Arik Air congratulates Keyamo on The Sun award nomination

By Chinelo Obogo    

The Chief Executive Officer of Arik Air, Captain Roy Ilegbodu, has congratulated the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, on his nomination as Sun Newspaper’s Minister of the Year 2023.

In a statement, Ilegbodu said, “This well-deserved recognition is a testament to your dedication, resilience, and commitment to excellence since assuming office. We commend your unwavering efforts to drive lasting transformation in the aviation industry and wish you continued success in your endeavors.”

Keyamo’s nomination was announced by the Managing Director of The Sun Newspaper, Mr. Onuoha Ukeh, during a recent courtesy visit to the minister in Abuja. Ukeh stated that the nomination by the Board of Editors of The Sun Newspapers was based solely on merit and highlighted Keyamo’s achievements in the aviation sector.

“In line with the vision of the Aviation Ministry ‘to be the best aviation industry in Africa and one of the best in the world’ and its mission ‘to build a safe, secure, and efficient aviation industry focused on making Nigeria a hub that meets international standards and best practices for the African continent’, you introduced a five-point agenda. This agenda focuses on advancing safety, infrastructure, support for local operators, human capacity development, and revenue generation in the sector. Under your leadership, Nigeria’s aviation sector has witnessed remarkable transformation,” Ukeh said.

Expressing joy at the award, Keyamo promised to do his best to cause a positive turn-around in the aviation sector. He said: “Thank you, The Sun Publishing Limited, for this honour. This award is extremely encouraging, extremely exciting to me. The Sun is one of the major national newspapers in the country.

Anywhere in the world where a news outlet of this level recognisess you, it is an endorsement of the highest quality. Without putting down other media houses, this is a highly policy-oriented media house that scrutinises government policies at an intellectual level. Looking at what has been said as reason for this award shows that The Sun has been following what we are doing.”

The minister said that The Sun award would encourage him to do more, whilw giving assurance that the aviation ministry would strive to solve problems besetting the sector.

“This is a very encouraging award. Even though we are not working with the aim to get accolades, when they come, we accept and celebrate them. We are not also working for the purpose of self-aggrandisement, but when the honour comes, we receive them with humility. We are working, because we are servants of the people and we recognise that enormous responsibility on our shoulders.

“Every minute, every second, someone is analysing what you do, not just the high-profile intellectual editors but even the not-so-literate who pass through our airports. They see everything and you’re just on top of a hill, they see you every minute. Ours is not a ministry that is hidden. Every minute, you are judged by what people see at the airports and the policies you make and the type of aircraft they board,” he said.