House of Reps urges Tinubu to stop further action on Nigeria Air

The House of Representatives has urged President Bola Tinubu to constitute a high-level presidential committee to undertake a holistic review of the processes of the Nigeria Air Project.

Rep. Nnolim Nnaji, the Chairman of the Committee on Aviation, said this in Abuja after careful evaluation of the issues facing Nigeria Air.

He said the committee was totally dissatisfied with the actions of the former Minister of Aviation in going ahead to flag off the operations of Nigeria Air in spite of a standing court injunction against such.

He said this was also without any provision for sustaining the operations of the airline.

He said a careful review of the process indicated the exercise to be highly opaque, shrouded in secrecy, shoddy, and capable of ridiculing and tarnishing the image of Nigeria before the international community.

”We want to put on record that the Committee and indeed the National Assembly had no role in the purported launch of Nigeria Air or anything related thereof.

“While the committee and indeed the parliament are not opposed to Nigeria having a national carrier, as a matter of fact, having a national carrier is highly desirable to us as a people and Nigeria as a nation.”

He, however, said that such a process should be transparent and all-embracing, adding that the committee would not accept any attempt by any individual or group to hide under the project and siphon the commonwealths of the country.

The committee therefore directs the Federal Ministry of Aviation and its partners in the Nigeria Air project to immediately suspend flight operations and every other action with respect to Nigeria Air.

The committee also advised that the Federal Ministry of Aviation, with its agency, the NCAA, designate some Nigerian indigenous airlines as foreign carriers to take advantage of bilateral air services agreements (BASA).

The agreement was said to have been entered into by Nigeria and is pending when a viable national carrier comes on board.

“In conclusion, looking at the total amount required to fully start the airline, which is put at 250,000,000 dollars,

“The Nigerian government and its citizens can raise these funds without necessarily subjecting themselves to the ridicule we have been exposed to by this recent episode,” he said.