Minister writes off Arik as national carrier, advises airline on how to key into govt’s vision

Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, has declared that Arik Air is not qualified as a national carrier.

The minister stated this on Wednesday in Abuja while briefing State House correspondents after a meeting of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.

According to Sirika, the current constituted structure of Arik, is not in line with the thinking of the ministry.

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“Arik, as presently constituted, is not in line with the thinking of the ministry. It will not be able to give us that airline that we need.

“However, Arik as an entity, since it is private-sector driven, can either buy shares in the new ventures or invest in any manner in the business as presently approved.

“The carrier that I intend to bring is such a carrier that will support national economy, with $450m GDP for 200m people, very equipped to compete favourably.

“We are not saying once we have a national carrier, every other airline goes down. No. It is our duty to continue to support businesses,” Sirika added.

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