Nigeria's Minister of Aviation Mallam Isa Yuguda is on his own for the time being, as Nigeria has disbanded all the Boards of all its "parastatals" (bureaucracies) under the Federal Ministry of Aviation.

Affected are all the sub-divisions, including the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).

Speaking of airports, Mr. Yuguda told reporters that the airport at Lagos, gutted by fire, could be ready for passenger service by about April of 2005. The bidding process in Nigeria is commonly-thought to be plagued by certain anomalies, that hinder open, transparent bidding.

Concurrently, Minister Yuguda has asked Canadian High Commissioner to Nigeria, Howard Strauss, for aid in restructuring and improving the Nigerian College of Civil Aviation (Zaria).

Nigeria's aviation bureaucracy is trying to encourage private investment in the government-run facilities and air system, saying that the government is less-likely than in the past to want to nationalize (appropriate) those investments. The government doesn't want to take the investments, they explain; they only want to run them. [The difference may be significant. The first system is communistic; the second, fascistic. --ed.]

FMI: www.nigeria.gov.ng/business/aviation.htm