ON FEDERAL GOVERNMENT’S REPORTED APPROVAL TO TAKEOVER OSUBI AIRSTRIP NEAR WARRI – THE NEED TO MAKE THIS A REALITY, AS THE AIRSTRIP IS STILL NOT FUNCTIONAL
November 16, 2020 | News
We are surprised that, despite reports in February 2020, which noted that the festering face-off between aviation service providers and the management of Osubi Airport, in Warri, Delta State, had assumed a new dimension with the Federal Government’s approval of a takeover of the private purpose-built airstrip, up till now, the said Osubi Airstrip has remained not functional.
ON FEDERAL GOVERNMENT’S REPORTED APPROVAL TO TAKEOVER OSUBI AIRSTRIP NEAR WARRI – THE NEED TO MAKE THIS A REALITY, AS THE AIRSTRIP IS STILL NOT FUNCTIONAL
We are surprised that, despite reports in February 2020, which noted that the festering face-off between aviation service providers and the management of Osubi Airport, in Warri, Delta State, had assumed a new dimension with the Federal Government’s approval of a takeover of the private purpose-built airstrip, up till now, the said Osubi Airstrip has remained not functional. Thereby, forcing flight passengers to drive/travel/commute the already bad expressway from Warri to Benin in Edo State just to get a flight to Lagos and Abuja.
This is rather an unhealthy, burdensome and senseless situation being suffered by flight travelers in Warri and environs, just to get to Lagos and Abuja. One begins to wonder why the said Osubi Airstrip is still not functional up till now, despite Federal Government’s plans and approval to take it over early this year.
Let us recall that the Federal Government, in a letter to all the aviation parastatals, terminated the contract of Shoreline Oil Services Limited, the operator of the Osubi Airstrip, with immediate effect, citing incompetence. The Federal Ministry of Aviation Safety and Technical Policy Department, in a letter dated, February 7, 2020, and signed by its Director Captain T. Alkali, had directed the Director-General of Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and the Director-General of the Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NIMET), to carry out the termination of Shoreline’s contract seamlessly. And this is something we have persistently and consistently written to past and present Government Authorities and Officials at the Federal and State levels, and requested on the need to upgrade the existing facilities/structure/runway of the Osubi Airstrip near Warri in Delta State, to a Standard Airport that can accommodate bigger aircrafts and more commercial patronage from airline operators.
The said Osubi Airstrip facility has been a subject of controversy since it changed hands from the original owner, Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), to Shoreline in partnership with the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) in 2015. Let us recall that Shell (SPDC) opened the Osubi Airstrip facility in 1999, to enhance offshore operations. But with the dip in oil exploration over a period, the airstrip was sold to Shoreline and NNPC in 2015. The NAMA, in October 2018, had alleged that Shoreline owed over N500million for air navigation services since 2015. Shoreline described NAMA’s claim as ‘frivolous charges’, and an attempt to keep extorting its management. The Osubi airstrip was closed for about two months following NAMA’s withdrawal of air traffic controllers and embargo on aircraft to and from the facility. FAAN also withdrew safety-critical services from the airstrip in December 2018, over an alleged debt of N77million. Shoreline also debunked the claim, saying their operations were independent of FAAN’s support. NAMA recently gave a 30-day final demand notice to debtor airlines and private/state-owned airports to settle all outstanding debts owed to the agency. The demand notice, which expired on February 28, 2020 expected all debtors to settle their indebtedness or risk sanctions. Recall that the affected debtors had earlier been communicated with details of their respective indebtedness to NAMA, but have made no tangible effort to pay. With the stated development, everyone would understand why this call for a takeover of the Osubi Airstrip by the Government, from the hands of Shoreline, is very important.
