Nigeria Air: Don seeks public enquiry

Policy Analyst and Professor of Strategy and Development, Anthony Kila, has advised the new federal government to institute an independent public inquiry to examine and make public the conception, process negotiations, partnerships, expenses and parties involved in the Nigeria Air project.

This followed the controversy over the launch of the Nigeria Air last Friday despite not yet acquiring the Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC) even as the aircraft which belongs to Ethiopian Airlines, the national carrier’s technical partner has returned to Addis-Ababa.

Kila, who is also a Commonwealth Institute director and author of many policy papers on aviation stated this in a statement after a panel discussion with Mr Chike Ogea, a former Managing Director of the Skypower Aviation Handling Company Limited (SAHCOL) and David Aworawo, a Professor of International Relations and Strategic Studies.

He said, “Nigeria Air project has generated too much controversy and has now become a source of public concern rather than the laudable achievement it was planned to be due to the way it has been handled so far with stakeholders alleging a series of malpractices and calling attention to an unrespected court pronouncement.”

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The best institutional response to give in this circumstance according to the Kila “is for the government to create an independent and authoritative public inquiry that will allow all those who have issues and questions about the Nigeria Air project to table their concerns, give those involved in the project to respond without fear or intimidation and for all interested Nigerians to know what really happened and what to expect from the project.”

Kila also urged operators and other stakeholders in the aviation and related sectors to find ways of organizing themselves into a visible force that will ask the new government to shed light on the Nigeria Air project.

Kila said such an action will be a national duty for experts and stakeholders as well as a test for the new government as a request for an independent and authoritative public inquiry into a sensitive and important project like this one will give many hopeful and neutral observers an informed insight into how the new administration wants to treat experts and stakeholders in aviation and other sectors.