FG begins revival of national carrier

THERE are indications that the establishment of a new
national carrier may become a reality soon with the
submission of the report by a Federal Government
committee with the mandate to work out modalities to
restore the national airline.
Submitting its report at the Ministry of Aviation,
Chairman of the committee, Capt. Abdulsalami
Mohammed, said that the committee had wide
consultations and received a number of memoranda in
the course of its sittings.
According to him, “the creation of the committee on the
establishment of a national carrier has generated a lot of
excitement and comments both in the print and electronic
media as well as in social media networks since its
inauguration.
“It was therefore not surprising that we received a lot of
memoranda from interested stakeholders within and
outside the country.
“We consulted with a total of 74 stakeholders, ranging
from airline operators to aviation agencies, service
providers, financial consultants, institutional investors,
aircrafts and parts suppliers and former staff of Nigeria
Airways Limited.”
Mohammed noted that the committee has given what he
described as far reaching recommendations, which if
accepted and implemented by the Federal Government
will have positive impact on the aviation industry in
Nigeria.
Receiving the report, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry
of Aviation, Mrs. Binta Bello, explained that the
inauguration of the committee was based on a directive
by President Muhammadu Buhari, to advise government
on appropriate modalities for the establishment of a
national carrier.
She declined to give a timeline within which the proposal
will be implemented arguing that, “the report has just