SUCCESS NWOGU writes that there is growing disaffection over the plan by the Kwara State Government to procure 15 aircraft for an aviation college in the state

Opposition parties in Kwara State are at daggers drawn with the Peoples Democratic Party-led state government over the recent information by Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed that the state government will soon acquire between 10 and 15 additional aircraft for the International Aviation College, Ilorin.

While the Congress for Progressive Change and the Action Congress of Nigeria cried foul and said the additional aircraft procurement was a misplaced priority, the state government, the PDP, a faction of the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties and the Rector of the IAC, Folayele Akinkuotu, said the investment was worthwhile.

Ahmed stated the government's intention during a recent public enlightenment programme tagged, 'The Governor Explains.'

He said such investment would boost the dividends of democracy to the people and ensure maximal management and use of public funds to the benefit of the people.

Ahmed said, "Our people might not feel the direct impact. It is just starting because we will begin to see the impact of this school when we attain an economy of scale. It can be attained when we have additional aircraft.

"I'm happy to let you know that the Vice-President (Namadi Sambo) is willing to support the Kwara State Government. Within the next two or three months, we will be getting additional 10 or 15 aircraft that the school requires to expand to the level where we will begin to feel the economic impact directly in the state."

While Ahmed said the Federal Government would support the state to procure the aircraft, he, however, in a follow-up statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Abdulwahab Oba, remained silent on the role of the Federal Government or that of the vice-president.

An investigation by our correspondent showed that the college currently has four Diamond aircraft: two DA-40 and two DA-42.

Chairman, Kwara State CPC, Suleiman Buhari, says it will be a wrong investment for the state government to spend N1.5bn on aircraft. He says each of the aircraft costs N92m, according to the website of its Australian-based manufacturing company.

To him, instead of spending such a huge amount on aircraft, the government can invest it in the education sector, health, employment generation, poverty alleviation and other critical sectors.

Buhari said, "The CPC cannot see any iota of social or economic sense in such investment. What is the business sense in committing so much public funds to a project where half of the students are sponsored by the government? What about the public announcement that the project will eventually be privatised to the Aviation Consulting and Training Institute of Dubai, which is rumoured to be a business front for a former governor of the state?

"It is our party's position that the proliferation of aircraft beyond the logistical needs of the college is unhealthy for the state. It defies all existing economic logic that a state that has been assessed to be fiscally on the brink would embark on such a project. Yet, all across the state, there are raw realities of poverty, heaps of industrial ruins and relics, sorrows and tears by Kwarans, the bread of suffering but silenced majority, and the sick eyes of a disillusioned people.

"As far as we are concerned in the CPC, Kwara State should be the last state where such 'outrageous profligacy' would be muted, let alone executed, given that the governor recently uncharitably described the state as a civil service state."

The state chairman of the ACN, Kayode Olawepo, says though there is nothing wrong with the government investing in infrastructural development, which naturally should translate to overall socio-economic good of the people, such investment must be sustainable and economically viable and beneficial.

He states that the situation in Kwara is pathetic and sometimes appears confusing and worrisome as to some decisions taken by those governing the state.

To him, the situation becomes more compounded by a shocker from the state government that it intends to sell 70 per cent of its shares in the school. According to him, this raises a lot of questions.

"As we speak, we don't know of any other investor, apart from the state government, who has committed any fund to that project. By saying 70 per cent of its shares, we are indirectly being told that certain private investors own 30 per cent shares. When and how? The aviation college, we must remember, was built solely from the N17bn accessed from the capital market.

"Besides, the decision to sell the college to private investors means the investment is either not sustainable or profitable. If it was viable and profitable, which sensible business owner would sell off his or her promising and profitable venture?

"Also, at what point did the government realise it would sell the college? Why commit hundreds of millions, if not up to a billion naira, to the purchase of 10 or 15 aircraft when you are already tinkering with the idea of selling the college? Why would a state with so much infrastructural deficit wake up and prioritise the purchase of aircraft over the provision of basic amenities? The whole thing sounds strange and suspicious," Olawepo said.

However, a faction of the CNPP in the state says additional aircraft will boost training in the institution.

A former Chairman, Nigerian Bar Association, Ilorin branch, Mr. Salman Jawando, says the plan to procure additional airplanes is a misadventure. He alleges that it is a deliberate design to impoverish the state by wasting its resources. In his view, the government should stop the plan and even account for the money already spent on the aviation college.

"Let the government tell us the nature of the last aircraft it bought. They should clarify to us whether they are new ones or second hand. I am aware they bought second hand (aircraft) and even the prices they placed on them were more than the new ones.

"So, the plan is just a way of making away with the people's money. It is a waste. I am asking them to stop it and give us an account of what they have expended on the aviation college till date," Jawando said.

Also, the Head of Department, Business Law, University of Ilorin, Prof. Muhammed Akanbi, says the aircraft procurement is not an immediate need for the development of the state.

He states that such huge funds required for the procurement of between 10 and 15 aircraft could be channelled into projects that will have greater impact on the majority of Kwara residents.

Akanbi said, "The investment is not likely to bring so much to the ordinary people. I do not think it is the present or immediate need for development in Kwara. Whatever the government wants to do, it should look at what its impact will be on the people. Can we really say that many people of Kwara will benefit directly from it?

"When you want to make such a massive investment, it should be something that is be pro-people.

"Is the aviation college going to bring massive employment? Is it going to develop the infrastructure in the state? The answer for me is 'no'. I think the government should channel such huge funds into things that will bring development in the short and long run.

"Government should consider the agriculture and health sectors, and create an environment that will make businesses to flourish."

In a joint response by its Chairman and Secretary, Lekan Alabi and Adebayo Lawal respectively, CNPP says the move will increase the revenue base of the college. It, however, called on the government to grant scholarships to some deserving Kwara State students to study at IAC.

"We learnt that the present student population of the college rose to 30 within just a few months of operation. We see the procurement of more aircraft as a sure way of increasing the student population in order to garner more funds for the running of the institution and to shore up the high reputation of the college," he said.

The Rector, IAC, Capt. Folayele Akinkuotu, says the college needs additional airplanes. He states that the airplanes are needed because of the student population, which has risen to 30 and as a result of an expected rise in student population.

He said, "Any institution encompassing corporate entities that are for business, initially needs equipment and of course, expansion. At the inception, this college had 12 students. We now have 30 students.  The projection is that we should have 60 intakes each year into this college. It is perfectly in order that this college needs more airplanes.

"Do not forget that the airplanes are not bought off the shelf. It is a programmed thing. If I tell you that I am going to buy X number of airplanes today, it does not mean that I have the possibility of picking them off the shelf the same day. Definitely, there is the need for additional aircraft."

Ahmed's Senior Special Assistant on Media and Communication, Muyideen Akorede, and the governor's Chief Press Secretary, Abduwahab Oba, did not respond to our correspondent's enquiries on the issue.

But the Publicity Secretary of the state PDP, Mas'ud Adebimpe, said the plan to procure the aircraft for the college was in line with the policy thrust of the state government on the diversification of its economy.

Adebimpe said as the only non-Federal Government driven aviation college in Nigeria, the IAC has great potential of impacting positively on the economy of the state as more employment opportunities will be created by an increase in the college's fleet.

"For the avoidance of doubt, the kernel of the PDP administration in Kwara State is to create a credible platform for the emergence of highly trained manpower, who will be major players in different sectors of the state and national economy," he said.