The Federal Government has confirmed that Nigeria Air remains suspended. This update was provided by Festus Keyamo, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, during a press briefing in Abuja marking President Bola Tinubu’s first year in office.
Keyamo confirmed that the project remains on hold.
In 2023, the Ministry of Aviation, under the leadership of former minister Hadi Sirika, unveiled Nigeria Air just three days before the end of former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.
This move raised concerns among stakeholders nationwide, particularly regarding the ownership structure that allotted Ethiopian Airlines a 49 percent equity stake.
The Federal Government held a 5 percent equity stake, while a consortium of three Nigerian investors owned the remaining 46 percent.
In June 2023, the House of Representatives called for the suspension of Nigeria Air’s operations, labeling the project as fraudulent.
Subsequently, in August 2023, Keyamo announced that the national carrier project was suspended until further notice.
Keyamo emphasized that the project was never genuinely Nigerian, asserting, “It was never Air Nigeria. It was not Air Nigeria. That’s the truth.
It was only painted Nigeria Air. It was Ethiopian Airlines trying to flag our flag.” He questioned why, if it were genuinely a Nigerian carrier, local planes were not being used to fly the national flag.
Keyamo insisted that Nigeria Air should be entirely indigenous, wholly Nigerian, and should fully benefit Nigeria rather than having 50 percent of the profit going to another country.
Reiterating his stance, Keyamo said, “Nigeria Air must be indigenous, it must be only Nigeria, or it must be for the full benefit of Nigeria. Not that 60 percent of the profit is for another country.
How does that benefit us? So it remains suspended.” He emphasized that the current ownership structure of the suspended airline does not serve the country’s best interests.
