New ‘Nigeria Air’ and the Buhari’s Government: An Opinion

By Casmir Anyanwu

According to the Peoples’ Democratic Party(PDP) “Buhari is scamming Nigeria with ‘Nigeria Air’ and the president is no longer wanted by Nigerians”.

That statement to my mind is not far from the truth based on what Nigerians already know and have seen in this Buhari led administration.

Nigerians are fed up with this present administration not only because they have any personal grievances against the head but because the Buhari led government is not living up to its promises. During the build up to the 2015 general elections, I remember the APC led government promising to end Boko harm insulgency within months among other vague promises they made to win the hearts of gullible Nigerians. They mounted Bill Boards all over Lagos and other parts on Nigeria exhibiting pictures and promises of what the government would do if voted into power.

Today, has President Buhari been able to end Boko haram and other insurgencies?  Insurgencies are still felt everywhere in the North. Rather than ending it, we now have Killer Herdsmen attacking villages and towns killing innocent Nigerians and occupying their villages not only in northern Nigeria but in some areas in the Eastern and South Western Nigeria and the middle belt in particular. People are asking questions and the president kept mum. Even the answers given so far showed nothing but incapacity of the head to pilot the affairs of the most populous black nation in Africa.

The recent statement by the Federal Government concerning its plan to revive the Nigeria Airways with the proposed purchase of an initial Five Airplanes before December 2019, is greeted with outburst in Nigeria because Nigerians do not see any sincerity in the intention of the Federal Government towards that venture based on their experiences in this government.

This Buhari led administration has shown that it is incapable of a good administration and cannot be trusted in its promises to the people. Governance is a serious business which should be managed by serious and competent people. A government that is fighting corruption must purge itself of corruption and corrupt tendencies among its appointees and servants and mete appropriate punishments to defaulters and not to be selective.

This administration must prove to Nigerians that it is free from corruption for the people to begin to believe in what the government says otherwise any talk about acquisition and operation of a new ‘Nigeria Air’ in this administration will be seen as an aberration and a plough by the government to syphon the public funds.

The management and operation of a National Carrier is not a child’s play. It requires seriousness on all fronts of management. It requires prudence and transparency. Nigerians have no quarrel with having a National Carrier, but Nigerians shall have quarrel and question  the procedure of its acquisition, ownership and funding. Is this going to be one of reaping off the Nigerian masses and enriching the pockets of some few people loyal to the presidency in the name of a Nigeria Air? Is it going to be a case of compensating those who voted 95% as against those who voted 5% for APC in 2015 all in the name of a ‘Nigeria Air’ while in reality it is a ‘Personal Air’ ? These are some of the questions Nigerians shall ask and demand answers from the Buhari government.

We were told by the federal government that subsequent purchase of about 30 aircrafts shall be made to boost the operation of the national carrier after 2019. With the proposed plan and coming into operation of the ‘Nigeria Air’ what happens to the local and international operators of airline business in Nigeria. Will it be a case of a landlord issuing Quit Notice to her tenants to pack and go just like that, or will the existing airlines and operators be allowed to continue in their airline business in Nigeria with any friction with the Federal government. These are some of the issues that this administration must resolve promptly to avoid conflicts that may arise in the proposed plan.
The government like Ceaser’a wife must be above board.

The existing airline operators in Nigeria were issued licenses, and have made huge human and capital investments requiring huge funds and facilities sourced from banks. Now that this administration is planing to start off a national carrier, Is the proposed Nigeria Air going to share international air routes with the existing operators  or is it going to operate the international air routes exclusively?  Is same operation applicable to the local operations.? If my fears are right that the Federal government would engage in the international air routes exclusively, that will spell doom to the business of airlines previously issued with licenses to operate those routes and will not be fair to those airlines.

For this government to make Nigerians believe its sincerity of purpose, President Buhari should make it a point of duty to direct the Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Aviation to publish the exact costs of procuring these proposed aircrafts, the real owners and source of funding for Nigerians to see in both the print and electronic media. Ownership of the proposed Nigeria Air to my mind and the minds of many Nigerians is in issue  and we challenge the Buhari Government to disclose the true owners of the Nigeria Air and all other facts above mentioned so that Nigerians can for once believe in his administration. It should not be shrouded in secrecy. Nigerians have the right to ask these questions and be given honest answers by the president and his APC led administration because nigerians are fed up with the government and no longer want them because of the falsehood they are being fed daily and the attitude of the government towards the needs of the people.

Nigerians believe that this government is a failure and no longer want it. Any government that cannot protect the lives and property of its citizens is a colloidal failure, no amount of rhetoric can replace the realities on ground and that is what Nigerians face daily. There is insecurity everywhere, the economy is bad, high costs of running businesses, government insincerity in pursuit of corruption and snakes and monkeys swallowing monies in government offices, herdsmen rampaging unchecked and the president ascribing the killings to terrorists trained by late Gaddafi and not being pro-active, lopsided appointments in key government offices favouring only the president’s kinsmen and loyals. All these factors and many more stare on our faces daily and that is why Nigerians are asking questions. The Buhari led administration has a duty to provide honest answers to these questions because nigerians are fed up with the government.

*Casmir Anyanwu a legal practitioner, sent this to us from Lagos. Reactions to his opinion should be directed to him via email: baronriches@gmail.com or contact him: 08188861770