The Federal Government on Wednesday said it is set to appoint a transaction adviser in a few days in efforts to establish a new national carrier for the country next year.
This will ensure competition, cut in ticket costs and give Nigerians options to choose from.
Minister of State for Aviation, Hadi Sirika who briefed newsmen after the Federal Executive Council meeting alongside the minister of
information Lai Mohammmed and his Education counterpart Antony Onwuka said “….between now and Wednesday we will appoint transaction adviser for national carrier, once that is in place Nigerians will have options, they will be competition, good aircraft and this will bring the price down”.
The new national carrier, the minister explained will be jointly run by the government and the private sector as an incentive for airlines
flying the route.
Responding to questions from journalists at the Aso Rock, the minister also expressed hope that in the long run foreign carriers that are
threatening to leave Nigeria will not do so following government’s efforts to ease the challenges they face in the sector.
Part of the efforts he said included the release of $300 million by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) out of the $600 million earnings that foreign airlines, have been unable to repatriate to their countries.
On the use of suitable aircrafts on the Nigeria routes Sirika said the government was talking with the foreign airlines however “some of the airline operators are constrained by some of the infrastructure we have in place. For example Emirate will love to bring the kind of aircraft they fly around the world but the apron in Abuja is not supporting that service. That is why the aircraft they take to Lagos is different from the one they take to Abuja. That inadequacies is also being addressed and once that is done we will have benefiting aircraft coming”.
The minister also said Council also approved the revised total estimate cost of finishing the domestic and international wings of the Port Harcourt airport which is already captured in the 2016 and 2017 budget.
Council approved the revision of the cost of rehabilitating the international wing of the Port Harcourt from N777,726,669.30 to N1,684,520,310.58 and awarded the contract to messes entaba. The cost of the refurbishment of the the airport’s terminal building phase II domestic wing was reviewed from N746,830,782.12 to N1,411,662,855.67.
Council also approved the ratification of the climate change Paris agreement. President Buhari had at a side event during the United
Nation’s General Assembly in New York, signed the Paris agreement on Climate Change with a promise to ratify the document before the 22nd Conference of Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in Marrakesh, Morocco in this Month.
The Cabinet also approved bilateral agreement against double taxation with Kenya. “This is very important for the Nigerian economy and
businesses” Sirika said.
