Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has declared the Nigeria Air project, introduced by the Buhari administration, as fraudulent and remains suspended.
Speaking during the second day of the Ministerial Sectorial update, Keyamo stated the lack of transparency and indigenous involvement in the project.
Keyamo described the so-called national carrier as an “Ethiopian airline trying to fly our flag,” and not a genuine Nigerian endeavor. “It was never Air Nigeria, it was Ethiopian trying to flag our flag. It was not Air Nigeria.
That is the truth. It was not Nigeria. It only printed Air Nigeria,” he stated. He criticized the arrangement that allowed 60% of the profits to go to another country, questioning its benefit to Nigeria.
The minister reiterated that for a national carrier to truly serve Nigerian interests, it must be entirely indigenous. “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,” he affirmed.
In addition to addressing the controversial airline project, Keyamo highlighted other initiatives aimed at boosting the aviation sector’s economic development.
He announced the resumption of cargo flights between Nigeria and Saudi Arabia, a move intended to tap into 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,” Keyamo noted.
Keyamo also addressed the swift resolution of issues surrounding the second runway at Abuja’s Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, which was resolved within two weeks of his appointment. He promised this would enhance airport capacity and operational efficiency.
Keyamo confirmed the clearance of all trapped funds of foreign airlines, a significant issue that had previously threatened to halt international airline operations in Nigeria.
He credited the collaborative efforts with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Ministry of Finance for this achievement.
Under his leadership, Keyamo stated that efforts are being made to prioritize and support local airlines, enabling Nigeria to leverage its reciprocal rights under the Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) with various countries.
He also stated the commencement of open sky operations with the United States, which will allow Nigeria unrestricted flights, various aircraft deployments, and multiple entry points to the US.
