House of Reps condemns govt’s use of foreign airlines to evacuate stranded Nigerians

The move by the Federal Government of Nigeria to use foreign airlines to evacuate Nigerians stranded across the globe due to the COVID-19 pandemic has been condemned by the House of Representatives Committee on Aviation.

The move was denounced on Wednesday by the Committee which wondered why the Federal Government would decide such when there are three Nigerian airlines that can effectively carry out the evacuation.

Chairman of the committee, Hon. Nnolim Nnaji therefore called on the federal government to revert to capable indigenous operators to carry out the exercise of evacuating stranded Nigerians, wherever they may be.

Nnaji said: “The action of those responsible for this action is not only a disservice to the local airlines which have done their best to provide patriotic service to Nigerians but equally detrimental to our national pride and dignity. The Aviation Minister should revoke the landing rights already granted the three airlines”.

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Speaking further, Nnaji said that he strongly believed that there are capable Nigerian operators with long haul aircraft that can handle the operations that should have been engaged by the Task Force.

According to him, “I am aware that Air Peace has three Boeing 777, Max Air has four Boeing 747 and Azman recently acquired Airbus A340-600 series which can be deployed for these charters. Air Peace, apart from the operations it did to evacuate Nigerians from South Africa during the xenophobic attacks last year has handled two special charters this COVID 19 period to China for medical evacuation and to Israel to evacuate Israeli National out of Nigeria and Max Air has been operating in Hajj without hitches”.

“Why can’t we for once begin to believe in ourselves, why must we look outside for everything? I was thinking that the lessons of this prevailing pandemic would make us change our ways of doing things. Nigerians must demand explanations for this action of the PTF”, the House Committee Chairman on Aviation said.

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