The Buhari Nigerians don’t know – David-West

April 4, 2015 Politics
Professor Tam David-West served as Min­ister of Petroleum and Energy when the new President-elect, Gen Muhammadu Buhari (retd), was the Military Head of State from 1984 to 1985. In this interview with YIN­KA FABOWALE and OLUSEYE OJO in Ibadan, the professor of virology talks extensively on the person of Buhari that millions of Nigerians do not know. Excerpts:
Will it be right to describe Gen Buhari’s win in the just concluded presidential election as a personal victory to you?
It cannot be a personal victory to me; that will be too much. It’s victory to Nigerians, victory to those people in Nigeria, who have over the years have supported this cause. It is not for me. I was only one person telling peo­ple what he is. I have worked with him and I know him. I worked very closely with him.
As an oil minister, I was closer to him than most ministers because we have hotlines; few ministers had hotlines with him. Whenever I talk about Buhari, I am talking about somebody I know. I am not talking about stereotype, am talking about somebody I know first­hand.
He has good qualities. He is a unique man. The for­mer Head of State, Abdulsalami Abubakar, described him as an extraordinary Nigerian.
Why do I love him? First, he is very honest. He is not corrupt at all. He’s disciplined and he’s focused. I worked with Buhari and I worked with Babangida (Gen Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida, retd). If you give a 20- page memo to Buhari by 9:00 this morning, by 10 he has finished reading it and he will ask you to come. When you get there, you will see that he has read it and made notes. If you give the same memo to Babangida, he would not read it for one week.
Buhari loves Nigeria, not only because he was a sol­dier and signed his life for Nigeria, I know from all the people around, he’s the only person that I can vouch for. They used to insult me that Jonathan (President Good­luck Jonathan) is Ijaw and I am an Ijaw man too, why am I supporting a Fulani man? I am not going to support you because you are Ijaw, I am going to support you to lead Nigeria and do well for the country
I have written two books on Buhari: one is who really is Gen Buhari and the other one is 16 sins of Buhari, which are qualities of Buhari. In the book, I wrote on the lies they are telling about him. In fact, Femi Adesina (Managing Director of The Sun newspapers) was the master of ceremony when I launched the book at NI­IA(Nigerian Institute of International Affairs) in Lagos.
I have a third book on him, which I have not finished – General Buhari: A Rare Gem. I don’t have Buhari’s phone number. I don’t phone him. Why do I do that? It’s because I don’t want to be tempted to be phoning him to discuss. If I want to talk to Buhari, I know how.
Buhari can turn this country around. I have strong faith in this. If my father is contesting an election against Gen Buhari as president, I will vote for Buhari, not my father. I will tell my father: I know you are a good man. But you have no business with politics. You cannot do it. you are a banker, go and manage money. I cannot vote for you because Buhari will do better than you. Buhari is a fantastic man.
For example, they are talking of economy while the greatest problem in Nigeria is corruption. If you can take care of corruption, everything will fall in place. Gen Buhari refused to devalue the naira in spite of the fact that when he came to power, Nigeria was broke. Shagari (Alhaji Shehu Shagari, former president of Ni­geria), was negotiating for N2billion IMF loan before he was overthrown.
Buhari told me he would not take IMF loan. I asked him why and he said: If you take loan of N2billion now, we will not be able to finish paying it before we leave. So, the debt will be there for our children. He’s as care­ful as that.
You must have read that Buhari cancelled Lagos metro line. It is a lie. I have published the story before. I don’t write anything without a research. I phoned him on it and he said: No, when we came to power on January 1, 1984, Nigeria did not know how much foreign debt they are owing. They don’t know the figure. Shagari did not know.
He said Lagos State came with a project, which would gulp over N100billion or so, guaranteed by the Federal Government. It’s a big loan for the project in those days. He said Federal Government could not guarantee the loan of N100billion when we did not know how much we are owing. So, Lagos State government thought of it, looked at it and jettisoned it by itself. He told me: Look professor, how can I cancel a project that I am not part of? I cannot cancel it.
Buhari cited another example. He said when he was in PTF (Petro­leum Trust Fund), the first N1.2 billion they made was spent on Lagos waterworks. Many people just write, they don’t investigate. This is why I don’t have respect for so many people called intellectuals. When Bu­hari was Head of State, $1.5 was N1:00; today, it is over N190 to $1 dollar. Then, it was N2 to £1; today it is over N240 to £1.
As regards the economy, they are talking that the oil price has fallen. Oil is still being sold for $57 per barrel. When Buhari came to power, oil price was $30 per barrel. During that time too, it went down to about $15. But he managed the economy.
When OPEC (Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries) decided to get the market share, oil price fell to about $15 per barrel, yet we survived. We survived because of good lead­ership and good focus. Now, they are saying the oil price is coming down, what will Buhari do?
I am absolutely certain that Buhari will turn the economy round. Why? It is because some of the blueprints he had to turn the economy round, he had not implemented before he was overthrown. I know that some of the blueprints are still on his table. So, one of the blueprints we used was very ingenious. The London Financial Times of May 1984 said it was extra-ordinary. We made IMF irrelevant. It is very simple. The economy can move.
I trust and love Buhari. He said something when he was launching his book in Port Har­court and I am very humbled by it. He said: Ser­vice to our country brought Tam and I together and the ideals we share in common make us friends. He said: Tam is somebody you can trust and that he can go to the forest with him, with­out being afraid.
I like him. Everything I have said about Gen Buhari cannot be controverted. He can change this country round. He loves the common man. In 1984, I took a memo to the council on oil price, but Buhari said even if we increase the oil price by 10 kobo or five kobo, kerosene price must never be increased. Senator Chris Anyan­wu is still alive, she can bear me witness.
