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From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
Nigerian government has appealed to Israeli government to activate Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA), insisting that the content of the document would be beneficial to the economies of both countries.
BASA is an agreement that would give airplanes from Nigeria unlimited access to Israeli airspace, allowing them the freedom to fly directly to Israel for pilgrimage and other purposes.
Current agreement with Israeli did not permit airplanes from Nigeria to fly directly to Israel, but compelled to make stop over in Turkey for further security checks.
Former President Goodluck Jonathan, in 2014, visited Israel and reaffirmed the willingness and commitment of Nigeria to the BASA agreement with Israel.
But Daily Sun learnt that Israel was skeptical in endorsing the agreement due to lack of trust, reputation and security related issues.
Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Christian Pilgrim Commission (NCPC), Rev. Tor Uja, who re-presented the request to the Nigerian Ambassador to Israel, Enoch Duchi, in Tel Aviv, solicited his support for the realization of the agreement.
He admitted that there were some challenges and conditions needed to get BASA activated thus appealing to the ambassador for his support in that regard.
The agreement, he added, would guarantee a place for local content in the airlift of pilgrims hence his desire to encourage the participation of indigenous airlines in the commission’s airlift operations.
