As such, he said the UAE government would soon lift the travel barrier debarring Nigerians from visiting the UAE especially Dubai.

Keyamo made the disclosure on Monday at a welcome dinner for delegates attending the International Air Transport Association 80th Annual General Meeting and World Air Transport Summit taking place in Dubai, UAE.

The UAE imposed the visa ban on Nigeria in connection with a number of diplomatic disputes.

President Bola Tinubu had in August 2023 waded into the dispute between the UAE and Nigeria over the issuance of visas as well as the face-off with Emirates Airlines that had made the carrier stop flights into Nigeria.

At the AGM where over 2000 delegates were seated, Keyamo  was accompanied into the hall with the ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed Al Maktoum amid applause.

Speaking with journalists on the sideline of the event, the minister said issues relating to visa denial by the UAE had been resolved, adding that what remained was to fine-tune processes for lifting the visa ban.

He said, “The issue of visa has been resolved just the announcement remaining. They want to dot the I’s and cross the T’s. The announcement will be in a couple of weeks.”

Keyamo further stated that his visit to Dubai was necessitated by the need to ensure cordial relationships with countries of the world.

He said, “The UAE is considered as a very important partner in Nigeria. Nigerians have a lot of stakes here in the UAE with a lot of investments. What we are doing is to make sure that we make it easy for millions of Nigerians who have put a lot of pressure on us to ensure that we open up this route again and secondly to make the visa application easier. I am sure you can see the way I was received here. That is to tell you how they value Nigeria.”

“I was on the same ride with the ruler of Dubai, the Minister and the head of Emirates Group and all the top shots of Emirates. There was no other person given that privilege here; that is to tell you how much they value us and they want Nigeria to see it in that light. They have opened up again to us. They have started to trust us again and I want to say thank you to them. I will take it from here on.”

Detailing the project’s flaws, Keyamo criticized the so-called ‘national carrier’ for its secrecy and fraudulent activities, which betrayed its promise as an indigenous initiative intended to inspire hope among Nigerians.

Speaking to journalists during the Ministerial Sectorial update in Abuja on Monday, Keyamo declared that Nigeria Air remains suspended, labeling the project as anti-Nigerian.

“It was never Air Nigeria, it was Ethiopian trying to fly our flag. It was not Air Nigeria. That is the truth. It was not Nigeria. It only printed Air Nigeria. It was an Ethiopian airline trying to fly our flag. If it is so, why not allow our local people to fly our flag? Why bring a foreigner to fly our flag?

“So nobody should deceive you that it is Air Nigeria. Air Nigeria must be indigenous, must be wholly Nigerian or must be for the full benefit of Nigerians, not that 60 per cent of the profit is given to another country. How does that benefit us? It remains suspended. It remains so,” he said.

Speaking on some of the steps so far taken to improve economic development in the aviation sector, Keyamo highlighted the commencement of cargo flights to Saudi Arabia, noting that it would enable Nigeria to tap into the $6 trillion global cargo market.

“We have agreed that we’re going to resume cargo flights between Nigeria and Saudi Arabia. This has been suspended for a long time but now cargo flights are back.

“Guess what? Air cargo trade accounts for 35 per cent of the world trade deficit and air cargo trade according to the International Air Transport Association, IATA, attracts about $6 trillion annually and we’re missing you know, within that sector we were missing in many routes around the world and we have achieved that,” he said.

The minister said a thorough assessment of recent incidents will be carried out during the meeting.

Recently, the Lagos-Abuja flight of United Nigeria Airlines was diverted to Asaba, Delta State capital, due to poor weather conditions.

The flight, NUA 0504, took off on Sunday (yesterday) from the Muritala Muhammed International Airport, Terminal 2, and was headed for Abuja.

However, the pilot grounded the aircraft at the Asaba International Airport, and that caused some confusion among the passengers.

“Due to safety concerns in the aviation sector expressed by members of the public, I have summoned the heads of the regulatory agencies to my office later today to review the incidents that are the causes of these concerns and to ensure that appropriate steps are taken to forestall future occurrence and to apply sanctions, where necessary, regarding the past incidents,” Keyamo tweeted.

The summoning by the minister is coming less than 24 hours after Sunday PUNCH story of November 26 with the title, “Risky voyage: Passengers fret over increasing runway slips, crash-landings”.

The report mirrored the harrowing experiences of air passengers who have recently escaped episodes of runway excursions, crash landings, and other slips.

It also revealed the concerns of several aviation stakeholders and the challenges faced by the sector regarding infrastructure, management and navigational safety, amongst others.

In 14 days, the country witnessed three runway excursions in two international airports.

So far, there have been no fewer than 10 reported incidents this year.

AON also asked the government to provide a dedicated support line for domestic airlines to access foreign exchange from the Central Bank of Nigeria in order to enable the carriers to meet their obligations to air travellers.

They made the call during a courtesy visit on the Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo, at his office in Abuja.

The President, AON, Abdulmunaf Yunusa, said the purpose of the visit was to brief the minister about the challenges in the sector and proffer solutions, as well as congratulate him on his recent appointment as minister.

The association made a presentation to the minister, where the Chief Executive Officer, Top Brass Aviation, Capt. Roland Iyayi, said there was an urgent need to ensure the adequate supply of aviation fuel in the sector.

He said, “There is an urgent need to facilitate the liberalisation, procurement and distribution of JetA1 nationwide and allow AON to procure requisite licence for product importation and distribution and also immediate review of all industry taxes, fees and charges to determine applicability in line with cost recovery model.”

