Just Don't Do it Gov. Ayade By Emeka Oparah

I have just heard that the government of Cross River State is planning to launch an airline to be managed by Dana Airlines. 

Now I don't know who his advisers are, but Gov. Benedict Ayade must NOT do it-for many reasons.

One, the global airline industry is in dire straits due to high operating costs. Instances abound in the US and across Europe where airlines are resorting to mergers and acquisitions to avoid the drop. Locally, the aviation industry is in deep shit. One of the oldest airlines, Aero Contractors, has gone off air, and there are rumors of distress among the others. Remember ADC Airlines, Belview and a few others went into oblivion after struggling with high cost of operations.

Secondly, why on earth would a government invest in an airline when there are more strategic and prosperous businesses to go for? Given the rising unemployment numbers and worsening recession, any sensible government would rather put its money where the mouths of the people are-create more jobs in the real sector especially agriculture and manufacturing. 

Thirdly, and talking about boosting tourism, the government can achieve the same objective by improving the facilities at the Calabar Airport, improving the access roads from the airport to the tourist sites across the state, developing the tourist sites and encouraging the existing airlines to expand their schedules to cater for the expected traffic.

This proposed airline is an avoidable disaster considering the current economic realities and the points outlined above. I hope the people of Cross River State will be sensible enough to avoid the kind of misplaced priority their next door neighbors had with the choice of an ultra-modern Stadium over many cottage industries. Having established a tailoring factory, the governor should look for more of such "small but mighty" investments rather than an airline-which, to me, is showy, boisterous, vainglorious and economically ill-advised.