FG Begins Collection Of Helicopter Landing Charges In Rivers

The Nigerian government is set to start the collection of helicopter landing charges in Rivers State, Daily Post reports.

The Federal Government through its consultant has inaugurated a team to drive its new initiative of collecting landing and take-off charges from helicopters operating on all platforms across the country.

The implementation committee for Rivers State was inaugurated at the International Wing of the Port Harcourt Airport on Thursday by the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Naebi Dynamic, Chike Stanley.

Stanley took the step to advance the mandate given to the firm by the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, when he inaugurated a consortium in Port Harcourt to collect landing and take-off charges from helicopters operating within the country’s airspace.

Sirika had said the initiative would help to increase revenue generation in the sector and create employment opportunities across the country.

The team inaugurated by Stanley comprised all stakeholders in the aviation sector such as the Police, the Department of State Security (DSS), representatives of the Rivers Government, and the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), among others.

Stanley said the implementation team would help the firm have easy access to all the platforms, oil rigs, airstrips, aerodromes, helipads and helipods located in Rivers to enable it actualise its mandate.

He commended President Muhammadu Buhari and Sirika saying the initiative would help to generate over 15,000 jobs in the nearest future and curb criminality and restiveness among the youths.

Stanley, who described the move as an internationally accepted standard, said no right-thinking International Oil Company (IOC) would flout the law, as contained in the amended NAMA Act.

He said: “Our mandate is to collect helicopter landing charges for IOCs and LOCs on all the platforms, oil rigs, airstrips, aerodromes, and helipads, among others. The initiative is to generate jobs and increase the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).

“It is also solving security problems. It has been tough but it has been wonderful. We are getting there. We have started. Already there is compliance at the airport and we hope to have more compliance. We thank the Minister for always giving us all the support that we need.

“I thank the President of Nigeria, who has created this platform. I thank the Minister of Aviation, who has stood his ground to ensure that jobs are created for Nigerian youths. In the next five years, this platform will generate employment for more than 15,000 youths across the country.

“This will help to curb some level of insecurity. This opportunity will help to engage them. We have called the stakeholders to educate them on what has happened. They have written to NNPC, and they have written to the Ministry of Petroleum. We are also taking people from these communities to train, employ and mentor.

“The essence of the meeting is a message that nobody is coming to harass any IOCs. This is a way to tell the IOCs that the government has directed access to be created to implement this.

“When you see them receive them. As an IOC you know that this is the standard practice across the global aviation industry.

“This is an implementation committee for Rivers State. We are going to move from state to state. It is an implementation team to carry out the responsibility given to us by the Federal Government and we have promised to give it our best”.