Political debate continues in Nigeria regarding the establishment of a national carrier, with an aviation professionals' mouthpiece urging President Bola Tinubu to revive efforts for a national airline.
The call came from the general secretary of the Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals (ANAP), Abdulrazak Saidu, in Lagos during a recent Air Transport Quarterly Magazine annual awards ceremony, the newspaper Punch reported.
He emphasised the need for aviation and aerospace development minister Festus Keyamo to establish a national carrier to level the playing field and stop foreign airlines from benefiting from Nigerian traffic demand.
He also urged Keyamo to correct mistakes allegedly made by former aviation minister Hadi Sirika with Nigeria Air (Lagos), an ill-fated joint venture between the previous federal government and a consortium of Nigerian investors led by Ethiopian Airlines.
Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority director-general Chris Najomo reportedly reassured Saidu that his appeal had been noted but said the ultimate decision on a national carrier lay with current president Bola Tinubu.
Ironically, non-state carriers under the Airline Organisation of Nigeria (AON) were instrumental in stopping Nigeria Air by securing an interdict that prevented the former government from finalising the start-up's certification.
Nigeria's Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is prosecuting Sirika and three others on charges of contract fraud allegedly involving NGN2.8 billion naira (USD1.8 million) for organising a demonstration flight shortly before leaving office using a B737-800 painted in Nigeria Air colours and operated by Ethiopian Airlines on March 26, 2023. The Nigeria Air project ultimately fell apart with the change in government.
