GOVT OFFICIALS, CONTRACTORS MUST FLY NIGERIAN AIRLINES, SAYS KEYAMO. (PHOTO).

 𝐆𝐨𝐯𝐭 𝐎𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐬, 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐌𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐅𝐥𝐲 𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐀𝐢𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬, 𝐒𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐊𝐞𝐲𝐚𝐦𝐨

The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, says the Fly Nigeria Act will transform into law under his watch.

The minister lamented that the document, which is expected to make it mandatory for government-financed air transportation of government personnel, contractors, grantees, and properties to be carried by Nigeria Air Flag Carriers, has yet to materialise more than 15 years after it was first proposed.

Speaking at a one-day “Stakeholders’ Engagement on the Legal Framework for the Fly Nigeria Bill and Related Enabling Legislation’, in Abuja, Keyamo said he would rally all the major stakeholders to push for the Bill to be signed into law.

Vice President of the Airline Operators of Nigeria and Chairman of Air Peace, Allen Onyema, and the spokesperson of the Association, Prof. Obiora Okonkwo, described the move as a new dawn for the country’s aviation and domestic airline.

Speaking at the event, Keyamo said, “This has been on the cards for some time, for many years, more than 15 years, because I think my predecessor, Chief Omotoba, served more than 15 years ago. So you can imagine that this bill was taken to council more than 15 years ago, and yet it did not see the light of day. Under my tenure, it will happen.

The minister further lamented that nationals of the world have been feeding fat in Nigeria without a commensurate gain to Africans.

“Air France is coming here full, going back full.  So, we’ll set up a technical session. We have a pre-draft resolution here. The National Assembly members are waiting for the bill to get there. The senators are just waiting. It’s for us to set up a technical committee. We agreed in principle that this is good for us, good for aviation, you know, local operators especially.”