Nigerian Eagle, victim of bad governance

It is no longer news that Nigeria, a country of over 200 million people, for almost two decades after the unwise liquidation of the former national carrier, Nigeria Airways, has not been able to float another carrier.

Again it is no longer hidden that several efforts made by successive governments to replace the liquidated airline with another flag or national carrier had hit the rock until the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government, after several back and forth, was finally able to come up with the Nigeria Air project.

Despite the huge national resources that has been sunk into the project and with several dates of failed take-off announced with the latest date being December, the Nigeria Air project is still foot-dragging.

Amidst these uncertainties, Nigerians have continued to be at the receiving end of the confusion as witnessed in their exploitation by most foreign airlines operating into the country.

With the latest announcement made by President Buhari at the recently held Ministerial Performance Retreat that the new take off date for Nigeria Air would be December, the question is how long would the Nigerian travelling public continue to suffer in the hands of foreign airlines?

From all indications, the myriad of challenges confronting air transport in Nigeria can be traced to the government’s unpopular policies that are tilting towards bad governance.

For if not bad governance, what does it take for the government officials, particularly the Minister of Aviation to realise the fact that besides Nigeria Air, it would not be out of place to have other flag carriers to complement the efforts of the yet-to-take-off airline.

Checking from the population of Nigeria and the huge traffic that embrace air transport, having up to five flag carriers would definitely go a long way in cushioning the effects of the foreign airlines’ exploitation.

This brings to the fore the cold attitude of the Minister of Aviation and the National Assembly Aviation Committee members towards previous efforts made to float another strong carrier, Nigerian Eagle, out of the ailing Aero and Arik airlines to fill the lacuna created by the absence of a national carrier.

It would be recalled how the management team appointed by the Asset Management Company of Nigeria (AMCON) to help package the Nigerian Eagle had reached the advance stage of obtaining the Air Operators’ Certificate (AOC) when the power tussle that ensued between the principals in the Ministry and AMCON frustrated what would have been a good alternative for Nigerian travellers.

Before the sabotage of the take off of Nigerian Eagle, information made known to the public indicated that the Nigerian Eagle team had already positioned three aircraft to be used to commence operations once the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) approved the AOC which unfortunately never came.

The high hope that the take-off of the airline with the coming of Nigeria Air would bring great respite to air travellers was sadly short-lived when power play amongst the key players was allowed to overshadow the brilliant idea.

To defend the unpopular act, the opponents of Nigerian Eagle attributed their hatred for its take-off to the watery excuses that were not tenable in normal climes which sadly was supported by the House of Representatives Committee on Aviation who then prevailed on the NCAA to put on hold the issuance of AOC for the airline.

Almost one year after the AOC issuance was ordered to be put on hold to give room for investigations, the lawmakers are yet to make public its findings even as the Nigeria Air project, which many believed was the reason Nigerian Eagle was frustrated, is yet to hit the skies.

While the sabotaging of Nigerian Eagle’s take-off was allowed to sail through and with the uncertainties over the take-off of Nigeria Air, even the duo of Arik and Aero that would have formed Nigerian Eagle are still standing on one leg.

The excuse that if AMCON was allowed to handover the assets of the two ailing airlines to another entity, that it would amount to loss of public funds, does not hold water looking at the public funds that have and are still being invested in Nigeria Air.

The conspiracy against Nigerian Eagle is obviously to the disadvantage of Nigerian travellers and the continuous bad damage such actions do to the image of Nigeria as a result of somersaulting government policies.

The Nigerian travelling public is the greatest loser in the power play that prevented the coming on board of the Nigerian Eagle as obviously, the eventual take-off of Nigeria Air would still not solve the yearnings of many Nigerians who would have been greatly relieved with the presence of both the Nigerian Eagle and Nigeria Air on one side and the support of few other private domestic operators.

Preventing other carriers like Nigerian Eagle to operate for the sake of Nigeria Air is like putting all your eggs in a basket which may suffer unforeseen circumstances that may not provide an alternative.