By Chinelo Obogo
The Ministry of Aviation has denied reports stating that President Bola Tinubu instructed the newly sworn-in permanent secretary, Dr. Ibrahim Kana, to revive the botched Nigeria Air.
In a statement released on Wednesday, Kana, who was reacting to a quote attributed to him in which he was reported to have said that the President expressly directed him to ensure that the Nigeria Air project with Ethiopian Air be resuscitated, denied receiving such instructions.
Kana said in his inaugural speech that he only referred to the ‘general vision’ of the administration to still consider a national carrier project if it is favourable to the country. He said, “Since my inaugural statement on Monday at the handover ceremony, I have been inundated with inquiries about my reference to the revival of the national carrier project.
“For the avoidance of doubt, I never said that there is a mandate to revive the botched Nigeria Air deal with Ethiopian Airlines. I received no such instruction. I was only referring to the general vision of the administration to still consider a national carrier project if it is favourable to the country and under the guidance and directives of Mr. President and the Minister of Aviation. I hope this clarifies all the ambiguities surrounding my earlier statement on this issue.
“On a personal note, I pledge absolute loyalty to the Honourable Minister and remain dedicated to working closely with him to drive the Ministry’s agenda forward.”