Aviation Minister , Hadi Sirika , Wednesday rejected calls for Nigeria to transform the Arik Airline into a National carrier.
Managing Director Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON), Ahmed Lawan Kuru had while appearing before the Senate, pleaded with the federal government to work towards making Arik Air a national carrier.
Kuru had argued that this was necessary as the country needs major airlines that could effectively compete with international carriers, adding that Arik has the capacity to become the fulcrum to a new national airline in the bid to stem the imbalance where huge amount of money is repatriated out of the country by foreign carriers.
But Sirika, while speaking with State House Correspondents after the weekly Federal Executive Council meeting presided over by Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, stated that Arik lacks the capacity to support national economy, with $450 million GDP for 200million people, adding that “ it is not equipped to compete favourably”
According to him, “ of the international airlines that have dominated Africa, 80 percent of those airlines are non-African. In view of the AU Agenda 2063, the Single African Aviation Market, we thought that there will be an airline that will take up that challenge; that will take advantage of it and be able to provide services to our people”
Sirika declared that Nigeria, being the first country to kick-start the declaration in 1999 and established a one common market in Africa; at the time, said the country would have taken advantage of the Nigeria Airways which was the strongest airline on the continent.
“We thought that we could take advantage of that and it would pay Nigeria very well, but the table turned, decisions were reversed and now, Nigeria was unlucky to have an airline that can participate in that manner.”
“Arik, as presently constituted, is not in line with the thinking of the ministry and will not be able to give us that airline that we need.
He however declared that “Arik as an entity, since it is private-sector driven, can either buy shares in the new ventures or invest in any manner in the business as presently approved.
“We are not saying once we have a national carrier, every other airline goes down. No. It is our duty to continue to support businesses.”
Tony Ailemen, Abuja
