Aviation professionals have appealed to the Federal Government to establish a new national carrier despite a recent failed attempt following the liquidation of Nigeria Airways about 18 years ago.
The General Secretary of the Nigerian Aviation Professionals, Abdulrazak Saidu, made the appeal in Lagos recently during the fourth Air Transport Quarterly Magazine annual award.
Saidu declared that it was necessary for the Minister for Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, to give the nation a new national carrier during his time for the benefit of Nigerians.
The professional insisted that it was painful that foreign national carriers had continued to cart away the country’s resources without any effective competition from any Nigerian airline.
He said: “Sir, we want to make a request through you (Najomo) to the minister as a regulator. We cannot allow foreign airlines to cart away all our money.
“Whatever mistakes were made by Sen. Hadi Sirika, the former Minister of Aviation, Keyamo as a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, we have told him he has a right to correct and make us have our own national carrier.”
In his response, the Director-General of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, Chris Najomo, said that Keyamo has consistently submitted that the national carrier issue could only be addressed by President Bola Tinubu.
He explained that the minister was aware of the agitation of some professionals for the rebirth of a new national carrier but assured that the government would take a necessary decision on it.
He said, “The issue of a national carrier has always come, and as my minister has always said, that is the prerogative of Mr President, and once Mr President gives the go-ahead, we will do the needful. For now, the minister is aware; everybody is aware.”
Controversies had trailed the last-minute effort of Sen. Hadi Sirika, former Minister of Aviation, to hoodwink the nation with his partnership with Ethiopian Airlines by painting one of the East African country’s aircraft, an 11-year-old Boeing 737-800, in the colour of Nigeria Air in a static display.
This attempt generated a lot of furore among the stakeholders and professionals in the industry who suspected foul play.