What is happening today? They have trillions of naira as kerosene subsidy, which is a lie.
During Buhari’s time, we never imported one litre of petrol; we were even exporting petrol. Why is it so? It’s because you don’t need a mid­dleman. There is no petrol subsidy. Buhari and I had said it independently, even Gani Fawehin­mi. If you are talking about subsidy, why do you need a middleman? The Nigerian middlemen go and import a refined product from abroad. Of course, they inflate the price by giving us all sorts of figures.
The petrol price in Nigeria should not be more than N40 per litre. They were abusing me. I challenged Okonjo Iweala (Minister of Fi­nance and Coordinating Minister of Economy) to a debate, she never came. A professor of pe­troleum of Nigeria in Texas wrote to one of the people and I still have a copy in my house, that petrol price in Nigeria should not be more than about N35 per litre.
Why is it so? It’s because he’s a focused man. He’s not making money from it. Buhari has not got oil bloc. He has no oil contract. As I am talking to you now, it is not because I am righteous, I have never had oil listing contract, oil bloc and shares in oil companies. When oil companies were advertising for shares, which I could buy like any other Nigerian; neither Bu­hari, nor myself bought shares in those compa­nies.
Even, if they gave us 1,000 shares, they gave to us because he was Head of State and I was Minister of Petroleum. He is as careful as that. Buhari served this country well and he can turn it round. I am happy and I thank Almighty God, He has brought him back. What has happened is a great victory for Nigeria and we must give all glory to God.
We saw different images of Gen Bu­hari portrayed by the opposition during the electioneering such as being a dic­tator, religious bigot and ethnic jingoist. But you have always been a defender of his persona. Now, Nigerians have given their verdict on what they think of the opposition campaign. But there are fears that military mentality and tem­perament may come to the fore.
Do you know that Buhari’s executive coun­cil was more democratic than Shagari’s parlia­ment? When he was Military Head of State, he never liked the word president. While Baban­gida preferred Military President, Buhari pre­ferred Head of State. Buhari’s executive coun­cil, which is like the parliament now, was more democratic than Shagari’s government. I have evidence. There is nothing I tell you that I can­not support with paper evidence.
Shagari, when he was president, even com­plained that to get some of his bills passed, he had to pay his party men. I know a lawmaker, who complained to me that before he got to House to vote, they used to meet in a senator’s house in Victoria Island, Lagos, where they used to give them some money before they would go and vote for the party.
If a minister came to present a memo to the council, after the presentation, Buhari would ask every minister to make general comments about what they feel about the memo. Buhari and Tunde Idiagbon, of course, were there; they would not react as ministers. After the general comments, he would say we should vote.
In fact, I wrote an article entitled: Democ­racy in a Military Government. They could not believe it. Even at OPEC meetings, I had to explain to the Europeans that it was a mil­itary but we are running a democratic system. At the policy making level, Buhari would say: Gentlemen, you have finished speaking, how many ministers support the memo. If you are in support raise your hands. He will count it and put it down. How many ministers don’t support the memo? They raised their hands to. He would say: Gentlemen, 10 ministers support the memo, eight ministers did not support the memo. The memo is lost.
If we are operating a democratic system of decision making, it is not new to him now. For instance, I had a memo for some increase in pe­troleum tax, Buhari supported me and Idiagbon supported me. Buhari was so sure that after the memo, we would win. Buhari told the Attorney General that at the end of the memo, this part of NNPC law has to be changed. The Attorney Gen­eral walked up to me in council and said: Honour­able minister, look at this place, is it the place they are going to change after your memo if you win? I said yes. But I was so sure. But when I presented and voted, we lost. Buhari lost, Idiagbon lost and I lost. Buhari just said: Gentlemen, we have lost; take the next memo.
So, his coming now is not new. Democracy is not just about voting. It is a culture. Democracy is what you believe is right to be done. So, democra­cy is not new to Buhari.
There are fears that with the enormous power of the executive president under the presidential system of government, he may abuse his powers and bastardise our democracy like former President Olusegun Obasanjo purportedly did in the removal of Senate President, party leaders, EFCC selective persecution of opponents with impunity and so on. What is your take?
Professor Ben Nwabueze wrote a book after Obasanjo: How Obasanjo Destroyed Democracy in Nigeria. Why didn’t he write when Obasanjo was the president? I have a copy of the book in my house. Professor Nwabueze, a great man, but he published it after Obasanjo had left office.
Also, Odimegwu-Ojukwu said Obasanjo is a democratically elected president but he has mil­itary instinct; but not Buhari. Democarcy is not something you just jump into, you must believe in it. It must be part of our culture. Democratic ethos is part of Buhari’s life. He demonstrated it when he was Military Head of State that every member must be voted for democratically to the extent that he himself lost a memo when we voted.
In democracy, we have separation of powers – the executive, legislature and judiciary. We also have checks and balances. Buhari, for instance, is somebody that will not say like my friend, Obasanjo did sometime, he cannot cow down the legislature. Buhari will not influence the judicia­ry. In Buhari, Nigeria will have real democracy and separation of powers. The Buhari that I know will never interfere with the National Assembly. I know he will never interfere with the judiciary. It is his culture. So, there is nothing to fear.
To say that Buhari is a religious bigot is abso­lutely rubbish. If you read my book: 16 Sins of Bu­hari, you will discover that he is more religiously accommodating than anybody. People also called him an fundamentalist, sometime some people write without even thinking.
It was also speculated that he would Islamise Nigeria
