The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has unveiled documents exposing significant discrepancies in the agreements for Nigeria Air, approved under the tenure of former Aviation Minister, Hadi Sirika.
The agreements, signed with the Ethiopian government, would have positioned Ethiopian Airlines as the primary shareholder in Nigeria Air, granting them substantial control over Nigeriaโs aviation sector.
Keyamo expressed concern over the implications of the deal, stating, โYou will be shocked if you look at this agreement. It essentially allows a foreign government to take over our national carrier. Ethiopian Airlines was set to become the single major shareholder. This is similar to what they did in Togo with Asky Airlines, but Nigeria cannot follow the same path. We are a big and ambitious nation.โ
He further explained that the deal would have granted Ethiopian Airlines access to all of Nigeriaโs Bilateral Air Service Agreements (BASA) routes, a move he deemed highly unfavorable.
โA national carrier has first priority over all the BASA routes we have negotiated worldwide. Allowing a foreign entity to control these routes would divert all profits away from Nigeria,โ Keyamo emphasized.
The minister also revealed that the agreements would have stripped Nigeria Air of its national identity. โUnder this arrangement, the CEO of Nigeria Air would have been Ethiopian, as well as other key positions like the financial officer and director of operations. This is not how a national carrier should operate,โ he noted.
Additionally, Keyamo highlighted clauses in the agreements that exempted the operators of Nigeria Air from paying taxes to the Nigerian government and from making any significant investments in the country. Instead, Nigeria would have been obligated to guarantee any financial losses incurred by the airlineโs operators.