House of Reps begins hearing of officials of Aviation, Justice Ministries over Air Nigeria

The House of Representatives has concluded plans to commence its official probe into the activities of the top officials of the aviation and justice ministries over Air Nigeria today.

The House of Reps Committee on Aviation rescheduled its investigative hearing following the controversial launch of Air Nigeria, the country’s national airline, among others.

The committee had earlier invited relevant stakeholders to the hearing scheduled for Monday, June 5, 2023, in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, but had to reschedule the meeting with the stakeholders due the late arrival of the committee’s Chairman, Nnolim Nnaji.

The stakeholders invited by the committee include the Ministry of Aviation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Justice, Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission, Airline Operators of Nigeria, Ethiopian Airlines as well as the aviation fuel (Jet-A1) suppliers.

The committee’s Chairman, Nnolim Nnaji apologised to stakeholders who waited behind at the venue, asking that the hearing be postponed to 3 pm on Tuesday (today).

The Nigeria Air has been embattled with a lot of controversies as pundits continue to ask why the former Aviation Minister, Sen. Hadi Sirika under the Buhari administration failed to deliver Nigeria Air after eight years

The Federal Government (FG) had boycotted domestic airlines, under the aegis of the Airline Operators of Nigeria, and signed a deal with Ethiopian Airlines to float the Nigerian carrier.

Accordingly, the AON dragged the government and its agencies before a court to stop the process.

In swift move, the Federal Government on Friday took delivery of the first plane of the country’s national carrier, Nigeria Air, amidst protests from local operators, who frown that it was contrary to a court order, which barred the government from taking further action on the project.