A timeline of Nigeria Air – the ‘nonexistent’ national carrier that gulped ₦3.8 billion
On May 26, 2023, an aircraft painted in green and white with the inscription ‘Nigeria Air’ landed at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja, and paraded by the former minister of aviation Hadi Sirika and other government officials as the much awaited national carrier. It was one of the ‘projects’ commissioned in the last days of Muhammadu Buhari’s presidency.
Announcing the arrival of the Boeing 737 MAX as Nigeria Air with a 1.16-minute video on his Twitter account, Hadi Sirika, described the seven-year plan of the national carrier project as tedious and daunting.
“We are here. To Almighty God be all the glory. It has been a very long, tedious, daunting, and difficult path. We thank everyone for the support. This, by the will of God, will be for us and generations to come. Ya Allah, make it beneficial for our country and humanity.”
Mixed reactions have since trailed the unveiling of Nigeria Air, with many, including the spokesman of Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) and the Chairman of United Nigeria Airlines, Prof Obiora Okonkwo, describing the national carrier as “dead on arrival.”
On June 6, 2023, the House of Representatives Committee on Aviation further gave credence to the nationwide suspicions about the credibility of the Nigeria Air by declaring it a fraud and asked the federal government to suspend it pending a thorough review of the project.
“A careful review of the process indicates 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 thereto,” the committee resolved.
Here’s a timeline of how Nigeria Air came to be
Like the Ethiopian-owned national carrier Ethiopian Airlines, which is Africa’s largest airline by passengers carried, destinations served, fleet size, and revenue, and the fourth-largest airline by the number of countries served (127 countries), Nigeria Air is a proposed airline that will be partly owned by the Nigerian government and Ethiopian Airlines.
Conceived in 2016, four years after the country’s former national carrier, Air Nigeria, ceased operations purportedly as a result of bankruptcy after its staff were made redundant on September 6, 2012, the logo and name of the new national carrier, Nigeria Air, were unveiled at the Farnborough Air Show in the United Kingdom in July 2018.
While many believe that the Nigeria Air project lacks transparency, and many continue to question the sustainability of a government-owned carrier, it remains uncertain what stake the Nigerian government holds in Nigeria Air. However, during a press briefing in September 2022, Sirika revealed that Ethiopian Airlines holds a 49% shareholding, while it has been reported that Skyway Aviation Handling Company Plc holds a 15% share of Nigeria Air.
How much Nigeria Air gulped
The amount spent so far by the Nigerian government on Nigeria Air has been, shrouded in secrecy.
While the Nigerian government announced in 2017 that Nigeria Air would cost $5 million, the House of Representatives committee, in their resolution, put the amount required to fully start an airline at $250 million. The airline was expected to incur $8.8 million in preliminary costs and $300 million as the take-off cost.
Former Director General of Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, NAMA, Roland Iyayi, alleged that the Nigerian government appropriated ₦85.2 billion. However, it remains unclear what Ethiopian Airlines and Skyway Aviation Handling Company Plc, major shareholders, have invested in the project so far.
The spokesman of AON and the Chairman of United Nigeria Airlines, Prof Obiora Okonkwo, questioned the transparency in establishing the national carrier.
“There is an attempt by somebody to hang on to Nigeria Air, using it as cover to take over Nigeria’s aviation industry. So, the purpose is self-serving. The cost of establishing this airline is about $250 million. Who paid the $250 million? MRS and Skyway Aviation Handling Company Plc (SAHCO), listed as shareholders, are not talking and have not made any contribution to the company, and indications show they are not interested,” Okonkwo said.
However, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Aviation, Emmanuel Meribole, has described the “unveiling” done by the former minister as a display of “aspiration” with less than ₦4 billion spent on Nigeria Air since 2017.
“To the best of my knowledge, from 2017 till date, we have not spent up to ₦3.8 billion because that is the appropriation money. The appropriation is there. No kobo was approved by the ministry. No kobo was spent on the unveiling. The unveiling is ‘aspirational’ to allow people to see,” he said.
