The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has denounced the controversial Nigeria Air project, unveiled by the Buhari-led administration, as a fraud. Keyamo clarified that the project, which was expected to be a national carrier symbolizing indigenous pride and sparking hope among Nigerians, was riddled with secrecy and fraudulent activities. He confirmed that the project remains suspended.
During the second day of the Ministerial Sectorial update held on Monday, May 27, in Abuja, Keyamo addressed journalists and declared that the Nigeria Air project was not truly Nigerian but rather an Ethiopian airline attempting to operate under the Nigerian flag. "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. It was an Ethiopian airline trying to fly our flag. If it is so, why not allow our local people to fly our flag? Why bring a foreigner to fly our flag?" he stated.
Keyamo emphasized the importance of having a national carrier that is wholly Nigerian and benefits the country fully. "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 asserted.
Regarding efforts to boost economic development in the aviation sector, Keyamo highlighted the commencement of cargo flights, which will enable Nigeria 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. Air cargo trade accounts for 35 percent of the world trade deficit and air cargo trade according to the International Air Transport Association, IATA attracts about $6 trillion annually, and we’re missing out on that sector. We have achieved that," he explained.
Keyamo also addressed the issues surrounding the second runway at Abuja’s Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, noting that these issues were resolved within two weeks of his appointment, promising enhanced airport capacity and operational efficiency.
In terms of financial accomplishments, Keyamo confirmed that all trapped funds of foreign airlines have been cleared. "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 due to so many subsidies we pay with our foreign earnings. Also, foreign airlines were threatening to stop operating in Nigeria. Now, I must give credit to all those in the financial sector for this. We had to work closely with the CBN, the Minister of Finance, and all other ministers in the financial sector, and by our persistence, we are happy to announce that we have cleared all the trapped funds," he said.
Keyamo further highlighted efforts under his leadership to prioritize and assist local airlines, aiming to help Nigeria take full advantage of its reciprocal rights under the Bilateral Air Services Agreements (BASA) with various countries. He also mentioned the initiation of open sky operations with the United States, which will allow Nigeria to enjoy unrestricted flights to the US, deployment of any kind of aircraft on those routes, and multiple entry points.