It is also imperative to note that since Shoreline Oil Services Limited bought over Shell (SPDC) assets in OML 30, which is the largest Shell Oil Mining Leases (OMLs) in the entire West & East Operations, that also includes the said Osubi Airstrip, they have not been able to operate the assets. Rather, they actually contracted it to Salvic Energy, and later Heritage Energy Operational Services Ltd (HEOSL) to operate the OML 30. But up till now, they have created more issues in the said OML 30, especially with the host communities, than they were expected to operate the Assets. Shoreline Oil Services Ltd has proven not to have the wherewithal/financial capacity and technical capability to operate any oil & gas and aviation assets. All of this are actually problems that were deliberately created by former President Goodluck Jonathan and the then former Petroleum Minister, Mrs. Deziani Alison-Madueke, in pursuit of their personal interests. And as a result of these lapses, the all-important Osubi Airstrip, which is part of OML 30, has been left in complete neglect to suffer greatly. Which is why there is urgent need for the Federal Government to come in, as they have approved, to address this.
The oil city of Warri remains the most viable commercial city in Delta, but it is without a Standard Airport. And from what has been explained, there is no need to build a new Airport, but it is just to upgrade and expand the tarmac runway and upgrade the existing facilities of the Osubi Airstrip to a Standard Airport. The existing unused land in the said Airstrip is big enough to make it a standard and International Airport. This will not only make it one of the busiest Airports in the region if made functional with the required expansion, it will also automatically create jobs for the teeming youths in the oil city of Warri and environs. That is what made Dubai, London, Amsterdam, New York, Tokyo, Beijing, etc. what they are today. Development is not wishful thinking but by taking concise actions.
The truth is that no country or State can achieve great milestones of development without the needed aviation infrastructure. The Osubi Airstrip is just too strategically located not to be functioning as it ought to. And like we said before, big aircraft cannot land and take off in the Osubi-Warri Airstrip due to the small size of the tarmac runway. The Osubi Airstrip is about 1,800meters as against the normal length of about 3,000meters for most (domestic) airports in Nigeria. The small length of the runway of Osubi Airstrip means that ‘only small aircrafts’ (not exceeding 50-passenger capacity such as the DASH or the Donier) can land and take off from the Airstrip. And since the Federal Government has decided to take over the said Osubi Airstrip from Shoreline Petroleum Resources, then there is need for prompt steps to be initiated as well to expand the runway/upgrade its facilities to make it a functional Standard Airport for flight passengers in the Oil city of Warri and environs. So that people would not have to waste time and resources traveling all the way to Benin just to get a flight to Lagos and Abuja.
Kindly give this issue the needed attention as already intended by the Federal Government and relevant Aviation Authorities.
Zik Gbemre.
November 16, 2020
We Mobilize Others To Fight For Individual Causes As If Those Were Our Causes
We are surprised that, despite reports in February 2020, which noted that the festering face-off between aviation service providers and the management of Osubi Airport, in Warri, Delta State, had assumed a new dimension with the Federal Government’s approval of a takeover of the private purpose-built airstrip, up till now, the said Osubi Airstrip has remained not functional. Thereby, forcing flight passengers to drive/travel/commute the already bad expressway from Warri to Benin in Edo State just to get a flight to Lagos and Abuja.
This is rather an unhealthy, burdensome and senseless situation being suffered by flight travelers in Warri and environs, just to get to Lagos and Abuja. One begins to wonder why the said Osubi Airstrip is still not functional up till now, despite Federal Government’s plans and approval to take it over early this year.
Let us recall that the Federal Government, in a letter to all the aviation parastatals, terminated the contract of Shoreline Oil Services Limited, the operator of the Osubi Airstrip, with immediate effect, citing incompetence. The Federal Ministry of Aviation Safety and Technical Policy Department, in a letter dated, February 7, 2020, and signed by its Director Captain T. Alkali, had directed the Director-General of Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and the Director-General of the Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NIMET), to carry out the termination of Shoreline’s contract seamlessly. And this is something we have persistently and consistently written to past and present Government Authorities and Officials at the Federal and State levels, and requested on the need to upgrade the existing facilities/structure/runway of the Osubi Airstrip near Warri in Delta State, to a Standard Airport that can accommodate bigger aircrafts and more commercial patronage from airline operators.
