There are no plans to revive the Nigeria Air – FG

The federal government has stated its disinterest in reviving the Nigeria Air initiative that was unsuccessfully attempted with Ethiopian Airlines (ET) yesterday.

The remarks made by Dr. Ibrahim Abubakar Kana, Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development, during a handover ceremony in Abuja regarding the possible revival of the national carrier project have sparked queries.

I am being deployed to the ministry of aviation and aerospace development at this particular time,” Kana had stated. In my deployment letter, I was given specific instructions to accomplish two things during this time: first, to make sure the national carrier is a reality, and second, to clean up all of our airports.

“Since my inaugural statement on Monday at the hand-over ceremony, I have been inundated with inquiries about my reference to the revival of the national carrier project,” Kana said in a statement Tuesday, explaining his statements.

Let there be no mistake: I never indicated that the Nigeria Air arrangement with Ethiopian Airlines was mandated to be revived. That was not communicated to me in any way.

Under the direction of the president and the minister of aviation, the government is still open to the idea of a national carrier project, so long as it benefits the nation. That’s all I was trying to say. My former statement on this matter was a bit vague; I hope this clears everything up.

I want to emphasize that I am fully committed to working closely with Mr. Festus Keyamo, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, and that I will always be completely devoted to him. Together, we will push the ministry’s agenda ahead.

We will work together to make sure that Nigeria’s aviation industry thrives in the years to come, just like our magnificent nation.

Former Nigerian Minister of Aviation Hadi Sirika had the idea for the doomed Nigeria Air project.

Allegations of corruption led to the federal government suspending the project. Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa further directed the Federal Government to cease the plans to establish Nigeria Air, a national airline, on August 6, 2024.