- Nigerians have been divided about the Nigeria Air project, which was started five years after the former president Muhammadu Buhari’s government ended. Ethiopian Airlines, Nigeria Air’s strategic partner, owns 49% of the company while the Federal Government owns 5% of the business structure, which is held in trust by the Ministry of Finance Incorporated. However, opinions on the latest Federal Government participation in the matter have varied among Nigerian aviation stakeholders. Others disagree, but others think the Federal Government should demand that the Nigeria Air project be completely scrapped.
- The 9th House of Representatives Committee on Aviation’s chairman, Nnolim Nnaji, called the Nigeria Air project a scam. The domestic airline industry’s umbrella group, Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), has publicly opposed the Nigeria Air proposal and sued the federal government. Group Captain John Ojikutu, an aviation expert, asserted that the government should focus on the security and safety of the airlines rather than the operation. He advocated that instead of funding everything linked to the private sector, including airport concessions, the government concentrate on the safety and security of the aviation industry.
- Group Captain Ojikutu also blasted the Federal Government for continuing to waste money on aviation intervention funds. He recommended that the government establish a flag carrier rather than a national carrier and concentrate on providing Aeronautical Safety and Security Services. He questioned the government’s involvement in the project as well, claiming that the remaining 95% came from purported investors.
- According to Mr. Alex Nwuba, an aviation specialist, there is disagreement regarding the Nigeria Air Project’s entire cost, ownership, and national benefit, thus the government should conduct a comprehensive investigation. While the administration determines the best course of action, a suspension to gather more information is preferable than a complete cancellation.
- Nigeria Air, the nation’s flag carrier, has generated criticism as a result of its present organizational design. Olumide Ohunayo, the general secretary of Aviation Roundtable, stated that the project does not advance Nigeria’s national interests and that the nation requires an outside partner to develop its sizable aviation sector. Eze Onyekpere, director of the Centre for Social Justice, asserted that the previous Minister misled Nigerians with the project and that there was never a Nigeria Air.
- Festus Keyamo, the minister of aviation and aerospace, recently announced the suspension of the Nigeria Air project, which has been a source of controversy. The project should be put on hold, according to the Aviation Committee of the 9th House of Representatives. Nigeria Air’s corporate structure discloses that Ethiopia Airlines, the firm’s strategic partner, owns 49% of the shares while the Federal Government has 5% of the company, which is held in trust by the Ministry of Finance Incorporated.
- Divergent opinions on the recent Federal Government participation in the matter have been aired by several Nigerian aviation players. Others disagree, but others think the Federal Government should demand that the Nigeria Air project be completely scrapped. The Nigeria Air project was referred to be a hoax by Nnolim Nnaji, who was the chair of the 9th House of Representatives Committee on Aviation. The domestic aviation industry’s governing organization, aviation Operators of Nigeria (AON), has also denounced the Nigeria Air proposal and sued the federal government.
- Group Captain John Ojikutu, an aviation expert, stressed in an interview with DAILY POST that the government should concentrate on the security and safety of the airlines, not the business. He recommended that the federal government concentrate on aeronautical safety and security services and that the government should stop clamoring for a national airline and instead concentrate on flagship couriers.
Source:
Daily Post
