33 Years Don Pass, Hope Don Fade For Safe Pipeline Wey Go Supply Jet A1 Fuel To Airports

Na over 33 years now wey Nigeria aviation fuel pipeline don spoil, yet airlines still dey depend on truck to carry Jet A1 fuel go airports  somtin wey experts don tag as unsafe, wahala-full and expensive. Even though di aviation sector dey contribute about $2.5 billion yearly to di economy, old equipment and lack of modern fuel network don dey slow operations for major airports like Lagos, Kano and Port Harcourt. Reports show say fuel farms for Port Harcourt, Kano and Lagos don dey abandoned since 1992 when di Lagos pipeline burst and military government shut am down over fear of sabotage. Since den, successive governments never fix am, even though experts talk say if dem restore di pipeline, e fit remove over 100 trucks daily from Lagos road and save billions wey dey waste on fuel logistics.

Aviation specialists like Dr Richard Aisuebeogun, Amos Akpan, Olumide Ohunayo and Capt. John Ojikutu (retd.) don call on government to revive or rebuild di pipeline network through public-private partnership (PPP) and tighter Jet A1 regulation. Dem talk say di truck-to-wing system dey risky, as di Max Air incident for 2023 show wetin contamination fit cause. Aisuebeogun stress say safety and fuel integrity be di backbone of aviation, while Akpan talk say direct pipeline go reduce flight delay, road accidents and fuel cost. Ohunayo believe say di old system don spoil beyond repair and e better to construct new pipeline wey go link Lagos airport to Ejigbo depot. Ojikutu also lament say Nigeria no get excuse after 30 years, as oda African countries don already use pipeline system wey dey safe, fast and reliable for di aviation industry.