Peter Obi says nobody will take Nigeria serious again after the suspension of national carrier

FORMER Anambra State governor Peter Obi has lashed out at the government over its recent decision to suspend the proposed December launch of national carrier Nigeria Air saying that no investor will ever trust the country again after the cancellation.

In July at the Farnborough Air Show in Kent, in the UK, aviation minister Hadi Sirika, revealed plans to float a new national carrier called Nigeria Air. Pointing out that the airline would take off in December, Mr Sirika said that following extensive negotiations with several international airlines and aircraft manufacturers, it would fly to 80 different destination and have a fleet of 30 aircraft.

However, earlier this month, Mr Sirika announced that the launch had been put on hold until further notice after the cabinet decided to the suspend action on the project. It is believed that the decision to hold on for now was taken after the government's Economic Management Team (EMT) reviewed the matter and was not impressed with the arithmetic surrounding the venture and the tight time schedule.

Chaired by vice president Professor Yemi Osinbajo, the EMT recommended that the Nigerian government should not set up a national carrier with public funds, which was accepted by the cabinet. Also, the EMT pointed out that the venture would cost the country about $300m, which was not contained in this year's budget.

Condemning the mix-up and charade, Governor Obi said: “One is really worried about the way things are going and how we are ridiculing ourselves globally at a time we are supposed to be taken serious as a developing country. How can anybody justify the fact that a federal government minister went to faraway Farnborough International Air Show, where the whole world gathered, to announce and unveil Nigeria Air with a firm date that it would take off by December 2018, giving an impression that everything is already finalised.

"Thereafter, they started looking for partners and investors, and now the federal government decided to suspend the entire exercise. Does it mean that they never discussed it at the Federal Executive Council before the minister went to England to unveil it?”