Festus Keyamo, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, has stated that the Fly Nigeria Act will become legislation under his watch.
The minister expressed disappointment that the document, which is meant to make it essential for government-funded air transportation of government workers, contractors, grantees, and properties to be carried by Nigeria Air Flag Carriers, has yet to be implemented more than 15 years after it was initially proposed.
Speaking during a one-day “Stakeholders’ Engagement on the Legal Framework for the Fly Nigeria Bill and Related Enabling Legislation” in Abuja, Keyamo stated that he would unite all significant stakeholders to campaign for the Bill to be brought into law.
Allen Onyema, Vice President of the Airline Operators of Nigeria and Chairman of Air Peace, and Prof. Obiora Okonkwo, the Association’s spokesperson, welcomed the action as a new dawn for Nigeria’s aviation and domestic airline industry.
Speaking at the event, Keyamo stated, “This has been on the agenda for some time, for many years, more than 15 years, since I believe my predecessor, Chief Omotoba, served more than 15 years ago. So you can imagine that this law was introduced to the council more than 15 years ago, but it never saw the light of day. It will happen during my reign.
“We just want to get things done. So, when I arrived at the office, I noticed a couple of these things hanging on my desk, such as the Cape Town Convention in response to the Aviation Working Group’s appeal and all of the proposals made to prior administrations to establish indigenous, or local, industries. We revived dead stuff on my table to support local industry development. One of these is, of course, the Fly Nigeria Act. Fortunately, Olisa Agbakoba was chatting with me about it. He had presented a proposition.
“It’s a worldwide conspiracy, but you have to be astute to detect it. Take a look at the entire African continent. Just look at it. All foreign airlines in the world operate in African markets without fair competition from African carriers. And they will ensure that Africa’s aviation market remains taunted. They will keep taunting you, especially in a large country like Nigeria, so they may continue to feed on your markets.”
The minister also noted that foreign nationals have fed fat in Nigeria without giving Africans a fair share.
“Air France is arriving and departing full. So, we’ll organise a technical session. We have a preliminary resolution here. The National Assembly members are awaiting the bill’s arrival. The senators are just waiting. It is up to us to establish a technical committee. We all agreed that this is good for aviation and us, particularly local operators.”
