• Akpabio dismisses revival of failed contracts
•Says Nigeria can not proceed to rely upon overseas airways for direct worldwide connections
•Orders overview of Nigeria-China aviation settlement
Sunday Aborisade in Abuja
Senate yesterday rejected requires the revival of contracts awarded for the controversial Nigeria Air challenge, describing additional discussions on the failed nationwide service initiative as unproductive.
It urged the federal authorities to discover various preparations for establishing a Nigerian-owned airline.
The higher chamber additionally referred to as for an pressing renegotiation and enforcement of the Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) between Nigeria and China to allow Nigerian airways to function direct flights to the Asian nation.
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, introduced the place throughout plenary, after lawmakers debated a movement sponsored by Senate Chief Whip, Senator Tahir Monguno (APC, Borno North), in search of to tackle the imbalance in flight operations between Nigeria and China international locations.
Although the lawmakers rejected the revival of the contracts related to the failed Nigeria Air challenge, they maintained that Nigeria wanted a nationwide service able to representing the nation internationally and bettering its participation within the world aviation market.
Akpabio mentioned the federal authorities ought to look past the failed Nigeria Air association and take into account establishing a nationwide airline, recalling the operational capability of the defunct Nigerian Airways.
He lamented that the nation had moved from working a nationwide airline with a sizeable fleet to relying largely on overseas carriers for worldwide connectivity.
The Nigeria Air challenge was unveiled by the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari shortly earlier than the top of its tenure in May 2023. However, the initiative turned embroiled in controversy over allegations of fraud and misrepresentation.
An investigator with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Christopher Odofin, had alleged in his testimony, which commenced on June 30, 2025, that former Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, disguised an Ethiopian Airlines plane as Nigeria’s nationwide service.
EFCC is prosecuting Sirika, his daughter, Fatima Sirika, her husband, Jalal Hamma, and their firm, Al Buraq Global Investment, on six counts bordering on alleged contract fraud involving N1.5 billion and gratification proceeds of N1.3 billion.
The fee alleged that the previous minister corruptly awarded a consultancy providers contract for the institution of Nigeria Air in 2023 to an organization belonging to Gabriel Tilmann, a professor whom the prosecution described as his pal.
The defendants’ prosecution stays earlier than the courtroom.
On the Nigeria-China aviation settlement, Monguno urged the federal authorities to take diplomatic and regulatory measures to safe reciprocal flight rights for Nigerian airways.
He acknowledged that the prevailing association, which allowed Chinese airways to function direct flights into Nigeria with out corresponding direct providers by Nigerian carriers to China, positioned native operators and companies at an obstacle.
According to him, imposing the settlement would remodel the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, and the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, into main aviation gateways linking West and Central Africa with East Asia.
He mentioned direct flights would cut back journey time, enhance provide chain effectivity, retain overseas trade throughout the nation, and enhance income accruing to Nigerian airports.
Monguno additionally recognized the potential advantages to embody the growth of small and medium-sized enterprises, elevated non-oil exports, and improved entry to worldwide markets for Nigerian agricultural merchandise, significantly perishable items.
He proposed that the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) ought to pursue measures to guarantee reciprocity in flight rights, tackle aggressive disadvantages arising from airways working via intermediate locations, and encourage bilateral code-sharing preparations.
The senator additionally steered non permanent airport payment waivers to assist Nigerian airways in search of to set up direct routes to China.
On monetary preparations, he proposed a direct naira settlement window, leveraging the prevailing bilateral forex swap framework, to cut back dependence on the United States greenback in transactions related to the proposed operations.
He urged the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to provoke diplomatic engagements with China to facilitate enterprise visas for Nigerian merchants and safe reciprocal airport slot allocations for Nigerian airways.
Contributing to the talk, Senator Abdul Ningi (PDP, Bauchi Central) criticised the absence of direct flights between Nigeria and China.
Ningi acknowledged that Nigerian travellers have been compelled to transit via different international locations to attain their locations.
He mentioned China continued to profit from Nigeria’s sources with out the nation securing corresponding financial and business benefits.
Senator Ned Nwoko (APC, Delta North), nonetheless, referred to as on the federal authorities to take into account reviving Nigerian Airways. Nwoko mentioned the nation wanted a nationwide service somewhat than relying solely on non-public operators to set up worldwide routes.
Senator Khabeeb Mustapha (APC, Jigawa South-west) additionally supported requires the revival of the defunct Nigerian Airways.
Akpabio, in his contribution, questioned the prevailing aviation association between Nigeria and China, insisting that Nigerian companies mustn’t proceed to rely upon overseas airways to entry the Chinese market when Chinese carriers loved direct entry to Nigeria.
He mentioned, “We are speaking concerning the BASA settlement between Nigeria and China. If it’s only Chinese planes that may fly straight to Nigeria and Nigerian planes can not fly direct to China, Nigerian businessmen going to China have to undergo Kenyan Air, Ethiopian Air, all kinds of airways however Chinese businessmen fly straight to Nigeria.
“And we have over five million Chinese in Nigeria and we have less than one million Nigerians in China. It is something that we need to rejig to make sure that the BASA is revisited to enable Nigerian airlines to fly directly to China.”
The senate subsequently adopted the movement via a voice vote, mandating its Committees on Aviation and Foreign Affairs to guarantee compliance with the decision and report again to the chamber inside 4 weeks.
On the necessity for a nationwide service, Akpabio mentioned Nigeria required an airline able to flying the nation’s flag and offering the capability to meet rising home and worldwide journey calls for.
Recalling the operations of the defunct Nigerian Airways, he mentioned, “We used to have a plane in those days carrying people to Saudi Arabia and all that. At the time, Nigerian Airways had about 32 planes on ground, about 40, going from one place or the other, so how did we get here?”
The senate president additionally expressed concern that current non-public airways may not have ample capability to meet the nation’s growing air journey calls for, significantly throughout peak intervals.
He cited the difficulties travellers and political actors encountered in securing non-public plane, warning that the state of affairs might develop into tougher through the December festive season and election campaigns.
Akpabio mentioned, “Watch December and the confusion. Even the non-public airways can not deal with it.
“Common campaigns, we cannot see even private jets to hire. We should at least be able to urge the federal government to look into that to alleviate the plight of airlines.”
