Folalumi Alaran in Abuja
The National Civil Society Council of Nigeria (NCSCN) has solicited Federal Government’s intervention in protecting indigenous airlines, particularly Air Peace, from unfair pricing practices and monopolies by foreign carriers.
Speaking during a press conference, the Executive Director, NCSCN, Blessing Akinlosotu, emphasized the critical state of Nigeria’s aviation industry and highlighted the pivotal role that Air Peace’s entry will play in its development.
He pointed out that Air Peace’s entry into international routes, offering lower fares compared to foreign operators, reveals years of exploitation by foreign airlines, considering the over 70 million Nigerians travelling annually.
He lamented the decades-long economic exploitation of Nigeria by foreign airlines, stating that before Air Peace’s operations, foreign carriers charged exorbitant prices, forcing many Nigerians to suspend international travel or seek alternatives in neighbouring countries.
However, the NCSCN raised concerns about the abrupt decrease in prices by foreign operators in response to Air Peace’s competitive pricing, calling for an inquiry into the operational costs of foreign airlines and its potential implications for Nigeria’s economy.
The organisation called on President Bola Tinubu to support indigenous airlines through measures such as tax waivers and executive orders mandating government officials to fly Nigerian brands.
The NCSCN outlined plans to mobilize support for Air Peace through solidarity marches and protest letters to relevant authorities, including the presidency.
Akinlosotu said: “It is an incontrovertible fact, acknowledged across the globe, that Nigerians are one of the most travelled and travelling demography in the world. With a massive population of over 70 million persons travelling in and out of the country annually accounting for over 70% of the entire travelling statistics of Africa, the aviation industry in Nigeria is a highly critical sector to national development.
“Air travel must be elevated to the front burner of national discourse, henceforth, and should no longer be treated as an exclusive concern of the elite or as a luxury reserve for the rich. This is a crucial sub-sector of our national economy that carries a heavy weight of implications with multi-faceted impact on many aspects of our national life, be it economic, political, even socio-cultural and traditional heritage.
“The council, therefore, wants to use this medium to immensely thank President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the unwavering support he has given to Air Peace through the minister of aviation. This is indeed a departure from the past. He has shown experience as an accomplished businessman himself by supporting indigenous investments. We want to further passionately appeal to Mr President to grant Air Peace and other indigenous operators a tax waiver of one year tax holiday or any further support that would go a very long way in keeping this patriotic indigenous operator afloat, against the foreign onslaught.
“Also, an executive order should be given to all government officials embarking on international trips to routes within the operations of indigenous operators such as the Air Peace, to mandatorily fly our Nigerian brands. Furthermore, Air Peace should be permitted to extend airlift from Abuja to London to increase the weekly operations.
“All bureaucratic bottlenecks, and unnecessary hurdles such as delays in issuance of requisite permits and other certifications such as End Users Certification needed for imported parts must be completely eliminated. The foreign exploitations and conspiracy must not be allowed to prevail over Nigeria any longer. There is a serious and urgent need to revisit and ensure strict compliance with the BASA Agreements signed with these countries, triggering the reciprocity clause in the agreement where necessary in protection of our local flag carriers.
“The council has already mapped out plans and actionable strategies to mobilize Nigerians and other well-meaning nationalities in favour of Air Peace in this ongoing pricing warfare, within this month of April, which we shall make available to the press in course of time. However, for now, we are embarking on a solidarity march to submit our protest letters to relevant quarters, including the Presidency, immediately after this world press conference.”
