By Cross Udo
The Federal Government yesterday vowed to sanction international airlines that operate in Nigeria and sell tickets to Nigerians in dollars, insisting that such practice is a violation of Nigerian laws.

The Government also said that the decision to float a national carrier, Nigerian Air is on course and that there is no going back

The Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, stated this while fielding questions at the end of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Council Chamber, Presidential Villa in Abuja.

Sirika said intelligence reports indicated that some of the airlines are refusing naira and charging their ticket fares in dollars in violation of the nation’s laws, adding that some of the airlines have also blocked local travel agencies from accessing their websites for transactions.

He disclosed that the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has been directed to deal with any of such airlines that are wilfully breaching the country’s laws to protect the interest of Nigerians against reported airlines’ operations malpractices, warning that no violator, no matter how highly placed, would be spared if caught in violation.

He said, “I want to use this opportunity to say that reports are reaching us that some of the airlines are refusing to sell tickets in naira. That is a violation of our local laws, they will not be allowed. The high and the mighty amongst them will be sanctioned if they’re caught doing that.
“NCAA had been directed to swing into action and once we find any airline violating this, we will deal with them. Also, they blocked the travel agents from access. They also made only the expensive tickets available and so on.

“Our regulators are not sleeping; we have a very vibrant Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority. Once they found any airline guilty, that airline will be dealt with because we need to protect our people. It is according to our agreements, to what we have signed and this is according to international convention.

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“So, going forward, they should desist from doing things that are outside of the law. They should also desist from writing us and putting things on social media. They should go through diplomatic channels if they want a response from the Federal Government.”

The Minister disclosed that the foreign airlines made over $1.1bn from Nigeria in 2016, when Buhari’s administration cleared the $600m it inherited from the previous government, saying if it was retained in the country through Nigerian official airline, it would have created jobs.

Sirika recalled that the airlines remitted over $600m to their home countries in 2016 while over $265m has also been released this year out of about $484m due to them.

He said the government is trying to keep the airlines happy by ensuring that their money does not pile up again, saying that while the country needs their services, the airlines need the Nigerian market.

He warned them to refrain from using social media to press home their demands rather than resorting to diplomatic channels.

The Minister debunked the allegation that the Federal Government has already spent N14.6bn on the Nigeria Air project despite having only five per stake in the airline.

He said that the government has only spent N651m (N352m and N299m) for what he called transactional advisory services approved by the FEC, but yet to be disbursed as the consultants were yet to finish their work.

According to him, “So Nigeria Air is, of course, we are going to come very soon to council for approval of the full business case. And the activity is a Public Private Partnership, which is guided by the ICRC regulations, and Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission.

“We have diligently followed that. And I want to seize the opportunity to say that we have been reading newspaper reports, especially those that I have maximum respect for like the Guardian, which put out a sensational article on the front page. That the Federal Government of Nigeria has spent N14bn on a national carrier and they did nothing.

“This is absurd. This is unbecoming of a paper of that calibre, to dish out lies on purpose to mislead the public. The entire amount of money spent on the national carrier is around transaction advisory services.

“And we came here with a memo with approval, which we dished out to the press as to the quantum of money to be spent. It was N352m at today’s rate. And another contract of N299m. That’s it.

“I’m very embarrassed with this statement, it is not factual, is true, is meant to mislead people. Federal Government is committed to establishing this career, we’ve gone very far. We’ve found a partner. We are negotiating, we will come to the council and get the full business report approved. And then we will come here declare.”

On alleged secrecy in the project, the minister said, “There’s also accusation as to secrecy in what we’re doing. Nigeria, I’m very proud to say is the first country and maybe perhaps the only one to put up a portal where all public-private partnership activities are being uploaded on daily basis. “People should not be pen lazy, not to research, not to ask questions given the Freedom of Information Act in place.

“Every single query to me on my desk, using Freedom of Information Act, I had always obliged. There’s nothing secret about government work anymore. And we’re not keeping anything in secrecy.

“If anybody wants anything to do with a national carrier or any other project on civil aviation, you should go to our website, to the website of ICRC, and to the portal, everything is uploaded there.

“We have project delivery team in place by law, Project Steering Committee in place by law, and they’re all members of very many ministries and agencies and parastatals including Labour.

“The law didn’t say we should include Labour, but for maximum transparency, for fairness, we included Labour in this activity, and they participated fully.

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“So, there’s nothing secret about it. If you want anything come and asks us don’t just be pen lazy and go out there and write what you want. It is not accepted by us and by the government. And they will deliver this Nigeria Air for the benefit of the people.

“Nigeria is 215 million people at the centre of Africa, equal distance on own location with travelling public, rising middle class, the propensity to fly this high. Nigeria is certainly the candidate for the national carrier, it will happen and it will ease our transport needs, inshallah.”

On the importance of a national airline to the country’s economy as well as that of the continent, the minister said: “Now, do you understand that the African continent under the AU agenda 2063, is looking for integration and interconnectivity?

“To go to Niamey in Niger Republic, you have to fly to Paris and fly back. That is the case in Africa. We want to integrate Africa; we want to connect Africa. And certainly, we cannot do it by road, by rail, or by sea.

“By sea, most of the countries are landlocked. By rail, the quantum amount of money to spend to interconnect Africa and maintain it is huge and prohibitive. It can happen but much later. By road is also worse.

“So, the easiest, the fastest, the most efficient way to do it is to develop civil aviation, which we are doing. And that’s why we’re working on the single African Air Transport market in Africa. And so, therefore, Nigeria was there before we started the Yamoussoukro decision and declaration and it rose through the Single Africa Air Transport market to boost civil aviation.”