FG will Have Only 5% Stake in National Carrier, Minister of Aviation Insists

The Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika has insisted that the planned national carrier which is billed to commence operation later this year would be private sector driven as the federal government would only have five per cent stake.

The minister made this known yesterday while fielding questions during the discussion on the future of global aviation at the ongoing World Government Summit Dubai Expo 2020, where he reiterated that members of the public would have 95 per cent stake in the national carrier with the core investor holding 49 per cent equity.

Sirika said aviation remains the fastest growing sector of the nation’s economy since the COVID-19 lockdown and described the country as the best place for airline business in Africa.

He said available statistics had been giving the federal government cause for cheers, saying the serviceable airports and prospecting airlines had both doubled, adding that aviation had been positioned as the fastest growing sector of the national economy.

Sirika also stated that the Aviation Road Map programme developed by the President Muhammadu Buhari administration was running its full course with planned actualisation of the national carrier, setting up of an aircraft maintenance facility, leasing company, aerospace university and concession of major airports in the country.

The minister stressed that Nigeria needs a national carrier because of its 200 million population, most of whom are very mobile and exploiting all modes of transportation, including air transport, which has recorded increasing passenger traffic since after the coronavirus lockdown.

He pointed out that international carriers jostle to operate in the Nigerian route and demand multiple entry points because of the country’s high traffic and stressed that the present administration has succeeded in expanding the nation’s airport capacity to 50 million passengers per annum.

However, the President of Emirates, Sir Timothy Clarke, pledged that Emirates would be willing to provide support to the Nigerian flag carrier start-up and would also be available for collaboration to aid the speedy growth of new carrier, Nigeria Air.

Meanwhile the President, Airport Council International (ACI) H.E. Luis Oliveira, said Africa, which comprised 15 per cent of the global population accounted for merely two per cent of the global traffic, adding that Africa deserved all the support she could get to improve her air transport in all facets of the business.