No President can Islamise Nigeria. No Muslim Head of State can Islamise Nigeria. No Chris­tian Head of State can Christianise Nigeria. The constitution is very clear. Even during military government when constitution was suspended, no Head of State can do that. Do you know when he was Military Head of State, when there was no constitution, he could have done that. But he doesn’t believe in it.
Why do I say that? To change any part of the constitution, you need two-third majority of the states of the federation. To change a letter of the constitution, two-third of the federation must agree and the Houses of Assembly must agree. When he was Military Head of State, he could get that as a military man, he did not even attempt it. How can he attempt it now that it has to go to par­liament? He cannot Islamise Nigeria.
To say that Buhari is a religious fundamentalist is a credit. My family has been Christian for 106 years. I am an Anglican fundamentalist. When you say somebody is a fundamentalist, it means that he believes in his religion. I am a Christian fundamentalist. I believe in the Bible. If you are a Muslim fundamentalist, you believe in Quran. So, what is wrong about that? I don’t go to church on Sunday and go to Babalawo at night.
Three of Buhari’s domestic staff are Christians. His confidential secretary is a Christian, his sec­ond security officer is a Christian, his second head driver is a Christian. They have been with him for years
Apart from being in his government, you have also, over the time, being his close friend; who is the Buhari that Ni­gerians do not know?
Buhari is more detribalised, more religious tolerant than anyone I have met. In 1984, I stopped OPEC meeting from taking place. We met in Geneva on December 22, 1984 for a tow-day meeting. We thought the meeting would finish latest December 24. But the leaders said the matter for discussion would not allow the meeting to end on December 24.
So, they said we should continue on Decem­ber 25, which was Christmas Day. I told them: I am sorry, I cannot stay here as Christian to have OPEC meeting on Christmas Day. I have to go. Over 80 per cent members of OPEC are Muslims. We argued. My friend, Saudi Arabia Oil Minister, Zaki Yamani, had been minister for 24 years. We talked. He said the OPEC has changed. He still insisted that we should have the meeting on December 25.
Yamani said sometime in the 70s, the OPEC meeting in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) went up to December 25, and King Faisal had dinner for both Christian and Muslim ministers. I said that’s very good. If a Christian leaves his home to go to Saudi Arabia for Christian dinner, then something is wrong with him. I said: Gentle­men, I am the leader of the Nigerian delegation, I am pulling out my delegation back to Nigeria tomorrow, December 23 and I pulled out Ni­gerian delegation, there was crisis in OPEC. I told them: Gentlemen, can you people have OPEC meeting on Eid-el-Maulud, date of birth of Prophet Mohammed? I object to it, you can go on.
Do you know some Christians had told Bu­hari to sack me for causing international crisis? I have written a book on this, nobody can chal­lenge me. I don’t say anything without record. When I arrived, I went to Dodan Barracks to re­port to Buhari, he said he saw everything on tele­vision and heard it on radio. Do you know what he did? He never sacked me. He congratulated me on what I did. He said we must respect each other’s religion. That same day, himself and Idi­agbon sent me Christmas presents.
Many of Buhari’s campaign sponsors, including the APC National Leader, Asi­waju Bola Tinubu and Rivers State gov­ernor, Rotimi Amaechi, are perceived to be corrupt. Would their relationship and influence on his government not affect the administration’s credibility?
They used to say, show me your friend and I will tell you what you are. There is nobody that is corrupt that can influence Buhari. He has made it clear that there would be no discrimi­nation in the fight against corruption. If you are corrupt, you cannot work with Buhari. If you are corrupt, shed that corruption before you come because he will disgrace you. His zero-tolerance for corruption is one of his cardinal strengths. He cannot change it.
The 2014 National Conference con­vened by President Goodluck Jonathan came out with over 600 resolutions, most of which are perceived to be against the North. Gen Buhari is from the North and his party, APC did not believe in the conference. Do you think Buhari will implement the resolutions?
They are talking about National Conference and Petroleum Industry Bill. There are a lot of things that came up at that National Conference that were nonsense. As one of the people that drafted the 1979 Constitution, Wayas and Ona­goruwa, said it is the best constitution. But it is not constitution, it is Nigerians. With the state of Nigerian system, people are lying. But that system was just aided by the military. Murtala Mohammed gave them a blanket cheque. I must correct this image, there are lies against Murtala Mohammed, including some people that drafted the constitution.
Murtala Mohammed, I have the speech inau­gurating 49 of us, gave us free hands to oper­ate. He asked us to suggest anything we like on how to move this nation forward. Why do you choose presidential system? Many Nigerians wrote to us and over 80 per cent of Nigerians wanted presidential system because they are dis­pleased with the parliamentary system.
So, presidential system was chosen by Nige­rians, not by the military, not by 49 of us. The memos we received from Nigerian public, with­in and outside the country preferred presidential system. So, we chose presidential system be­cause of them, not because somebody told us to choose presidential system.
That we are not operating presidential sys­tem well is because Nigerians are corrupt. Why should a Nigerian senator earn more than the United States President, Barack Obama? The Americans have operated presidential system for over 200 years and they are still operating. America is one of the strongest economies in the world.
In Nigeria, we are wealthy, but we have a very poor economy. So, why should a senator in Ni­geria earn more than Obama? In fact, somebody once wrote that a senator in Nigeria can employ four Obamas. So, don’t blame the constitution. It is us.
On the allegation that he is from the North and he will not implement the National Conference resolutions, if I as an Ijaw man is the president and they bring the report of the conference be­fore me, I will sit on it. I know the drama they did there. A lot of things there are very divisive.
