Nigeria Air project remains suspended indefinitely, says Aviation Minister Festus Keyamo

The Federal Government has confirmed that the Nigeria Air project remains on hold. Speaking at a press conference in Abuja to mark President Bola Tinubu’s first year in office, the Minister of Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, provided an update on the current status of the national airline.

The Nigeria Air project was unveiled by former Aviation Minister Hadi Sirika in 2023, just days before President Muhammadu Buhari’s term ended. The launch sparked widespread concerns over ownership structures that gave Ethiopian Airlines a 49 percent stake, while the federal government owned 5 percent and a consortium of three Nigerian investors owned 46 percent.

In June 2023, the House of Representatives called for Nigeria Air to cease operations, describing the deal as a fraud. Minister Keyamo then announced in August 2023 that the project would be suspended until further notice.

“It remains suspended. It was never Air Nigeria. It was not Air Nigeria. That is the truth. It was just Nigeria Air. It was Ethiopian Airlines trying to fly our flag,” Keyamo explained. “Air Nigeria must be indigenous, must be wholly Nigerian and must fully benefit Nigeria, not have 50 percent of the profits going to another country.”

Keyamo stressed that the ownership structure of the defunct airline was not beneficial for the country.

He reiterated: “Nigeria Air must be indigenous, it must be only Nigeria or it must fully benefit Nigeria. Not that 60 percent of the profits go to another country. How do we benefit from that? So it remains suspended.”

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