The said Osubi Airstrip facility has been a subject of controversy since it changed hands from the original owner, Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), to Shoreline in partnership with the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) in 2015. Let us recall that Shell (SPDC) opened the Osubi Airstrip facility in 1999, to enhance offshore operations. But with the dip in oil exploration over a period, the airstrip was sold to Shoreline and NNPC in 2015. The NAMA, in October 2018, had alleged that Shoreline owed over N500million for air navigation services since 2015. Shoreline described NAMA’s claim as ‘frivolous charges’, and an attempt to keep extorting its management. The Osubi airstrip was closed for about two months following NAMA’s withdrawal of air traffic controllers and embargo on aircraft to and from the facility. FAAN also withdrew safety-critical services from the airstrip in December 2018, over an alleged debt of N77million. Shoreline also debunked the claim, saying their operations were independent of FAAN’s support. NAMA recently gave a 30-day final demand notice to debtor airlines and private/state-owned airports to settle all outstanding debts owed to the agency. The demand notice, which expired on February 28, 2020 expected all debtors to settle their indebtedness or risk sanctions. Recall that the affected debtors had earlier been communicated with details of their respective indebtedness to NAMA, but have made no tangible effort to pay. With the stated development, everyone would understand why this call for a takeover of the Osubi Airstrip by the Government, from the hands of Shoreline, is very important.
It is also imperative to note that since Shoreline Oil Services Limited bought over Shell (SPDC) assets in OML 30, which is the largest Shell Oil Mining Leases (OMLs) in the entire West & East Operations, that also includes the said Osubi Airstrip, they have not been able to operate the assets. Rather, they actually contracted it to Salvic Energy, and later Heritage Energy Operational Services Ltd (HEOSL) to operate the OML 30. But up till now, they have created more issues in the said OML 30, especially with the host communities, than they were expected to operate the Assets. Shoreline Oil Services Ltd has proven not to have the wherewithal/financial capacity and technical capability to operate any oil & gas and aviation assets. All of this are actually problems that were deliberately created by former President Goodluck Jonathan and the then former Petroleum Minister, Mrs. Deziani Alison-Madueke, in pursuit of their personal interests. And as a result of these lapses, the all-important Osubi Airstrip, which is part of OML 30, has been left in complete neglect to suffer greatly. Which is why there is urgent need for the Federal Government to come in, as they have approved, to address this.
The oil city of Warri remains the most viable commercial city in Delta, but it is without a Standard Airport. And from what has been explained, there is no need to build a new Airport, but it is just to upgrade and expand the tarmac runway and upgrade the existing facilities of the Osubi Airstrip to a Standard Airport. The existing unused land in the said Airstrip is big enough to make it a standard and International Airport. This will not only make it one of the busiest Airports in the region if made functional with the required expansion, it will also automatically create jobs for the teeming youths in the oil city of Warri and environs. That is what made Dubai, London, Amsterdam, New York, Tokyo, Beijing, etc. what they are today. Development is not wishful thinking but by taking concise actions.
The truth is that no country or State can achieve great milestones of development without the needed aviation infrastructure. The Osubi Airstrip is just too strategically located not to be functioning as it ought to. And like we said before, big aircraft cannot land and take off in the Osubi-Warri Airstrip due to the small size of the tarmac runway. The Osubi Airstrip is about 1,800meters as against the normal length of about 3,000meters for most (domestic) airports in Nigeria. The small length of the runway of Osubi Airstrip means that ‘only small aircrafts’ (not exceeding 50-passenger capacity such as the DASH or the Donier) can land and take off from the Airstrip. And since the Federal Government has decided to take over the said Osubi Airstrip from Shoreline Petroleum Resources, then there is need for prompt steps to be initiated as well to expand the runway/upgrade its facilities to make it a functional Standard Airport for flight passengers in the Oil city of Warri and environs. So that people would not have to waste time and resources traveling all the way to Benin just to get a flight to Lagos and Abuja.
Kindly give this issue the needed attention as already intended by the Federal Government and relevant Aviation Authorities.
Zik Gbemre.
November 16, 2020
We Mobilize Others To Fight For Individual Causes As If Those Were Our Causes