The visit of Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr Festus Keyamo, and his delegates to Ethiopian Airlines facilities in Addis Ababa, has led to insinuations that the Federal Government may still have the intention of reviving the suspended Nigeria Air projected, which Keyamo and others have termed “not transparent” and one “skewed against the country’s interest.”
A statement posted on the airline’s verified X handle @ flyethiopian read: “Festus Keyamo, Minister Aviation and Aerospace Development of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, accompanied by his delegates, visited Ethiopian Airlines facilities.
“During the visit, a productive discussion took place with Ethiopian Airlines Group CEO, Mr Mesfin Tasew, and members of the Ethiopian Airlines Executive Management.” The images accompanying the message show the minister in a group picture with the team from Ethiopian Airlines and another in which the minister posed in the airline’s A350 simulator. The minister refuted the claim, saying the carrier requested for a courtesy call as a side event during the Africa Union summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The minister was part of President Bola Tinubu’s delegation to Addis Ababa to participate in the 38th ordinary session of the Assembly of the African Union Heads of State and Government. The meeting is slated for February 14 – 18. Keyamo had been critical about the Nigerian Air deal was handled, which he termed “fraudulent.”
In 2022, Ethiopian Airlines won the bid to manage Nigeria Air with a 49 per cent stake while the Federal Government held 5 per cent, SAHCO 15 per cent, and other investors 31 per cent. Nigerian domestic airline operators and those who expressed fears over the deal argued that with a majority stake, Ethiopian Airlines could engage in monopolistic practices, such as limiting competition on specific routes, setting unfair prices, and prioritising its interests over those of Nigerian consumers and the local aviation industry.
But others who were in favour of the deal said the deal was the best for the country, considering that Nigeria was not putting a dime into the project coupled with the fact that Ethiopian Airlines would provide technical expertise and aircraft as the management reverts to Nigerians within a certain period.
Shortly after assuming office, the minister announced that the deal had been suspended while awaiting President Tinubu’s directive on the project. A diplomat who spoke to New Telegraph under the condition of anonymity said at the African Union summit in Addis Ababa last year that the issue was taken up by the former Ethiopian President SahleWork Zewde, which made President Tinubu send the Director-General of Nigeria Intelligence Agency (NIA) with two others to proceed to Addis Ababa on a factfinding mission on the deal.
The envoy who was in the know of the situation said the Ethiopian Airlines and Nigeria Air deal is being looked at the highest level of government. While the Ethiopian government and Ethiopian Airlines are not averse to the termination of the Nigeria Air deal, they were, however, miffed with what they alleged to be “a campaign of calumny by the country’s airlines and a few stakeholders against Ethiopia as a country and Ethiopian Airlines that is reputed to be the most profitable airline in Africa and the 36th best carrier in the world.”
A serving diplomat who is not authorised to speak to the media confided that information and documents available to his Ministry, which he shared with New Telegraph, said they are contrary to the “misinformation” Airline Operators of Nigeria fed to the public, that the Nigeria Air deal was not a fraud. He said the deal was approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) which had Keyamo in attendance and with copies of the “real” agreement given to every minister in attendance at the time.”
