The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has described aviation and tourism as major drivers of Nigeria’s national development.

A statement yesterday by the Special Adviser on Media and Communications Keyamo, Tunde Moshood, said that thee minister stated this on Tuesday in his office in Abuja while receiving Miss World Nigeria, Queen Tamunosoye Karibi-George, and her entourage.

According to Keyamo, aviation and tourism sectors were interdependent and essential for projecting the country’s image on the global stage.

Keyamo, also pledged the ministry’s support for her participation in the forthcoming Miss World Pageant in Vietnam, slated for later in the year.

According to him, beauty queens serve as ambassadors who promote their countries’ culture, tourism potential and international image, making aviation a strategic partner in achieving those objectives.

He said: “For us in aviation, the basic duty of a beauty queen is to promote the image of her country and tourism.

“Without aviation, there is really no tourism, and without tourism, a substantial part of aviation loses its commercial appeal. When you stand on the world stage, you are not just representing yourself; you are promoting Nigeria.”

Keyamo recalled the global impact made by former Miss World Agbani Darego, expressing confidence that Karibi-George possessed the qualities to replicate such success and further enhance Nigeria’s international profile.

As part of the ministry’s support, the minister directed the Director of Air Transport Management to liaise with foreign airlines operating in Nigeria to seek return flight tickets for the beauty queen under their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programmes to enable her participate in the global competition in Vietnam.

He further disclosed plans to engage the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to explore the possibility of displaying the queen’s promotional materials at selected international airports across the country to showcase Nigeria’s representative to international travellers.

Keyamo added that discussions would be initiated with Air Peace on a possible partnership with the beauty queen for future international engagements aimed at promoting Nigeria’s tourism and cultural heritage.

Earlier, Team Lead of the delegation, Iwefa Aganaba, lauded the minister for granting the audience.

He said that the visit was to seek the ministry’s partnership in promoting Nigeria positively through the prestigious international pageant.

Karibi-George, in her remarks, congratulated the minister on his achievements in repositioning Nigeria’s aviation sector and appealed for institutional support towards her participation at the Miss World Pageant.

She also sought support for her humanitarian pet project, noting that this aligned with the values of service, youth empowerment and national development.