In fact, one of them said his tribe had 90 per cent of what they wanted as a people. Did you go there to work for Nigeria or your tribe? There were a lot of things at that National Conference that did not go through at all. If Jonathan imple­ments the resolutions, it is a disservice to Nige­ria. I will urge him never to implement them. There must be a plebiscite. A lot of things that were said there were not in the interest of Nige­ria. Many people went to fight for their ethnic groups.
So, that confab document should not be tak­en hook, line, and sinker. We must look at it very closely as Nigerians. Jonathan should not implement it because he is PDP. No. If Buhari doesn’t implement it, it is not because he is from the North. If they say most of the things they are saying there are against the North, is that how to pull Nigeria together? Did they go there to do one for the North and one for the South? We went there to discuss something that will unite Nigeria and move together as a people.
The confab document, as it is, should not be implemented because it is not in the interest of Nigeria. They must have another group to look at it and whatever comes out of that group must be sent to Nigerians for plebiscite.
The same thing happened to the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), don’t implement it. I am happy he has not implemented it. I have written 40 pages of comments on the PIB, which I will publish later. The PIB, which everybody was clamouring for, if he implements it the way it is, the petroleum industry will die.
There are a lot of things that will make foreign investors to run away from this county. Without the foreign investors, Nigeria cannot manage the oil industry alone. Shell, for instance, produces 50 per cent of our oil. Shell operates here and all over the world. If Shell closes its operation in Nigeria, Shell will not suffer, it is Nigeria that will suffer. Oil makes over 80 per cent of Nige­rian budget.
Nigerians cannot run the oil company without foreign participation because it is capital inten­sive. They provide the funds and the expertise. If we have well-trained Nigerians, what of the funds?
When Rilwan Lukman was there as the oil minister, what did he do? We have a Petroleum Institute in Effurun in Delta State, which is about to be upgraded to a university. Lukman estab­lished another petroleum institute in Kaduna. When they asked him why, he said it was estab­lished to train middle-class manpower.
So, the PIB is not as good as people think. I will advise Buhari not to implement it. He should set up another body. He should select and delegate 40 of us from different backgrounds, from different parts of the country and believe in Nigeria. Let them look at the document and produce a working document. Even at that, don’t sign it; send it as a plebiscite for Nigerians to vote for.
Given the perceived high level of corruption in the hierarchy of the Nige­rian military, how feasible is the Presi­dent-elect’s promise to bring a swift end to insurgency in the North East?
Buhari has been there before. Buhari stopped Maitatsine insurgency (of 1980). He was then a General Officer Commanding (GOC). Why has Jonathan not been able to do it? There is a bud­get for the military. They voted huge amount of money to buy equipment, it was there; they nev­er did anything. Buhari doesn’t need big project to fight corruption. Immediately Buhari is sworn in, corrupt people will shake. They will correct themselves and run away.
I was listening to the Minister of Works, Mike Onolememen; he said in one road contract alone, he was to find out that it was overestimated by N11billion. He said he was kind enough to can­cel it, and they never complained.
The same thing happened during Buhari’s time. A particular big man in Nigeria, whose name I will not mention, wrote to Buhari that in one contract he had, he was going to remove N10 million. Then, one of the ministers said, af­ter Buhari presented the letter to us, said: This is a very good thing. The government should write to the contractor to congratulate him. I said no.
What I am saying now, I have witness; Pat­rick Koshoni, former Chief of Naval Staff, is still alive. He is a very brilliant and articulate man. Some other ministers too are still alive. Kalu Idika Kalu is still alive. I said don’t con­gratulate him. If he on his own can give us N10 million, there will be other N10 million some­where. He cannot do the contract free. He was afraid that he would be caught. So, on his own, he purged himself of corruption.
Many corrupt people will run away from Nigeria without Buhari catching them. What I know is that the money they have taken from this country, he will bring it back.
On Boko Haram, Buhari is a General of repute and he fought Maitatsine insurgency, which was worse thanBoko Haram. Boko Ha­ram was started by politicians, like Niger Delta militants. They used them and dumped them. Maitatsine riot was not started by politicians. It was an upsurge of either religious or fanaticism. But Buhari was able to stop them.
During Shagari’s administration, Saad invad­ed some parts of Nigeria. Buhari was GOC and he drove them out. Even, when Shagari told him to stop, he said in one interview, that he refused to collect the Commander-in-Chief’s letter until he gave Cameroon breathing nose. He can do it. The military will be stronger and the military likes him because he knows where the shoes pinch.
What is your take on the agitations of the people that Buhari should probe the Jonathan administration and his aides as a result of alleged reports of monu­mental corruption under his administra­tion? But Buhari said he would not go after the past administration? What is your take on this?
Buhari said Jonathan has nothing to fear, yes I agree. But Jonathan has nothing to fear, pro­vided he has acted well. If he has not acted well, he has everything to fear. If there is any dirt in his cupboard, he has everything to fear because Buhari will clean the cupboard.
What do you think Buhari should do about people, who peddled vicious lies and campaign of hate against him, during electioneering, because a lot of people apparently believed them?
Two things; anything that has to do with libel, I will tell him not to forgive but go to court. He has already said he would take Femi Fani-Kayo­de to court. I am one of the witnesses. How can you so support somebody so much that you will be so wicked and so violent? Ayo Fayose (Ekiti State governor) said Buhari would die. But he was one of the first people to congratulate him; that is cheap now. He doesn’t impress me and he doesn’t impress Buhari.
What should he do? People that have been very wicked to him, called him name, take ac­tion against them. But don’t punish anybody because he or she abused you. If somebody says you are corrupt, make him to prove the corrup­tion.

