Ejike Ejike and Yusuf Babalola
The plan by the federal government to commence the operation of Nigeria Air before the end of the President Muhammadu Buhari's administration has received condemnations from stakeholders in the nation's aviation industry who said the airline may not fly before May 29, 2023, unless certain things are put in place.
According to the stakeholders, things to be put in place
include the repatriation of trapped funds belonging to the international
airlines operating in the country and Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA),
among others.
LEADERSHIP reports that at the National Aviation
Stakeholders Forum 2023 in Abuja on Thursday, the minister of aviation, Senator
Hadi Sirika, disclosed that the controversial national carrier, Nigeria Air,
will commence operation before the swearing-in of a new administration on May
29.
The minister emphasised that the benefits Nigeria stands to
derive from the establishment of the national carrier include reduced capital
flight from Nigeria, maximisation of the benefit of Bilateral Aviation Safety
Agreement (BASA), Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) and development
of an aviation hub.
"The national carrier will contribute to the country's
GDP, facilitate hospitality and tourism, facilitate growth and development of
the Nigerian agricultural sector, and create jobs around the Agro-Cargo
Terminals," he said.
However, stakeholders in the aviation sector have said the
national carrier project may not begin operation before May until the federal
government put the right things in place.
They argued that going ahead with the project, the minister
is creating landmines for the incoming Asiwaju Bola Tinubu administration.
The chief executive officer, Centurion Security and Safety
Consults, Capt. John Ojikutu, told LEADERSHIP yesterday that until Nigeria
resolves the payment of foreign airlines trapped in the country, the project
may be impossible.
Apart from the issue of trapped funds, he asked if Nigeria
had submitted operational plans for acceptance from other countries, asking how
many intercontinental routes would be available.
He said, "I have my serious doubts that Nigeria Air
will fly and that has been my position since the minister's move in 2018. If
ever it does, not many intercontinental routes will be available if we are
still keeping the foreign airlines monies.
"Even if we pay this money, how many countries have we
normalised the plans to operate with or submitted our operational plans with
for acceptance? Maybe with only the Ethiopia airline. The airline would die the
same way Virgin Nigeria did immediately when a new administration came in.
"This is what I see on the government airline owned by
those in the administration of government and not a national carrier owned by
Nigerians. By the way, why is it that the minister representing only 5%
ownership is the only one doing the show? Where are the representatives of the
remaining 46%?"
"That is why I said that I have my doubts except it
begins domestic operations and until we settle the foreign airlines' trapped
monies before we can begin any operations or flights on any of the Bilateral
Air Service Agreement (BASA) routes and supports from International Air
Transport Association (IATA)."
Also speaking, the director of Research and Corporate
Travel, Zenith Travel Consult, Olumide Ohunayo, said unless the minister of
aviation forced his way, the project won't fly before May 29.
He, however, warned that forcing his way to make the airline
fly would mean disobeying valid court orders that ordered status quo by all
parties.
Ohunayo said, "He might force his way to fly. He might
force it down our throat. Does he have the right to say anything when the case
is still in court? Does he want to breach the legal processes in the country?
With this statement, he's asking Ethiopian Airline not to obey any of Nigeria's
court order or any other investor in Nigeria that are part of the Air Nigeria
project.
"Also, there is a court order asking status quo to
remain and the minister is pushing and encouraging other investors to disobey a
valid court order. What he's trying to do now is that no court order in Nigeria
those people should respect. We must be careful with what we wish and what we
want. The minister can push them to operate, but he's only kicking the can down
the road because there will be consequences and actions from June 4 concerning
that airline."
Ohunayo, a member of the Aviation Round Table Initiative
(ARTI), said the minister was supposed to hand over the supposed project to the
next administration instead of forcing it down the throat of Nigerians even at
a time the country is in a transition period.
"When you juxtapose his statement on Nigeria Air and
the demolition of Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and Nigerian
Airspace Management Agency's (NAMA's) building, he's only trying to give the
new administration problems when they resume their administration. This is a
transition period; they should halt anything they haven't done and hand over
the document to the incoming government but if you say you want to forcefully
implement them before you depart on May 29, 2023, then they want to give the
incoming government a lot of problems to start with, and that's not good."
"What I believe he should do is to seize the agencies
instead of the Nigeria Air. This is because he has overpopulated the agencies
with staff from a particular state and region. He should adjust the recruitment
because that has stopped the aviation agencies from operating optimally, and
suffocating their finances by the employment."
However, the minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, has
assured Nigerians that every necessary operation had been put in place for the
takeoff of Nigeria Air, on or before May 29, 2023.
Sirika, who spoke to LEADERSHIP on the sidelines of the
Aviation stakeholders' forum in Abuja, said the aircraft was ready, the offices
were in place, the stand at the airport was ready and everything was ready for
the takeoff.
He further stated that what is left is to finalise
discussion with the Ethiopian Airlines and get the Federal Executive Council's
(FEC) approval for the business case.
Sirika, who said the operation of the new airline had been
hindered by the court cases, also stated that all the Nigerian-owned airlines
were invited to invest in Nigeria Air but they declined because they did not
believe in the project.
He explained that Ethiopian Airlines came with a better
proposal and was chosen as the preferred bidder because of the expertise it had
shown, and how it had survived for a long time now.
The minister said, "Negotiation meeting with the
Ethiopian Airlines Group Consortium and the Federal Government of Nigeria is
ongoing, next step is for FEC's approval of the Full Business Case. Operation
of local and international flights will commence soon. Before the end of this
administration, before May 29, we will fly."
Sirika further stated, "When we were setting up Nigeria
Air limited, my feeling was to partner with airlines that I think will add
value, with financial experience and high profile, such as Emirate, Qatar,
Lufthansa, and the rest of them. Those who worked closely with me know that this
is my forecast and what I wanted, because I believe if you partner with
Lufthansa for example, automatically you will have a licence to fly.
"I thought we would do that and I made attempts to
reach them and invite them as I did with all airline owners in Nigeria, except
Overland. I reached out to them personally to come and partner to create a
strong airline, but fast forward, we had a bidder, Ethiopian Airline. I was
very happy that we got them (Ethiopian) to come. It was not my choice but I am
happy now knowing what I know.
"They are a household name, strong and they have been
in business for 70 years unbroken and they have over 200 aircraft. So, I am
very glad we are partnering with them and it is a reality. Some airlines are in
court and their grouse is that it can be any airline in the world but not
Ethiopian because, in their own way, they think Ethiopian is a
competitor."
The minister also said the benefits Nigeria stands to derive
from the establishment of the national carrier include reduced capital flight
from Nigeria; gain the optimal benefit of BASA and SAATM and develop an
aviation hub.
He also said the national carrier will contribute to the
GDP, facilitate hospitality and tourism, facilitate growth and development of
the Nigerian Agricultural Sector and create jobs around the Agro-Cargo
Terminals. -LEADERSHIP
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