By Charles Ebi
Newly-appointed Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Abubakar Kana has said he will work with the Minister, Festus Keyamo to ensure the relaunch of a national carrier.
Kana made the disclosure during a handover ceremony organised by the Aviation Ministry.
Until his appointment, Kana served as the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Defence.
He said, “I will provide unreserved support to the Minister in the actualisation of Nigeria’s national carrier and in upgrading airports across the nation to international standards.
“Resources are scarce; we need to embrace the private sector to support Nigeria’s aviation industry”. Kana also urged all agencies within the ministry to align with President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, noting his belief in innovative approaches to development”.
Recall that the controversial national carrier, Nigeria Air, was launched in 2023 by former Aviation Minister, Hadi Sirika, three days before the end of former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration. But in May 2024, Keyamo announced the suspension of the project.
Local airlines and other stakeholders were concerned over the ownership arrangement which gave Ethiopian Airlines a 49% equity stake.
The federal government had a 5% equity, while a consortium of three Nigerian investors had 46%.
Explaining the reason for the suspension, Keyamo said last year that, “It was never Air Nigeria. It was not Air Nigeria. That’s the truth. It was only painted Nigeria Air. It was Ethiopian Airlines trying to flag our flag.
“If it is so, why not allow our local plane to fly our flag? So nobody should dispute that it was Nigeria Air.
“Air Nigeria must be indigenous, must be wholly Nigerian, and must be for the full benefits of Nigeria, not that 50% of the profit is for another country”.
