https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=np0kPecsLsE?si=kJC2YUwgdytntv6v

National carrier: Keyamo faults Nigeria, Ethiopian airline deal
28th November 2023

Nigeria Air plane
By
Stephen Angbulu

The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, on Monday f,aulted the agreement the country signed with Ethiopian Airlines on the proposed national carrier, Nigeria Air.

He said it would be “irresponsible“ of the Federal Government to follow through on a deal that gives monopoly of Nigeria’s aviation industry to a foreign entity.

He further disclosed that reports had been submitted on the issue and President Bola Tinubu will determine the next step for the project.

“I cannot preempt my President. I cannot…now we have looked at all the issues and it’s before Mr. President,” Keyamo told State House Correspondents after this week’s Federal Executive Council meeting at the Aso Rick Villa.

The chances of Nigeria’s national carrier, Nigeria Air, beginning operations still hangs in the balance especially as new details about the contract resurfaced Monday.

Six months after an elaborate ceremony on May 26, 2023, to celebrate the arrival of its first aircraft, a Boeing 737-800, the airliner has remained dormant ever since.

Founded in 2018, Nigeria Air’s ownership stakes is divided among Ethiopian Airlines (49 per cent) Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (46 per cent), and the Federal Government (5 per cent)


However, Keyamo revealed that some of the details of the agreement signed with the major stakeholder in the deal, Ethiopian Airlines, required another critical look, in the interest of the nation, citing waivers and the staffing arrangements.

He said, “In the agreement, you are giving tax waivers to Ethiopian Airline coming into Nigeria. They asked for tax waivers for five years and you granted them, to come and compete with your local airline which are paying those heavy taxes.


“How? Do you want to create a monopoly? That’s why when they tell you that we want to crash price by…it’s a lie. It’s robbing Peter to pay Paul.

“The only thing that brings down prices in the commercial world is fair competition.”

He also lamented that the contract sought to cede the appointment of employees at all levels to the Ethiopian investors, a situation he lamented.

“In the agreement, they also made a proposal that they will appoint everybody; top management, everybody Ethiopian, in Nigeria, and we agreed. We agreed!” he emphasised regrettably.

However, Keyamo said all details are before the President for consideration.

“I have heard all kinds of things going on, all kinds of brickbats in the social media, but I cannot preempt my President.

“All the documents, all the reports, everything, we have forwarded to Mr. President, the issues we’ve met on the ground.

“I feel the pulse of Nigerians. Even the National Assembly raised concerns over that, and so many stakeholders. It would have been responsible to close my eyes totally to those concerns. So because of that, we suspended it, to say that let’s just look at all the issues and recommend,” he explained.

Keyamo explained that had the Nigeria Air agreement been implemented, it would have created a monopoly for Ethiopian Air, at the expense of other local airliners.

https://punchng.com/national-carrier-keyamo-faults-nigeria-ethiopian-airline-deal/

More photos.

Cc OAM4J Nlfpmod Dominique Mynd44 Puskin FOD

Buhari minister really nuked Nigeria .

Tinubu is tactically demarketing Buhari's government by deploying his foot soldiers to do the damages

I don't understand sef, shey Buhari didn't take a look at the contracts before approving it? Hadi Sirika would have likely gottejna bribe from Ethiopia Air.

Will Ethiopia Air not sue the FG if the contract is cancelled at this point?

I honestly think the entire proposal should be throw into the Dustin.. but I am very sure the end goal was to sue Nigeria for breach of contract.... So we can pay millions of dollars in damages for the launching of a repainted aircraft...

Paraman:
I don't understand sef, shey Buhari didn't take a look at the contracts before approving it? Hadi Sirika would have likely gottejna bribe from Ethiopia Air.

Buhari is illiterate he careless

Tufiakwa

Was Festus Keyamo not attending FEC meetings back then when Ahmed Sirika the former minister of aviation under the same Buhari government Tinubu and him marketed as the messiah perpetuate the crime?

Did he kicked against it? Did he resigned because of the rip off? Why is he behaving as if he knows nothing about how the air Nigeria corruption happened?

Yenyenyen

God help us

Was Keyamo not part of the last government

Nothing new, David hundeyin was the first to raise alarm, APC miscrants tagged him "enemy of Nigeria",

allen onyema said his own, APC supporters said he's afraid of competition

Now we have heard from the horses mouth, a former buhari ass licker called keyamo

In a literate country that upholds merit, Buhari would never have been employed as a clerk anywhere, not to talk about winning presidential elections twice.

blame counter blame,,,, excuses and dat is how it would turn to a wasted tenure. Hit the ground running friend

Paraman:
I don't understand sef, shey Buhari didn't take a look at the contracts before approving it? Hadi Sirika would have likely gottejna bribe from Ethiopia Air.

Buhari that in 2015 Presidential chat was calling West Germany and detushe mark. President that does not know the meaning of inflation

They have start to blame Buhari government and his team. Don’t forget that this same clueless keyamo was part of Buhari 8 years government too

Okay.

nedu666:


Buhari that in 2015 Presidential chat was calling West Germany and detushe mark. President that does not know the meaning of inflation

Any brilliant ss3 student is way more knowledgeable than buhari and yet Nigerians voted him in twice…and he punished them with his disastrous economic performance.

Hmm

This is why I can never take any APC supporter seriously.
They insulted everybody with Nigerian Air, yelling how Buhari was God sent.
Even when David hundeyin exposed the scam, they called him all sorts of names.
The same headless mob are the ones trying to force this clueless government as functional

ednut1:
Was Keyamo not part of the last government

just the same question i ask myself.

he wants to claim saint now.

Same party blaming the same party

Y

Racoon:
Was Festus Keyamo not attending FEC meetings back then when Ahmed Sirika the former minister of aviation under the same Buhari government Tinubu and him marketed as the messiah?

Did he kicked against it? Did he resigned because of the rip off? Why is he behaving as if he knows nothing about how the air Nigeria corruption happened?

They can only speak to their support base whom seems to be under a spell of selective amnesia, what we have been telling them since 2014, they are just seeing it now because it is now "convenient" for Festus and Tinubu to throw Buhari under the bus. The Festus that called those that spoke out against the incompetency and corruption of Buhari's administration wailers is wailing today. We refuse to be partakers.

Keyamo is a liar

Racoon:
Was Festus Keyamo not attending FEC meetings back then when Ahmed Sirika the former minister of aviation under the same Buhari government Tinubu and him marketed as the messiah?

Did he kicked against it? Did he resigned because of the rip off? Why is he behaving as if he knows nothing about how the air Nigeria corruption happened?

Oga,we are talking Nigeria here not politics,so sheath sword.

same person that never faulted BUHARI in his 8 yrs maladministration is now telling us another thing 🙄

Kog45:
Oga,we are talking Nigeria here not politics,so sheath sword.

You must really be an ijiot for misconstruing what that guy said as if it's not true

What I don't understand is why some people are hellbent of destroying Nigeria for the benefit of foreigners?? So many complains are being read about SON deliberately allowing substandard goods import into Nigeria but shutting down local companies for producing something better than that