The federal government has announced an indefinite suspension of the proposed national carrier, Nigeria Air. The announcement came from the minister of aviation, Festus Keyamo, while giving his ministerial scorecard as part of activities marking the first-year anniversary of the Bola Tinubu administration.
The Nigeria Air project launched under the previous administration of President Muhammadu Buhari was met with a lot of fanfare and hope but never really came to fruition. Mr. Keyamo said the airline was never a Nigerian airline but an attempt to use a foreign airline to pose as a Nigerian national airline.
“It remains suspended. It was never Air Nigeria. It was not Air Nigeria. That’s the truth. It was only painted Nigeria Air. It was Ethiopian Airlines trying to flag our flag.
“If it is so, why not allow our local plane to fly our flag? So, nobody should dispute that it was Nigeria Air.
“Air Nigeria must be indigenous, must be wholly Nigerian, and must be for the full benefits of Nigeria, not that 50 per cent of the profit is for another country.”
Keyamo reiterated that the ownership structure of the suspended airline is not beneficial to the country.
“Nigeria Air must be indigenous; it must be only Nigeria or it must be for the full benefit of Nigeria.
“Not that 60 per cent of the profit is for another country. How does that benefit us? So, it remains suspended,” the minister said.
