Everyone of the 200m Nigerians out there should be ashamed about the fact that the country does not produce one gallon of aviation fuel

By Ayo Akinfe

(1) Nigerians have made a habit of hiding behind incompetent governments but for me, that is just a convenient excuse. If you have a crap government and an industrious people, you can generate enough wealth to address many of your socio-economic problems

(2) Moreover, Nigeria is by and large a rightwing country in which the slogan: “The government has no business in business” holds sway. If we believe that the state should hands off commercial matters, then we have to get off our backsides and do it ourselves. Nowhere else is this more applicable than the production of aviation fuel

(3) Now, aviation fuel accounts for over 30% of airlines’ operational costs and since the Warri and Kaduna refineries started having their problems, Nigerian operators have to import every single gallon they use. Aviation fuel constitutes between 40% and 45% of the cost of operating a Boeing 737 aircraft in Nigeria for one hour. Just imagine the savings that could be made if this was produced locally. Also, imagine the number of jobs aviation fuel depots would create. Ideally, Nigeria should be Africa’s aviation refuelling depot with airlines coming from all over the continent to fuel their planes

(4) Do you know that Nigerian airlines now go to Ghana and Togo to buy aviation fuel? I want someone to please explain to me why all those so-called industrialists in Nigeria who import products and distribute, who own oil wells and who make millions of dollars from government contracts have not deemed it necessary to open an aviation fuel refinery

(5) You see, the way capitalism works is that people create wealth then invest the proceeds to generate more wealth. If you are given an oil block, a genuine industrialist would invest the proceeds in adding value to the crude oil to make higher margins. What we have at the moment are people making millions then using those profits to build churches, buy chieftaincy titles, marry more wives, throw owambe parties and purchase choice properties worldwide

(6) Egypt produced 36,000 barrels of aviation fuel a day and for other African nations, the figures are South Africa 26,000, Morocco 19,000, Ivory Coast 17,000, Cameroon 7,000 and Kenya 3,500. Ghana produces just 1,000 barrels of aviation fuel, of which almost all is sold to Nigeria. How can we be the world’s sixth largest crude oil exporter and not produce aviation fuel?

(7) I am yet to see any evidence to prove that Nigerians are deserving of good government. How come we are happy to import diesel, generator sets, SUVs, etc but are not passionate about investing in an aviation fuel refinery? When I look at some of the lavish parties old school associations throw, I ask myself why it has never occurred to them to invest that money on income generating ventures

(8) Just this week, we heard of how Nigerians have been stealing the bolts on the new Lagos -Ibadan railway line. Now, that typifies is as a people. Anything for a quick buck but no long term vision whatsoever. Frederick Lugard summed us up brilliantly in his book Dual Mandate

(9) When for instance, a group of diasporans leave the UK or US to go and throw a lavish party in Dubai, rather than organise their event in Nigeria, you have to ask whether we do not have a serious national mental health issue here. Only a people ready for mass admission to the lunatic asylum would go and invest say £50,000 in Dubai’s hospitality industry when their own nation is crying out for investment

(10) In all fairness to Aliko Dangote, his new refinery in Lekki will start producing aviation fuel but that is just scratching the surface. Nigeria needs at least three of such facilities. Today, at some airports, underground fuel pipes allow refueling without the need for tank trucks to move it around. Trucks carry the necessary hoses and pressure apparatus but no fuel. Ideally, what Nigeria needs is an aviation fuel pipe network linking all her airports