…APC NEC set for stormy meeting today with opposing groups fine-tuning strategies over Oyegun’s seat***
More airlines from African countries are expected to begin frequent flights into Nigeria in the coming months following the inauguration of the Single African Air Transport in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Industry sources stated that the restrictions on frequency of flights, capacity, route and ports of entry, and the 5th Freedom Traffic Right had been lifted.
“These are some of the areas that were negotiated before under normal bilateral agreements but as soon as a country signs the open skies agreement, the restrictions are reviewed,” the source explained.
Under the frequency clause, airlines of member states will no longer be restricted as long as they have traffic on their chosen routes, while the restrictions on capacity, which placed emphasis on the type of aircraft that should be used on certain routes, have been lifted.
On route and ports of entry, member states airlines’ now have the freedom to fly into one another’s countries through any viable city.
The 5th freedom traffic, on the other hand, means that within Africa, member state airlines can fly into one another’s countries and proceed to another without much restriction. For instance, a Nigerian airline can fly from Lagos to Accra, Ghana and proceed to Abidjan, Cote D’Ivoire if it finds traffic.
SAATM was inaugurated on the margins of the 30th African Union Summit and under the treaty, member states are expected to abolish any provisions in their Bilateral Air Services Agreement for intra-African air services that are contrary to the provisions of the Yamoussoukro Decision, and will operate without the need for such agreements to enhance the objectives of the treaty.
“The Yamoussoukro Decision had its own template, which member states are now implementing under SAATM; they are about 18 articles. For those 23 champion states, that template has become the automatic template, especially those integrating clauses such as unrestricted freedom,” an industry source stated.
“This will encourage competition and help the airlines to grow, although there will still be designation if there was no airline operating on a particular route. And despite these unrestricted movements, there will still be eligibility criteria for airlines through diplomatic channels,” another source explained.
SAATM is a flagship project of the African Union Agenda 2063, an initiative to create a single unified and liberalised air transport market on the continent.
It was adopted by the AU Assembly in 2015 as a way of implementing the Yamoussoukro Decision of 1999 that provides for full liberalisation in terms of market access between African states, the free exercise of traffic rights, the elimination of restrictions on ownership and the full liberalisation of frequencies, fares and capacities.
Nigeria was among the champion states that declared their solemn commitment to establish SAATM upon the adoption of the declaration by the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the AU.
The 22 other states are Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Ethiopia, and Gabon.
Others are Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Swaziland, Togo and Zimbabwe, while Burundi and Uganda are also reportedly gearing up to becoming members.
Meanwhile, the National Executive Committee of the All Progressives Congress will today (Monday) at its meeting take a final decision on the tenure of the Chief John Odigie-Oyegun-led National Working Committee.
Ahead of the meeting, which from all indications will be stormy, governors and state chairmen of the party arrived in Abuja on Sunday.
NEC will review the decision it took in February, when it said the tenure of the party’s officials had been extended.
The tenure of Oyegun and other NWC members will come to an end on June 28, 2018.
But NEC, at its meeting on February 27, 2018, approved a one-year tenure extension for the party’s officials.
However, at its meeting on March 27, President Muhammadu Buhari opposed the tenure extension, saying it was illegal.
Following the President’s objection, the party set up a 10-member committee to advise it on the issue.
Last week, the APC governors, who initially supported the tenure extension, backed Buhari’s call for fresh congresses.
On Sunday in Abuja, it was gathered that members of the NEC, including governors and state chairmen, who were opposed to tenure elongation for the Oyegun-led NWC, met to perfect their strategies ahead of the Monday meeting.
Also, Oyegun’s supporters, including the Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, had reportedly been mobilising support for the chairman.
It was gathered that some governors, who on February 28 backed tenure elongation, had changed their position.
It was learnt on Sunday that the Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle Amosun; and his Kogi State counterpart, Yaya Bello, had started pushing for fresh congresses.
Apart from Amosun, governors in the anti-tenure elongation group are Abdul’aziz Yari of Zamfara State, Rochas Okorocha of Imo State, Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State, Jibrilla Bindo of Adamawa State, Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State and Abubakar Badru of Jigawa State.
Besides El-Rufai, it was gathered that Governor Abdullahi Mohammed (Bauchi) and Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto) were in the pro-Oyegun group.
A chieftain of the APC in Ogun State, who declined to be identified, said it was not true that Amosun was still backing tenure elongation for Oyegun.
He said although the governor was one of those that ensured victory for the tenure elongation group on February 27, he had changed his position after listening to the President’s argument on March 28.
The pro-tenure elongation group had on February 27 emerged victorious with 104 votes against four recorded by opponents of tenure elongation.
The party chieftain said the Ogun State governor changed his position when he realised that the President would not support tenure elongation.
He stated, “When it became obvious that the President is against tenure elongation, Amosun as a loyalist of Buhari is duty bound to support him to realise his vision for the party and the country.”
Punch
