The national carrier that has been in the works for some time may finally begin operations before the current administration winds down in 2023 as the federal government decides to open up the hinterlands by constructing a total of 10 new airports to complement the existing ones across the country.
The Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika said these are parts of the plan to boost civil aviation as contained in the Sector Roadmap that is currently being implemented in the overall efforts of deepening the nation’s economic activities.
President Muhamadu Buhari in August 2015 issued a directive to the Federal Ministry of Aviation to expedite action towards refloating a Nigerian national carrier following the brief on the activities by the ministry’s permanent secretary, Binta Bello.
The defunct Nigerian Airways Limited, a viable national carrier went down in 2003 over multi-dimensional problems including protracted operational weaknesses, and corporate insolvency. When it was finally grounded, it left a debt of over $60 million, and a fleet of three aircraft, from the high of 32.
In July 2018, the Aviation minister announced that the name of the new national carrier will be Nigeria Air while also unveiling the logo at the Farnborough International Airshow in London. Since then, much has been said without action.
“We are on it. The transaction adviser has brought in the outline business case and it is being reviewed by the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC), Soon after it finishes, it will go to the Federal Executive Council and it will be approved.
“We will not leave this government without having it in place,” Sirika said.
The Minister of Aviation spoke at the Senate Committee on Aviation where he hinted that some of the new airports will be in Anambra, Benue, Ekiti, Nasarawa, Ebonyi, and Gombe states while the federal government would take over the one in Gombe in addition to those that have been taken over in Kebbi, Osubi, and Dutse for re-development.
Sirika while defending his Ministry’s 2021 budget proposals said the current regime and the lawmakers since 2015, have through the Aviation roadmap, that is being implemented, upgraded the aviation sector.
“Consequently, we have seen aviation grow in 2018 to become one of the fastest-growing sectors of the economy. Also by 2019, it became the fastest-growing sector of the economy and increased its GDP contribution”.
“From 2015 till now, we’ve seen a lot of growth in civil aviation, the number of airports is increasing. So far, about seven airports have been added to the map, some of them completed, some of them under construction.
“There are airports coming up in Benue, Ebonyi, Ekiti, Lafia, Damaturu, Anambra, and so on to show that civil aviation is growing during this administration.
“So, we have about 10 new airports coming up, that is almost half the number of airports we used to have in Nigeria and that means that we are adding 50 percent of the number of airports,” Sirika said.
He justified the need to site another airport in Lokoja, Kogi State as an alternate to the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, stating that “Lokoja is an important northern town. It is a cosmopolitan town, it’s a mini Nigeria and it is extremely very important in the growth and development of our country.
“We have a lot of agricultural activities there. There is the fishery, there is perishable item production, and so on. So establishing an airport there is quite apt. For me, it is something we should have done long ago for its importance,” Sirika said.
On the issues of dilapidated equipment at some airports across the country, Sirika described it as a work in progress as the airports are being attended to one after the other based on priorities.
“We have been improving these airports one after another. We don’t have the resources to take them all at once. We look at an airport and find which is that safety item and which is that item of security that needs attention first before we now turn to other matters.
“Certainly we are making Ilorin one of the best airports because in the first place it was an alternate for Lagos,” Sirika revealed.
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