The federal government has yet again made budgetary allocation for its proposed national carrier, Nigeria Air.
The Ministry of Aviation’s 2021 fiscal expenditure proposes to spend N1 billion on what it captured under the line item: “Working capital for the establishment of national carrier.”
The Minister for State Aviation, Hadi Sirika had in 2018 unveiled the name and logo of the proposed national carrier, barely two months after, the federal government suspended the plan. However, the federal government has continued to make budgetary provisions for the project. In 2019, the sum of N8.5 billion was controversially apportioned in the 2019 Appropriation Bill.
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Similarly, the administration proposed N4.6 billion as “working capital” for Nigeria Air in the 2020 budget estimates, although it was unclear how much of it was released.
If approved by the National Assembly, the latest allocation — listed under “ongoing projects” of the aviation ministry — will take the total budget allotments for the suspended airline to N14.1 billion. It was unclear how much was released for previous budget proposals, but the government’s fiscal performance has been consistently below average in recent years.
The administration said Nigeria Airways could operate long-haul flights to at least 81 potential destinations if revamped, but has yet to provide a clear roadmap to achieve its return to the air.
