Airlines in Nigeria today are unsafe and dangerous according to Smart Adeyemi
In order to maintain safe flying environment and keep airline operators in the business, the Senate Committee on Aviation sought N50 billion bailout fund from the Federal Government.
This amount, the FG dispporved the amount and offered N4 billion to airline operators which the committee rejected.
According to Senator Adeyemi Smart, “Four billion is not enough”! “Yes, you might say they are in business, but their business is the soul of our economy”.
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With reference to the contributions of the aviation sector to Nigeria’s economy, Adeyemi said: “this increase in bail fund is imperative if we are to keep our economy running, guaranty job security and mitigate retrenchment”.
He further made a comparable judgment of the requested N50 billion fund for the aviation industry in Nigeria with those of other countries in Africa.
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According to him, “Senegal, which is no competition for the Nigerian Aviation industry in terms of a number of airline operators, released a sum of 74 million dollars as bailout funds for its Airline operators”.
“Rwanda also released 150 million dollars for its airline operators”.
Due to COVID-19 damages to Nigeria’s aviation sector, airline operators and other businesses have suffered losses. The committee maintains that it needs N50 billion.
Quoting the Chairman, Senate Committee on Aviation, Senator Smart Adeyemi “there is danger in flying in Nigeria today”.
The contributions of aviation sector to the economy in Nigeria
The government does recognize the role of the aviation sector to Nigeria’s economy, Hadi Sirika, Nigeria’s aviation minister noted.
According to the Q3, 2020 report of Nigeria’s GDP, air transport contracted by -38.86%. This is an improvement from the -57.38% contraction in the preceding quarter.
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Based on the contributions of the sector, the FG decided to provide N4 billion for airline operators. It also said it will give another N1 billion for other business owners in the sector.
Smart Adeyemi still maintains that the fund smaller required for proper financing of aircraft maintenance and salaries.
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