NEWISSUES
Festus Keyamo, Aviation Minister
Chinedu Eze
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr. Festus Keyamo, has told Boeing, an aircraft manufacturer, and other investors to report any official requesting bribes before they can conduct business in Nigeria.
Keyamo spoke during a meeting with Boeing executives in Seattle, Washington, where he led a delegation of executives from major airlines under the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) and other key stakeholders in the civil aviation ecosystem.
“So, for new investors who are coming to Nigeria, they are welcome. Nobody is going to frustrate you within Nigeria. If anybody tries to frustrate you by asking for gratification or anything, report him to me, and I will take action,” he said.
“We want to open the doors for everybody to come into Nigeria.”
The minister led the delegation to facilitate the acquisition of dry lease aircraft for domestic airlines and sign an aircraft maintenance agreement.
During the meeting, he also assured that the aircraft leased to domestic airlines would be safe in Nigeria.
“I want you all to see me, here, as the minister. I’m giving a personal guarantee, beyond the compliance with the law – personal guarantee, that I will not tolerate the frustration of any agreement with any lessor based in Nigeria, the aircraft coming to Nigeria,” he said.
“I will give a personal guarantee of safety of these aircraft, and repossession of those aircraft, whether through the judicial process, or through the NCAA, which I supervise, through a judicial process, through an administrative process, and you know, the Cape Town Convention says five days, we can be multi-registered, within five days.
“I will make sure we can do it within four days; we can register our aircraft. It’s a personal guarantee. Read my lips, I’m going to do it.”
Also, Keyamo said he understood the issues stakeholders in the industry faced and promised that efforts had been made to ensure air operating licences are issued quickly.
“So, please, I understand the issues, and I want to ensure that these local operators are empowered to do what they have to do. And what we have to do as governments, in terms of regulation, in terms of even the access to licences now, the air operating licences now, it’s faster, it’s quicker, they will attest to that. So, it’s not going to be a long process again to get your licences out to operate,” the minister said.