Flying: The Truth About the Profession

Preamble:

  Recently there has been alot of concern about air safety and even shortage of qualified pilots. There seem to be many reasons for this, the most prominent being the salary of pilots. While in the USA, it is generally thought that teachers are poorly paid, the starting salary of a teacher is around $35,000.00 per year. Compare that with the starting salary of a pilot of about $22,000.00 per year.

Airline pilot salaries are probably one of the most misunderstood aspects of the profession when discussed by the non-flying public.  If I had a nickel every time I saw or read incorrect information concerning how pilots are paid, I think I'd be a very wealthy person!  I'll discuss how much newly minted pilots, fresh out of university and/or flight training can expect to make, and then I'll discuss salary ranges for airline pilots.  Unfortunately, I think many aspiring airline pilots are going to be surprised as to how low civilian pilot pay can go. 

Hourly Pay Rates: What They Really Mean...
     Let me start off by discussing hourly pay rates.  Very often, you'll hear a pilot school recruiter or a TV reporter or read in the media a quote or statement that a professional pilot, "earns XX.XX amount per hour...."  For example, one time on CNBC I heard a regional airline management representative trying to defend entry level regional airline pilot wages by proudly claiming that a new pilot at his airline earns twenty dollars an hour!  Now to the general public, that's a pretty good wage.  I mean, just doing round numbers in your head that's ($20/per hour) x (40 hours per week) x (52 weeks per year), right?  That's over 40 grand a year, right?  Wrong!  

     Pilots aren't paid like any other hourly worker in other professions.  Despite the fact that professional pilots work 8, 10, 12 hour+ days just like any other professional, they are only compensated for the time considered "in flight."  For most flying jobs, unless it's a salaried position, that usually means that they are paid from when the parking brake is released at the departure point until the brake is set upon arrival at the destination.  It's not uncommon for a flight instructor or an airline pilot to work a 12 hour day and only actually get paid for 5 to 6 hours of that time- and sometimes less!

