Get Guardian on GoogleSenate President Godswill Akpabio has raised concerns over the capacity of Nigeria’s aviation sector, revealing that politicians preparing for the 2027 general elections are struggling to secure private jets for campaign activities.
Akpabio made the disclosure during Tuesday’s Senate plenary while lawmakers deliberated on a motion seeking a review of Nigeria’s Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) with China.
He attributed the difficulty in securing chartered aircraft to the inability of domestic airline operators to meet the growing demand for air transportation.
The Senate President warned that the situation could become more challenging during the December festive period, when passenger traffic traditionally increases.
“Watch December and the confusion. Even the private airlines cannot handle it. Common campaigns, we cannot see even private jets to hire. We should at least be able to urge the federal government to look into that to alleviate the plight of airlines,” he said.
The motion, sponsored by Senator Tahir Monguno (APC, Borno North), called on the Federal Government to renegotiate the air services agreement with China to enable Nigerian airlines to operate direct flights to the Asian country.
Akpabio also recalled the defunct Nigerian Airways, noting that the former national carrier once operated between 32 and 40 aircraft and transported Nigerian pilgrims to Saudi Arabia.
Expressing concern over the decline of the country’s aviation industry, he questioned how Nigeria moved from having a functional national carrier to its present situation.
“We used to have a plane in those days carrying people to Saudi Arabia and all that. At the time, Nigerian Airways had about 32 planes on ground, about 40, going from one place to the other. So, how did we get here?” he asked.
He maintained that Nigeria needed a functional national carrier capable of representing the country internationally.
The development has drawn attention to the challenges facing domestic aviation as political activities gradually gather momentum ahead of the 2027 general elections.
