One year after the controversial demolition of the Lagos office of the former Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) and now Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) over plans to expand the jet ways of the new international terminal that was commissioned last year, the demolition site is still lying fallow.
A visit to the bureau’s former office depicted how government’s unpopular policies often contribute to wastage of public funds in view of the huge funds sunk into putting up the once beautiful edifice only to be pulled down.
The demolition of the office which caused huge fortune running into several billions of Naira to be erected caused hot debates within the sector with many accusing the minister of aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika of misplacing the priorities of the sector.
Key players while accusing the minister of creating deep confusions in the sector further took a swipe at him for creating problems for the Lagos based workers of the bureau many of whom were thrown out of their offices unprepared.
The federal government through the minister had about a year ago Directed the then AIB to vacate from its office at the Lagos International Airport and relocate to Abuja to give room for the demolition in preparation for the expansion of jet ways of the new international terminal.
Information available to Safety Altitude showed that while many of the workers particularly in the management and technical units have since moved to the Bureau’s head office in Abuja others who cut across the lower and middle level cadres are still working in harsh conditions.
Sources revealed to Safe Altitude that one year after the demolition of the AIB’s office in Lagos, the affected workers have continued to work from their various homes since the agency lacks regional office in Lagos.
Many stakeholders had attributed the demolition of the accident investigation’s office to one of the policy summersaults of the minister which have been argued to have further plunged the sector into chaotic situations which may subsequently create problems for the incoming government.
The bureau became a victim of another government’s unpopular policy that reared its head with the construction of the second terminal building at the international airport for the use of international flights.
The new terminal which was commissioned by the government late last year has been shunned by the foreign carriers due to the availability of required fingers that can accommodate enough wide bodied aircraft mostly used by the mega carriers.
To find a way out of the embarrassment and the huge losses the error has continued to inflict on the government, a bigger problem emanated from another decision made to demolish some structures located within the axis to give way for the expansion of the terminal building.
Among the gigantic building earmarked for demolition included the former AIB office, the world standard EAN hangar, Caverton hangar and the Dominion hangar which were all built with billions of Naira by private individuals.
While the government rushed to pull down the AIB being one of its own agencies, the government ran into a brick wall in doing same thing with the privately owned hangars in view of the obvious due processes required to pull them down.
Information gathered indicated that the inability to demolish the hangars has been traced to the huge compensation needed to pay the owners which is running to over N30billion.
Discussions are said to be ongoing between the government and the owners of the private hangars though, but burden of paying huge compensation to the owners of the hangars and the extra cost to expand the terminal may fall on the incoming government in view of the few months left for the present government to vacate office.