     So, armed with that knowledge, where does that leave us?  Well, as a rule of thumb, which works well for most airline jobs, take the hourly wage you're looking at and multiply it by 1,000 to get a rough estimate of your annual wage.  So in my CNBC example above, the regional airline management representative who said his airline pays new pilots 20 bucks an hour was really only paying his new pilots about $20,000 per year.  That's a "little bit" different than what he was trying to get his listeners to believe.  You'll find that flight school salesmen, university recruiters, and airline management like to discuss pilot salaries publicly in "dollars per hour" because it doesn't make low annual salaries sound as bad...but I find that incredibly misleading.

     So when you're talking to that slick-talking university representative or flight school salesman about future anticipated earnings, your antennae should go up when they start talking about wages in terms of "dollars per hour."  Once you hear that, you'll know you're probably getting fed a line...

The Professional Pilot Salary Ladder - Airlines
     I'll start at the bottom of the civilian pay tiers and work my way up.  As mentioned in the "Typical Career Paths" section of this site, many professional pilots start off flight instructing.  Flight instructor pay tends to be very, very low and unless you are fortunate enough to work for a very busy flight school, many flight instructors have to work a second job in order to make ends meet.   Wages of around $10 to $20 dollars per hour (remember what I said about hourly wages above!) are not uncommon.  This wage often includes no benefits like vacation, sick leave, or health insurance.  In some states, flight instructors will qualify for public assistance.  Keep in mind that many flight instructors have just graduated from college and/or have recently finished all of their flight training and are now required to start paying back all that debt, which can amount to payments that are several hundred dollars per month.  All I can say is that it can be as financially difficult as it sounds- long days, low pay, and a crushing debt load from all that money you needed to borrow for your college education and flight training.   The flight school and university recruiters likely didn't mention that low salary part to you, did they?  

     You can see why I mentioned previously that nobody wants to stay as a flight instructor for long.  This is also the point where the reality of this profession starts to kick in.  Many pilots wander off into different careers in an attempt to make ends meet, never returning to the pilot profession again.  Hopefully, at this point in your career, the economy is going strong, airlines are hiring, and you don't have to flight instruct for long.

     The next rung in the salary ladder pilots might find themselves standing on after flight instructing is probably flying charter for a small commercial/corporate flight department or flying freight.  Again, low wages and poor quality of life prevail.  A person working for a small business participating in the above commercial activities might earn an annual salary in the high 20's per year or the low 30's if they're lucky, with perhaps some meager benefits like the ability to obtain health insurance through their employer.  At this point, you're probably two to three years out of college, maybe longer if the economy is doing poorly.

     If your next rung in the salary ladder is at a regional airline instead of a small commercial/corporate flight department, unfortunately, you're not doing much better.  Entry level wages for a regional airline First Officer range around $20/hour, which equates to around $20,000 per year.  This salary, however, often includes some benefits like health insurance, a meager 401K match, and sick leave.  So the salary remains low, but there are now some benefits attached to that low hourly rate.   Senior First Officers, with at least several years of experience, can expect to make around $30-$40/hour, or $30,000 to $40,000 per year.  

     As mentioned in the "Typical Career Paths" portion of this website, depending upon the economy and the financial condition of your employer, you may spend a short period of time as a First Officer, or a long period of time.  Some regional airline First Officers at one large regional airline were approaching a decade as a First Officer with no real upgrade opportunities in sight.  For your financial sake, hopefully your stay as a regional airline First Officer is a short period of time!  Once you upgrade to Captain, at most regional airlines you can expect to make in the $35,000 to $50,000 range annually as a new, junior Captain, with the lower rate applying to Captains of turboprop aircraft and the higher rate applying to Captains of turbojet powered aircraft.  A senior regional airline turbojet Captain with 15 to 20 years at his or her regional airline can earn a high 5 figure salary to a low six figure salary, depending upon the airline.

     For pilots that desire to go on to a large, major airline or cargo carrier, pay and quality of life can improve.   A professional pilot with over a decade of experience and thousands of hours of experience as a Captain would be considered reasonably qualified for an entry level position as a First Officer at a large major airline or cargo carrier.  Entry level pay can vary quite a bit, and sometimes results in a pay cut if one is leaving a regional airline as a senior Captain.  For most major airlines, entry level pay for a entry level First Officer is in the $30,000 to $60,000 range, whereas a senior First Officer can earn in the low six figure range annually.  At some financially successful major airlines and cargo carriers, entry level First Officers can earn upwards of $70,000 per year and as a senior First Officer, they can expect to earn in the low six figure range annually as well.  A few airlines still have a defined benefit pension plan, which is financially very valuable.  Keep in mind that entry level first officers at this level are, on average, in their mid to late 30's and have been out of college slogging it out in the real world for well over 10 to 15 years- but sometimes much, much longer.

