New national carrier likely as FG/Ethiopian Airlines pact crumbles

The Federal Government may soon unveil a new national carrier following the suspension of the Nigeria Air project.

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Dr. Ibrahim Abubakar Kana, gave the hint while clarifying an earlier comment attributed to him that he had the mandate of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to deliver a new national carrier.

Daily Trust reported Kana as denying ever saying the suspended Nigeria Air project with the Ethiopian Airlines providing the technical support would be revived.

The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, on assumption of office in 2023 suspended the project.

He also declared that the Ethiopian Airlines deal on Nigeria Air was for Nigeria.

READ ALSO:

• FG to take over 157 Almajiri schools from northern govs
• Nigeria’s military drops to 39 in global rankings
• France speaks on alleged plot with Nigeria to destabilise Niger

Keyamo had said, “This is the Ethiopian Air agreement here. And you’ll be shocked if you look at this. What it simply says is that a foreign government should come and take over our national carrier.

“That is the long and short of the story, because Ethiopian Air was a single major shareholder in that deal.

“Ethiopian Air is owned by another government in Africa. It’s the same thing they have done to Togo. Togo is a small country. They have done it with Asky owned by Ethiopian Air. We cannot be Togo. I apologise, whoever I’m talking to but we cannot be Togo.

“We are big; we are big; we are ambitious. We cannot give up our entire ecosystem to another entity. Because what would have happened in that case is that the Ethiopian government would now be a complete beneficiary of all our BASA (Bilateral Air Service Agreement) routes.”

Stakeholders, industry players and analysts have expressed concerns over the failure of all the attempts at bringing back the national carrier since the demise of Nigeria Airways in 2004 despite millions of dollars and billions of naira sunk into it.

Former Minister Hadi Sirika in response to a report that N85bn was expended on the Nigeria Air project stated that only N3bn was spent on the project.

The former minister said: “Between the years 2016-2023, all the money budgeted for Nigeria Air, was about N5 billion but not all of it was released. Perhaps about N3 billion was released.

“Part of the N3 billion has so far been spent on the acquisition of offices, payments of consultancy fees, workers’ salaries and processing of Air Operators ‘Certificate (AOC).”

READ ALSO:

• EFL Cup: Tottenham edge Liverpool 1-0 in semi-final first leg
• Ancelotti defends Vinicius ahead of Super Cup
• Catholic priest quits Christianity, joins traditional religion in Anambra

In a statement yesterday, Kana confirmed that he had been inundated with inquiries about his reference to the revival of the National Carrier Project and needed to clarify the issue.

He said, “For the avoidance of doubt, I never said that there is a mandate to revive the botched Nigeria Air deal with Ethiopian airline. I received no such instruction.

“I was only referring to the general vision of the administration to still consider a National Carrier Project if it is favourable to the country and under the guidance and directives of Mr. President and the Honourable Minister of Aviation. I hope this clarifies all the ambiguities surrounding my earlier statement on this issue.”

From 2003 till date, virtually all the ministers of aviation that have served made attempts to bring back the national carrier with billions of naira spent on the various projects without giving an account of the money.

Daily Trust reported an aviation analyst, Group Capt. John Ojikutu, as saying instead of floating one national carrier, government should set up two flag carriers instead; one regional and continental and the other intercontinental.

He said, “This is what our contemporaries in the early times were doing. I will recommend Arik-Aero for the Regional-Continental and Air Peace-Ibom for the Intercontinental. Both would need foreign technical partners and investors but not from any of our competitors on the BASA Routes.

“First is to assess the local and foreign debts and assets of the airlines to the foreign investors and the domestic investors.”

He stated that both foreign and local investors should not have more than 30 per cent making 30 per cent in total while FG and the states or the six geographical areas should have 12% and the public through the Nigerian Stock Market 28% and the 40% balance should be for the airlines.

“Anything different from that cannot work and may not last,” he added.

New national carrier likely as FG/Ethiopian Airlines pact crumbles

Costs of calls, data to go up, FG confirms

Users of telecommunication services in Nigeria will pay higher costs as the Federal Government has agreed to the demand of industry operators for a tariff hike.

But the hike will be below the 100 per cent increase requested by service providers, the government has said.

Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, disclosed this during an industry stakeholders forum in Abuja on Wednesday.

“The essence of this gathering is recognizing the critical role the telecom sector plays in driving Nigeria’s economic development,” Tijani said.

“Tariff will go up. That’s the verdict. But it won’t be by 100%.

“We need to ensure that as a sector, we put the right regulations in place that can ensure the growth of this sector, continue to contribute to job creation, but also enable other key sectors in the country as well.”

This implies that prices of calls, data and SMS will go up for the average Nigerian.

Executive Vice Chairman, Nigerian Telecommunications commission (NCC), Aminu Maida, also said that tariff adjustments would be accompanied by measures to simplify billing systems and increase transparency.

He said, “We’ve revised our quality of service regulations, bringing the entire value chain into scope for compliance, from MNOs to tower codes and transmission companies.

“So when we do see these tariff modifications, it’s also going to come with simplification.

“So every MNO or every service provider must comply with a simplified template; to show Nigerians what you are charging per minute, per voice, per SMS, and per megabyte of data.”

I rose from Almajiri to CEO of NNPC, says Mele Kyari on 60th birthday 

Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, Mele Kyari, has spoken about how he rose from being an Almajiri pupil to become the head of “Africa’s largest energy company”.

This reflection on his life’s journey is contained in a statement he shared to celebrate his 60th birthday.

Born January 8, 1965 in Maiduguri, Borno State, Kyari is a geologist and known in the oil industry as a crude oil marketer. He assumed office on July 7, 2019 as NNPC boss.

“Allah, by his grace, spared my life to this exceptional day, making it my 60th year from birth, even much earlier on the Hijri calendar,” he said in a post on X.

“I am profoundly grateful to my country for giving me the opportunity to grow from an Almajiri (Tsangaya) school pupil to become the CEO of Africa’s largest energy company.”

Kyari also thanked President Bola Tinubu and ex-president Muhammadu Buhari for the opportunity to head the NNPC.

“Even more particular, I deeply appreciate the exceptional privilege given to me by Presidents Muhammadu Buhari and Bola Ahmed Tinubu to serve as the last GMD of the NNPC and the pioneer CEO of the NNPC Ltd,” he added.

“Reflecting backwards alone can’t account for the profoundly eventful life I spent to this date, walking through good and bad times, travails and triumphs, pains and happiness, fails and successes and many more that only the sufficiency of Allah will explain.

“At this milestone, I feel the obligation to serve with even greater conviction and with elevated expectation of eternal recompense so deeply pleasing.

“I am hugely indebted to my family for being nearly absent for most of my later years serving our nation and the common good.

“My deep appreciation to my family, friends and associates, my colleagues at work and my teachers (western and of Almajiri extractions), and many unmentioned people who account for many of my accomplishments, unconditional support and my overall wellbeing.”