The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has labeled the controversial Nigeria Air national carrier project, unveiled by the previous Muhammadu Buhari-led administration, as fraudulent.
During the Ministerial Sectoral Update in Abuja on Monday, Keyamo declared that the project remains suspended indefinitely, citing its anti-Nigerian nature.
Addressing journalists, Keyamo expressed his disapproval of the Nigeria Air project, emphasizing the numerous irregularities and secretive practices involved. “It was never Air Nigeria, it was Ethiopian trying to fly our flag. It was not Nigeria. It only printed Air Nigeria. It was an Ethiopian airline trying to fly our flag,” Keyamo stated. He criticized the decision to allow a foreign entity to operate under the guise of a national carrier, asserting that a truly indigenous airline should fully benefit Nigerians, rather than allocating 60 percent of profits to another country.
Keyamo reiterated, “So nobody should deceive you that Air Nigeria, Air Nigeria must be indigenous, must be wholly Nigeria or must be for the full benefit of Nigerians, not that 60 percent of the profit is given to another country. How does that benefit us? It remains suspended. It remains so.”
Turning to the steps taken to enhance the aviation sector’s economic development, Keyamo highlighted the resumption of cargo flights, which he believes will enable Nigeria to capitalize on the $6 trillion global cargo market. “We have agreed that we’re going to resume cargo flights between Nigeria and Saudi Arabia. This has been suspended for a long time but now cargo flights are back,” he announced. According to Keyamo, air cargo trade accounts for 35 percent of global trade, and Nigeria has been missing out on this lucrative market.
Further demonstrating his commitment to improving the aviation sector, Keyamo noted that issues surrounding the second runway at Abuja’s Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport were resolved within two weeks of his appointment. He promised that these developments would enhance airport capacity and operational efficiency.
Among his achievements, Keyamo confirmed the resolution of the longstanding issue of trapped funds of foreign airlines.
“We all know this issue was the issue of trapped funds of the international airlines. Their funds were trapped here because of lack of liquidity on the part of Nigeria because of so many subsidies we pay with our foreign earnings,” he explained. By working closely with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Ministry of Finance, all trapped funds have now been cleared, alleviating the threat of foreign airlines ceasing operations in Nigeria.
Keyamo also emphasized efforts to prioritize and support local airlines, aiming to help Nigeria fully exploit its reciprocal rights under the Bilateral Air Service Agreements (BASA) with various countries.
He disclosed that open sky operations with the United States have commenced, allowing for unrestricted flights to the US, deployment of any type of aircraft on those routes, and multiple entry points.