He said airline operators were the end users and should be granted permission to penetrate the market to source aviation fuel and distribute, stressing that AON had been denied that right for a long time.

Iyayi, who did the presentation for the group, also told Keyamo that the issue of forex had become a major challenge for the operators.

“We call on the Federal Government to establish and provide a dedicated support line for domestic airline operators to have unfettered access of foreign exchange through the Central Bank of Nigeria at the official I & E window in support of local and international transactions,” he stated.

Responding, Keyamo said the challenge of forex had been lingering, but promised his guests that “the ministry will liaise with the CBN to see how operators can get forex at a single-digit interest rate of 1.5 to two per cent as requested.”

He then charged the operators to always ensure the safety of their airlines, stressing that this was key to the success of the aviation industry.

Keyamo disclosed this at the closing ceremony of the 7th African Aviation Summit in Abuja on Thursday, September 14.

While speaking on the visa issues that saw President Tinubu visiting the UAE this week, Keyamo said; “We are working the details out. When two countries agree at the very top level then of course all the government operatives will begin to work out the tiny details. So, we are beginning to work out all the tiny details. I met with Emirate before I left UAE, I met with Etihad before I left UAE and we are working out the details. The time frame, we cannot say the time frame. Kicking off an airline operation again on a route, it is not that you will go and grab one empty plane sitting in a place. There is no idle plane sitting anywhere, they have to reschedule their flights, restart their routes again, and all kinds of things. All kinds of permission will be taken from local authorities and of course, I made the point in speaking with them and I made it clear that they will have to give our airlines reciprocal rights under our BASA. That is the point I insisted on, and they did say that any spot we need, they will give us as much as we give them those spots within Nigeria.”

Speaking on foreign airlines blocked funds, he said; “Mr. President is very concerned about that it is one of the issues we went to discuss in the UAE. I spoke with the minister of finance and the coordinating minister of the economy and he has indicated that within the next few weeks, the Central Bank of Nigeria will be very clear as to the programme within which these issues will be addressed.

They will be paid off, these are not loans, they are trapped funds, they are funds that are there, it is only the issue of liquidity that is our problem. The issues of liquidity are being addressed as I speak right now. It is something that the president is very concerned about, and that issue, I said that we have addressed it in the UAE and very soon, you will hear from the financial sector”.

The Minister disclosed this in Abuja, during the Seventh Aviation Africa Summit and Exhibition 2023 on Wednesday.

Keyamo emphasized the administration’s dedication to addressing challenges within the aviation sector to attract foreign investors.

Key initiatives include fostering aircraft leasing companies, enhancing aircraft maintenance organizations, ensuring forex availability, and providing tax incentives to bolster the aviation industry.

Additionally, the government plans to upgrade the CAT III landing system at major airports, construct a second runway in Abuja, and implement airport improvement programs through concessions.

Furthermore, the government is keen on collaborating with companies to transform major airports into aerotropolises.

Keyamo affirmed the government’s commitment to enforcing contract agreements and investor rights, citing Nigeria’s adherence to the Cape Town Convention.

He also highlighted the significance of establishing a world-class Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) facility, noting that the government is prepared to support this endeavor. The government is actively addressing foreign exchange challenges to ensure a conducive environment for entrepreneurs in the aviation sector.

He said this was to give room for total maintenance work at the airport.

The minister said this during a tour of the international airports in Lagos, where he was accompanied by the Managing Director, Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria, Mr. Kabir Yusuf Mohammed.

According to him, a section of the media is “mischievously twisting the narrative to read that Tinubu’s government has removed subsidy,” despite President Tinubu proclaiming that subsidy was gone while giving his inaugural speech on May 29.

Keyamo, who is also a former Minister of State for Labour, rather said that Tinubu’s administration only inherited a regime where there was no provision for subsidy in the 2023 Appropriation Act beginning June 2023 and the Petroleum Industry Act, which is now extant, has no provision for subsidy.

In a series of tweets on his official handle, @fkeyamo, he said, “A section of the Press is mischievously twisting the narrative to read that Tinubu’s government has removed subsidy. That is not correct. Tinubu’s govt has merely inherited a regime where there was no provision for subsidy in the 2023 Appropriation Act as of June 2023 and the Petroleum Industry Act which is now extant has no provision for subsidy.

“President Tinubu merely acknowledged this state of affairs in his inaugural speech at the Eagle Square.

“So, any advocate of subsidy should convince the Nigerian people why President Tinubu should start on a note of illegality by promising to reintroduce something which the law has taken away. They should also convince the Nigerian people why President Tinubu should embark on a present illegality that gulped $10 billion of our scarce or unavailable resources in 2022 alone.”

He added that those claiming to defend the rights or welfare of workers should convince the Nigerian people that the $10 billion injected into the economy annually will not jumpstart the economy enough to create massive jobs and even increase the same minimum wage they complain about.

Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, made the appeal on Thursday at a meeting with the leadership of NLC in his office.

Also in attendance at the meeting were the Minister of State, Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo; and the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Ms. Kachollom Daju.

Ngige, in his speech, updated the labour leaders of efforts so far made by the Federal Government to resolve the impasse in the university system.

The NLC had on July 17 announced that it would stage a nationwide protest on July 26 and 27 to pressure the Federal Government to resolve the five-month-long strike by ASUU and other university-based unions.

The PUNCH reports that ASUU embarked on the industrial action on February 14, over what the union described as the failure of the government to address some of its demands.

In a press statement signed by the Head of Press and Public Relations, Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, