Nigeria Air: Why Is My Country Going Backward In 2023 – Allen Onyeama

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Air Peace, Allen Onyeama has described the call for a national carrier as moribund and a drain pipe.

Naija News recalls that some months back, Nigeria had launched a national carrier called Nigeria Air.

However, the government of President Bola Tinubu suspended the project about two months after he took over power.

Joining the growing list of persons who have condemned the push for the national carrier, Onyeama insisted that the country does not need such a project owing to the difficulties of running the business.

Speaking during an appearance on Thursday’s edition of Channels Television’s Politics Today, the Air Peace boss said, “The national carrier thing connotes government ownership. The government has no business doing the business of commercial airline operations. The national carrier thing is a moribund idea that has been jettisoned several decades ago by countries.” 

According to him, several airlines that bear country names are just “flag carriers” and not owned by nations as many may have assumed.

“In the olden days, they used to be [owned by governments] but they are all divested. They are all flag carriers.

“Why is my country going backward? In 2023, talking about national carrier?” Onyeama added.

He believes the few African countries with national carriers are those “that cannot afford business entrepreneurs with the right funding”.