Peter Obi, the candidate for the Labour Party, has said that Nigeria must allow the privately-owned operators and private sector to retain the lead.
He disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday after a speech at Lagos Business School Alumni event.
He also praised the FG’s efforts towards having an airline consortium model available for Nigeria Air, calling it “positive.”
Obi noted that Nigeria’s aviation industry has been correctly and properly deregulated.
“It should remain so. I fully understand the psychic satisfaction of a country owning a national carrier. But such an arrangement is not imperative.”
He added that the national carrier might provide pride and employment; but cautioned on weighing the cost-benefit aspects.
- “We should allow the privately-owned operators and private sector to retain the lead. They already have an airline consortium and that is positive” he noted.
For the record: Nairametrics reported last month that the federal government reiterated that its partnership with the East African carrier, Ethiopian Airlines for the awaiting national carrier, Nigeria Air, would be a win for the country.
Senator Hadi Sirika acknowledged the fact that Nigeria has had some sordid experiences with the formation of a national carrier in the past, but assured that the deal with Ethiopian Airlines would be a different experience for the country.
The federal government had two weeks ago selected Ethiopian Airlines as the core investor and partner in the Nigeria Air project. Ethiopian Airlines is said to have a 49% stake in the proposed national carrier.
Also mentioned were the Skyway Aviation Handling Company (SAHCO) Plc, MRS, and other institutional investors with 46%, while the federal government retained its 5%, making it a total of 100% shares.