    Now comes the financial pinnacle of the profession- what many pilots aspire to- becoming a Captain at a large major airline or cargo carrier.  Junior Captains earn around $120,000 to $140,000 per year at major airlines, and at some financially successful major airlines and cargo carriers, slightly over $200,000 per year.   Unfortunately, however, these men and women are at the tip of the pilot pay pyramid, and these jobs are extremely hard to come by.  Many will read these six figure numbers and salivate, but unfortunately it is highly unlikely that the average reader will ever see a salary that high.  There simply aren't that many jobs like this available, and there are tons of other variables that could come into play that can prevent you from ever becoming senior enough to hold a position like that at any time in your career. 

     Unfortunately, the six figure numbers in the previous paragraph are the salaries that are thrown around by the media, and the slick-talking flight school/university salesmen trying to get you to enroll in their flight program.  Those salaries are assumed by the flying public to be the "average" or "normal" salaries for the typical airline pilot, and of course nothing could be further from the truth- although I wish it were true! 

Acceptance Statement by General Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, President-Elect of the Federal Republic of Nigeria

April 1st, 2015
I am immensely grateful to God for this day and for this hour. I feel truly honoured and humbled that the Nigerian people have so clearly chosen me to lead them. The official announcement from INEC was the moment the vast majority of Nigerians had hoped and been waiting for. Today, history has been made, and change has finally come. Your votes have changed our national destiny for the good of all Nigerians .
INEC has announced that I, Muhammadu Buhari, shall be your next president. My team and I shall faithfully serve you. There shall no longer be a ruling party again: APC will be your governing party. We shall faithfully serve you. We shall never rule over the people as if they were subservient to government.
Our long night has passed and the daylight of new democratic governance has broken across the land. This therefore is not a victory for one man or even one party. It is a victory for Nigeria and for all Nigerians. Millions of you have worked for this day. So many have risked life and livelihood; and others have died that we may witness this moment.
And it is with a very heavy heart that I report many deaths and injuries amidst the jubilations yesterday. We send our sincere condolences to the families and friends of those who lost their lives; and wish speedy recovery to those who suffered injuries. I appeal to all our supporters to celebrate this victory with prayers and reflection instead of wild jubilation.
!May the souls of those who died rest in peace. Let us take a moment of silence to honour all of those whose sacrifices have brought us to this fine and historic hour. As the results of the election have shown, their labor has not been and will never be in vain. Democracy and the rule of law will be re-established in the land.
Let us put the past, especially the recent past, behind us. We must forget our old battles and past grievances—and learn to forge ahead. I assure you that our government is one that will listen to and embrace all.
I pledge myself and our in-coming administration to just and principled governance. There shall be no bias against or favouritism for any Nigerian based on ethnicity, religion, region, gender or social status. I pledge myself and the government to the rule of law, in which none shall be so above the law that they are not subject to its dictates, and none shall be so below it that they are not availed of its protection.
You shall be able to go to bed knowing that you are safe and that your constitutional rights remain in safe hands. You shall be able to voice your opinion without fear of reprisal or victimisation. My love and concern for this nation and what I desire for it extends to all, even to those who do not like us or our politics. You are all my people and I shall treat everyone of you as my own. I shall work for those who voted for me as well as those who voted against me and even for those who did not vote at all. We all live under one name as one nation: we are all Nigerians.
Some unfortunate issues about my eligibility have been raised during the campaign. I wish to state that through devotion to this nation, everything I have learned and done has been to enable me to make the best possible contribution to public life. If I had judged myself incapable of governing I would never have sought to impose myself on it. I have served in various capacities and have always put in my best.
But despite the rancour of the elections, I extend a hand of friendship and conciliation to President Jonathan and his team. I hereby wish to state that I harbour no ill will against anyone.
Let me state clearly that President Jonathan has nothing to fear from me. Although we may not agree on the methods of governing the nation, he is a great Nigerian and still our president. He deserves our support and permanent respect by virtue of the office he has held. This is how an honourable nation treats its servants and conducts its affairs; and this is how Nigeria should be.
I look forward to meeting with President Jonathan in the days to come to discuss how our teams can make the transition of administrations as efficient as possible.
Here, I want to thank my party for selecting me as its candidate. I thank our party leaders and members for the steadfast contributions they made to bring our dream to fruition. I thank INEC, the police and all other government agencies for performing their tasks in a proper manner and for refusing to be induced to undermine the election and the democratic process.
I also wish to thank religious Leaders, traditional leaders, the media, labor unions, Civil Society organisations, organised private sector, youths and students for their roles in this election.
I give special thanks to President Obama and his timely intervention and support for peaceful and credible elections in Nigeria and for sending Secretary John Kerry and other United States officials. The European Union – especially the United Kingdom, France, Germany and other nations that were actively involved in ensuring the success of this election are equally appreciated. My sincere thanks to the United Nations Secretary General Mr Ban-Ki Moon. The Commonwealth, China, India and other Asian and Gulf states are also hereby appreciated. Finally our brothers in the African Union and ECOWAS have truly and clearly shown and demonstrate their commitment to our democratisation process. Former Presidents John Kuffour, Amos Sawyer, Bakili Muluzi and his team are well appreciated. I must also add my appreciation for the role played by civil societies, national and International observers, other world leaders in ensuring that Nigeria holds free and fair elections.
I assure all foreign governments that Nigeria will become a more forceful and constructive player in the global fight against terrorism and in other matters of collective concern, such as the fight against drugs, climate change, financial fraud, communicable diseases and other issues requiring global response. I want to assure our fellow African nations that Nigeria will now stand as a more constructive partner in advancing the matters of concern to our continent, particularly with regard to economic development and eradication of poverty.
Former head of state and president Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, General Yakubu Gowon, Alh. Shehu Shagari, General Ibrahim Babangida, Chief Ernest Shonekan and General Abdulsalami Abubakar deserve commendations for their statesmanship and words of caution and counsel for peace during the tense moments of this electoral period.
Most of all, I thank the people of Nigeria for reposing their confidence in me at this trying moment. Our nation wrestles many challenges including insecurity, corruption, economic decline. I pledge to give you my best in tackling these problems.
The good people of Nigeria, your obligation does not end with casting your ballot. I seek your voice and input as we tackle these problems. This will not be a government democratic only in form. It will be a government democratic in substance and in how it interacts with its own people.
No doubt, this nation has suffered greatly in the recent past, and its staying power has been tested to its limits by crises, chief among which is insurgency of the Boko Haram. There is no doubt that in tackling the insurgency we have a tough and urgent job to do. But I assure you that Boko Haram will soon know the strength of our collective will and commitment to rid this nation of terror, and bring back peace and normalcy to all the affected areas. We shall spare no effort until we defeat terrorism.
Furthermore, we shall strongly battle another form of evil that is even worse than terrorism—the evil of corruption. Corruption attacks and seeks to destroy our national institutions and character. By misdirecting into selfish hands funds intended for the public purpose, corruption distorts the economy and worsens income inequality. It creates a class of unjustly-enriched people.
Such an illegal yet powerful force soon comes to undermine democracy because its conspirators have amassed so much money that they believe they can buy government. We shall end this threat to our economic development and democratic survival. I repeat that corruption will not be tolerated by this administration; and it shall no longer be allowed to stand as if it is a respected monument in this nation.
I ask you to join me in resolving these and the other challenges we face. Along the way, there will be victories but there may also be setbacks. Mistakes will be made. But we shall never take you for granted; so, be rest assured that our errors will be those of compassion and commitment not of wilful neglect and indifference.
We shall correct that which does not work and improve that which does. We shall not stop, stand or idle. We shall, if necessary crawl, walk and run to do the job you have elected us to do.
I realise that the expectation of our people today is as high as their commitment to change has been strong and their belief in us unshaken. While we pledge to begin doing our best without delay, we would like to appeal to them to appreciate the gravity of our situation, so that we become more realistic in our expectations.
We will govern for you and in your interests. Your vote was not wasted. This is not the first time Nigerians have cast their votes for us, and this is not the first time they have been counted; but this is the first time that the votes have been allowed to count. With the help of God, we pledge to do our utmost to bring forth the Nigeria you seek.
Thank you for your patience and attention.
General Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR
President-Elect,
Federal Republic of Nigeria

