The Senate on Tuesday summoned Festus Keyamo, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, alongside the heads of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), following an unprecedented spike in domestic flight ticket prices.
The minister and the chief executives of the aviation agencies are expected to appear before lawmakers in a closed-door session soon, after the Senate adopts a date for the meeting.
The resolution stemmed from a motion moved by Buhari Abdulfatai (Oyo North), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Aviation, who warned that the steep rise in airfares would hinder many Nigerians from travelling, especially amid worsening insecurity on major highways.
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Abdulfatai told the lawmakers that despite earlier engagements with airline operators, fares had continued to rise unabated, prompting the need for Senate intervention through its aviation committee.
According to him, one-way tickets on some domestic routes have surged by up to 150 per cent, with prices ranging between N300,000 and N400,000, compared to the pre-festive average of about N120,000.
During deliberations, Adamu Aliero (Kebbi Central) criticised the fare surge as insensitive in a country where the minimum wage remains N70,000.
Aliero said, “The synopsis of the motion was given that the minimum wage for Nigeria is 70,000 Naira.
“It means a civil servant will have to save five months’ salary or even six months’ salary before you could afford a one-way ticket to Lagos.”
Aliero who is also a former FCT Minister, he questioned why airfares had skyrocketed despite no corresponding hike in airport charges or regulatory fees.
He added, “Mr President, this is unaffordable, and there has not been a corresponding increase in the airport charges from either FAN, NCAA or Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority. So we need to summon all the stakeholders and question them on why this hike is announced.
“And not only that, Mr President, we need to halt this increase in order to save Nigerians from exploitation… An increase of 10 to 15 percent is understandable, but not an increase of over 200 percent.”
Peter Nwebonyi (Ebonyi North) also decried the situation, recounting his attempt to book a flight for December 13.
Nwebonyi said, “Just this morning I called my personal assistant to get a ticket for me for 13th of December from Abuja to Enugu, and shockingly… the cost for a one-way ticket from Abuja to Enugu is N500,000 for Airpeace and N460,000 for Ibom Air.
“This is unheard of. This is over 400 percent increment at a go. We never had it this way.”
Similarly, Olamilekan Adeola (Ogun West) urged the Senate to engage all aviation stakeholders comprehensively to find a lasting solution.
Reacting, Senate President Godswill Akpabio accused airline operators of taking advantage of travellers.
Akpabio said, “It is very clear that Nigerians are being exploited and people are taking advantage of Nigerians.”
He later put the motion to a voice vote, receiving overwhelming support from lawmakers.
The Senate President emphasised that engaging the aviation minister and regulatory agencies was crucial to addressing the fare hike and preventing disruptions to travel ahead of the Christmas season.
