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…Keyamo Says New Airline Won’t Be Government Funded
…Sagay, Ozekhome Back Idea, Urge Discipline, Transparency

The Federal Government has said that it will only consider credible proposals for the establishment of a viable national carrier that will serve the best interests of Nigerians.

Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo (SAN), dis­closed to Daily Independent on Sunday that while discussions are ongoing with potential investors, he cannot confirm whether the proposed airline will take off before the end of 2027.

 “Well, we don’t know yet. It depends on the type of proposals we receive and how good those proposals are. The primary fo­cus is whether those proposals will be for the ultimate benefit of our country,” Keyamo said.

“Currently, we are getting some proposals and when we think they are good enough for us, then we will consider it.”

Keyamo had earlier stressed that the new national carrier, when approved, would be built on transparency, global best prac­tices, and sustainability, with no financial commitment from the Federal Government.

He said the model would rely heavily on private sector investment while preserving the airline’s status as a national heritage.

“On national carrier, if we see very good models across the world that benefit Nigeria and for Nigerians, we will be open to talk, and a few are talking with us already,” he said.

“A national carrier is not to­tally gone. Don’t forget that the national carrier model we are going to have — let me be clear today — the government is not putting money into it. It is a na­tional carrier because it’s our her­itage. We are giving it out. We are selling the name and our roots, just like British Airways is not necessarily owned by the British government.”

Prominent constitutional law­yer, Prof. Mike Ozekhome (SAN), said it is both economically stra­tegic and nationally symbolic for Nigeria to have its own carrier, noting that several smaller Afri­can countries have thriving na­tional airlines.

“It is very crucial that Nigeria must have a national carrier. The last one that the immediate past administration tried to embark upon, Nigerian Air, did not suc­ceed,” he said.

“Smaller countries have their national carriers. Ethiopia virtu­ally lives on its national carrier. South Africa has its own. The same with Rwanda and other countries.

“A national carrier is good because it brings about the pride of the nation because you will see the national flag on it. It also shows the strength and character of the country. It is also economi­cally wise and profitable because it will link up with other airlines of the world.”

He added that the ripple ef­fects of such an initiative would be “massive and unquantifiable,” recalling the legacy of the defunct Nigeria Airways, once regarded as a symbol of national pride.

“The multiplying effects are quite massive and unquantifiable. I believe that it is high time that Nigeria had her national carrier as we used to have before — that is, Nigeria Airways that was the pride of this country,” Ozekhome said.

Indiscipline Killed Nigeria Airways – Sagay

Also speaking, Prof. Itse Sagay (SAN), former Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Commit­tee Against Corruption (PACAC), supported the idea of reviving a national carrier but warned that the same indiscipline and mismanagement that led to the collapse of Nigeria Airways must not be repeated.

“I can’t understand why we don’t have a national carrier. We used to have one called the Nige­ria Airways,” Sagay said.

“However, the usual Nigerian tendency of abusing opportuni­ties and things we have been put in trust of killed that airline. The people running it turned it into a personal institution which they abused.

“They travelled on it freely with their girlfriends, family friends, and also flouted its oper­ational laws such as sticking to departure time. They wouldn’t allow the plane to depart at the right time because one big man who was supposed to go with it was not ready.”

Sagay said such misconduct and wasteful practices caused the airline to lose aircraft and revenue until it became unsus­tainable.

“To put it in one word — great indiscipline governed the opera­tions of Nigeria Airways and before you know it, the airline gradually lost its aircraft one by one. They also lost money and couldn’t maintain the existing aircraft. The indiscipline was so great that they could no longer sustain the airline and it died slowly until it was finally put away,” he said.

“If the Federal Government wants to establish a new national carrier, it is a good idea but I hope indiscipline will not destroy that effort.”