pilots would be trained and recruited by the company.
“This is a continued programme, and I’m sure if they can exercise patience, all of them will be trained under the programme. Those that have been trained have already started enjoying their salaries from AZMAN Air,” Garba said.
But attempts to speak to the SSG office’s on the pilots’ conversion to teachers was not possible, with SSG Rabiu Suleiman Bichi said to have travelled to Abuja, and could not be reached by telephone. He also did not respond to text messages.
Another government official who declined being named because he is not permitted to speak on the matter, said the SSG’s office “single-handedly” did the pilots recruitment. “That recruitment was done by the office of the SSG, not the Head of Service, as it should be,” the source said.
http://www.dailytrust.com.ng/news/general/80-kano-gov-t-trained-pilots-now-teachers-civil-servants/134496.html#yMceS7XXKt2ookPp.99
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