I totally agree with you when you say we pilots are responsible for the situation in which we find ourselves now. The only reaction of Nigerian pilots to decaying facility is for us to grumble among ourselves. In fact, our ability to operate under these dangerous conditions has become something to brag about. Nobody writes reports, so officially nothing is wrong
Pilots do write reports to the authority! At the end of the day, the hunter becomes the hunted!! An incidents happened sometimes in Aba, the people wrote a pettition to NCAA to investigate a case of a helicopter killing someone on ground. NCAA went there with their team of investigators and at the point of submitting the report to the concerned authority in Lagos, the file 'disappeared' mid air between Port Harcourt and Lagos. The surveyor in charge of the matter was warned never to re-visit the case. So the case is closed. A pilot was also fired in one of this 'new generation' company the last time for refusing to fly with a no go item in the MEL. When reports were written to the authority about a particular company, a copy of the pettition is given to the accused company before the audit for peanuts! The issue of corruption has eaten deep into the system here in Nigeria. We still have some bad eggs in the aviation ministry that are constantly sabotagging the ministry and the country in general.
Has any of us pilots taken the pain to supervise a C of A pre and post inspection documentations?How many times have you failed an engine for single engine climb? and at the end of the day, the technical department will pass the same engine with a bougos language without a follow up? At times you can hardly read the registration mark of some of our aeroplanes- meanwhile there is a minimum dimession of this artwork stated in the relevant documents. All in the name of fancy colours and interiors at the expense of safety. Provided the brown envellope is bouyant enough,the airplane will surely pass a C of A renewal. The equipments might be there on board! but are they serviceable? Most of the equipments on board are bougos part without a 'green label' Transponder is a no go item on our ships here in Nigeria. Are we sincere to the letter on our MEL? Several helicopters still flying around in our airspace without a serviceable transponder! The excuse is-NO TOTAL RADAR COVERAGE! The list is on and on if we are to be sincere with our selves. It is like putting round pegs in square holes.