Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, says the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is looking into the Nigeria Air deal.
Nigeria Air, unveiled in London in 2018, has been enmeshed in controversies after former Aviation Minister Hadi Sirika launched it less than three days before the end of the Buhari administration.
Questions were raised about who owns the aircraft used for the launch before Sirika confirmed it belongs to Ethiopian Airlines.
However, on August 31, 2023, Keyamo announced the suspension of the Nigeria Air, adding that the projects would be put on hold until further notice.
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Keyamo, speaking on Wednesday evening when he appeared on Channels Television’s Politics Today said: “First of all, I have said it before and I will still say it. It was not a deal that was good for Nigeria in the long run.
“The whole composition and totality of that deal was merely Ethiopian Air flying the Nigerian flag. It was not a national carrier. Two things. A flag carrier is different from a national carrier.
“So while we were being told that a national carrier was coming, it was not a national carrier, it was a foreign airline trying to fly the Nigerian flag.
“The EFCC is investigating that deal. There is a criminal investigation going on. I have called for the report.”
Keyamo insisted that no local airline would be designated as a national airline, noting that “we will establish a proper national carrier.”
