Nigerian Flight Deck Travel and Business Reportage
CONSEQUENT upon payment of N31 million by Shoreline Oil Services Ltd, operators of the Osubi airstrip to the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency ( NAMA) as part payment of its accumulated debt, the latter has announced resumption of air traffic services at Osubi airstrip.
This is just as the airspace managers said they were not responsible for “shutting down” Osubi airstrip as they do not have such statutory or physical powers as they only withdrew Air Traffic services from the airport.
Following the debt profile at the airport, NAMA withdrew its Air traffic services which technically halted operations at the Warri airport.
NAMA in a statement from General Manager Public Affairs, Khalid Emele said the debt balance was N566, 422, 000.50 after the payment enjoining Shoreline Oil Services to take advantage of this window of opportunity to make additional payment that will substantially defray the above debt.
His statement read, “This decision is consequent upon the payment of N31M by Shoreline Oil Services Ltd, operators of the airstrip, being part payment of accumulated charges for the provision of air traffic services at the airstrip by NAMA. The payment leaves Shoreline Oil Services with a debt balance of N566, 422, 000.50 as of today, the 28th October, 2018.”
“We recall that we took the difficult decision to withdraw air traffic services to Osubi airstrip after Shoreline Oil Services persistently refused to honour financial obligation to us despite several entreaties.”
“As a responsible corporate citizen and provider of critical services to the nation’s civil aviation sector, we felt obliged to restore our services to the airstrip with the understanding that Shoreline Oil Services will take full advantage of this window of opportunity to make additional payment that will substantially defray the above N566, 422, 000.50 debt as well as agree on a concrete and workable payment plan that will clear the outstanding balance.”
It is our hope that going forward, and in the spirit of the renewed understanding between both organizations, Shoreline will reciprocate this gesture by paying for our services as and when due.
“We would also like to clear the misconception being bandied about that the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) was responsible for “shutting down” Osubi airstrip. Nothing could be further from the truth as we do not have such statutory or physical powers. We merely withdrew air traffic services to the airstrip but we did not shut it down.”
NAMA reassured all our service users, stakeholders and the general public that NAMA remains committed to its goal of providing seamless air traffic services in a safe, economic and efficient manner.
