More reactions trail FG’s suspension of Air Nigeria project
Reactions
By Adekunle Williams and Solomon Asowata
Lagos, Sept. 20, 2018 (NAN) Aviation stakeholders have continued to react to the Federal Executive Council’s decision to suspend the new National Carrier Project planned to take off in December, saying government should have involved them.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Minister of State for Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika, had announced on Wednesday that the government had decided to suspend the Nigeria Air Project in the interim.
Some aviation stakeholders, who spoke with NAN on Thursday in Lagos, however, advised the government to return to the drawing board by engaging all stakeholders in the project.
Mr Frances Akinjole, the Deputy General Secretary, Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN), said that the project failed to materialise as planned due to lack of consultations by the government.
According to him, the unveiling of the name and logo of the new national carrier at the Farnborough Air Show in the UK on July 18 was done without the input of critical stakeholders.
Akinjole said that if the national carrier was to be named Nigeria Air, then other major aviation stakeholders must partake in its formation.
He said that the unions in the sector had earlier raised some concerns with the way and manner the minister was approaching the implementation of the national carrier.
“We have raised serious concerns about the way and manner the minister was approaching the implementation of the national carrier.
“The minister wanted it done at all cost but the way he was going about it was not the approach he ought to have taken because it was like a decision he took single handedly.
“The minister has a good intention for the project which we all support but he was doing it without considering every other stakeholders in the industry about how a national carrier should be carried out,” Akinjole said.
He said that the issue of national carrier cannot be successful without settling all the entitlements of the former Nigeria Airways workers still clamouring for their N45 billion severance package.
“There are still serious issues on the ground about the liquidation of Nigeria Airways.
“We have told the minister that if the payment of the former Nigeria Airways workers is not settled, the government should forget about the issue of the national carrier.
“However, the minister was doggedly pursuing the project thinking that nothing could truncate it but is now obvious that our position on it has now come to pass,” he said.
Akinjole said that after the unveiling of the logo and name, Sirika had made mention that the government was going to invest only five per cent in the Nigeria Air project.
He said that it was therefore unclear to Nigerians the stake the government would hold in the carrier when compared with the funds it had planned to invest on the project.
Also, the President, Aviation Round Table (ART), Mr Gbenga Olowo, said that ART was not surprised about the suspension of the project.
“We saw the abortion coming right from conception.
“We issued all professional advice on questions bordering on the need, start up process, government and private ownership.
“Others are the competing need for limited funds on aviation infrastructure and the unpaid entitlements of ex-Nigerian Airways workers.
“I congratulate government on the bold move to stop now and cut its losses rather than start, embarrass the flag for a while and disappear like others in less than 10 years,” Olowo said. (NAN)
WAC/ASO/GY
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Edited by Grace Yussuf