Statement by President Jonathan on presidential election 2015

Official statement by president Jonathan after the announcement of the results of presidential election
Fellow Nigerians,

I thank you all for turning out en-masse for the March 28 General Elections. I promised the country free and fair elections. I have kept my word. I have also expanded the space for Nigerians to participate in the democratic process. That is one legacy I will like to see endure.
Although some people have expressed mixed feelings about the results announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), I urge those who may feel aggrieved to follow due process based on our constitution and our electoral laws, in seeking redress.
As I have always affirmed, nobody’s ambition is worth the blood of any Nigerian. The unity, stability and progress of our dear country is more important than anything else.
I congratulate all Nigerians for successfully going through the process of the March 28th General Elections with the commendable enthusiasm and commitment that was demonstrated nationwide.
I also commend the Security Services for their role in ensuring that the elections were mostly peaceful and violence-free.
To my colleagues in the PDP, I thank you for your support. Today, the PDP should be celebrating rather than mourning. We have established a legacy of democratic freedom, transparency, economic growth and free and fair elections.
For the past 16 years, we have steered the country away from ethnic and regional politics. We created a Pan-Nigerian political party and brought home to our people the realities of economic development and social transformation.
Through patriotism and diligence, we have built the biggest and most patriotic party in Nigerian history. We must stand together as a party and look to the future with renewed optimism.
I thank all Nigerians once again for the great opportunity I was given to lead this country and assure you that I will continue to do my best at the helm of national affairs until the end of my tenure.
I have conveyed my personal best wishes to General Muhammadu Buhari.
May God Almighty continue to bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
I thank you all.
Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, GCFR
President,
Federal Republic of Nigeria.