Evangelist Ajibola Ogunkeyede team leader of the travels and tours outfit Ufitfly Ltd has urged the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government to jettison the idea of resuscitating Air Nigeria and instead collaborate with the private sector.
Mr Ogunkeyede who made the call while featuring on Space FM Ibadan’s programme, Parrot Xtra Hour on Radio anchored by Olayinka Agboola on Tuesday, stated that the hope of getting Air Nigeria back has continued to dim after two years of its re-launch in London.
“Two years ago, the Federal Government unveiled Nigeria’s new national carrier in London. The Air Nigeria project has, however, remained a dream with little or no hope of it becoming a reality,” he said.
“It will be of great benefit to us in the Tourism and Travel business sector if our national carrier is in full operation but the multibillion naira investment has in the last one year been stalled.
“My belief is until the Federal Government is sincere enough to privatise or hand over the project to private investors who will prioritise the profitability aspect of the aviation business before anything meaningful can be achieved. The business cannot be left in the care of civil servants.”
Ogunkeyede also took time to explain why introduced entertainment into his brand of business.
He said: “I will still repeat that it was God that gave me the inspiration. I was sleeping and something told me to reach out to Mama Bola Are to join our then proposed tour of Israel. Mama Are did not hesitate. Since that time, we have been asking popular entertainment personalities to join our numerous packaged tours of foreign lands to afford those who wished to meet them to see and also travel with them.
“So far, we have taken the likes of Sir Shina Peters, Evangelist Tope Alabi, Woli Agba, Lafup and several others. We have reached an agreement with Alhaji Obesere and others. Our people should just watch out.”
