Reps: Nigeria Air launch fraudulent

House of Representatives says the launch of Nigeria Air is a fraud.

Chairman of the House of Reps Committee on Aviation, Nnolim Nnaji, said this after a meeting with the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Aviation, Emmanuel Meribole; the Interim Managing Director, Nigeria Air, Capt. Dapo Olumide; and heads of aviation agencies in Abuja on Tuesday, June 6.

However, Capt. Olumide, while responding, said the aircraft that flew in with the logo of the airline was chartered from Ethiopian Airlines for the purpose of unveiling the logo.

Olumide stated that the airline had yet to secure an operating licence for full flight operations, saying the processes were still at the early stages.

He said the aircraft was used pending the completion of the processes required for the operation of the airline, adding that his mandate was to secure an air operating certificate for the airline not necessarily to operate the airline but to secure a licence to fly.

The Nigeria Air director said: “The aircraft that came in and left was a legitimate charter flight.

“Anyone of us here if we have a destination wedding in Senegal, we can charter an aircraft.

“You don’t need to have a licence to do that, you just charter an aircraft, an aircraft you paid for it, it will be brought here, take your passengers and off you go.

“And that is what we did. But in this case, it was to unveil the Logo of Nigeria Air.

“Ever since 2018, all you have ever seen about Nigeria Air were pictures, drawings not the real aircraft, and we thought it was time to show what the real aircraft will look like also to let shareholders see.”

Also speaking on the development, the Senate Committee on Aviation declared that the unveiling of Nigeria Air was shrouded in secrecy.

Olujimi said the former Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, failed to involve the committee and other stakeholders in the Nigeria Air project.

She stated that Sirika hurriedly unveiled the national carrier on the last day of former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.

“To state the obvious, he failed to carry members of the committee along in virtually all ramifications despite the degree of respect members accorded him any time he was invited for meetings,” the senator added.

The Star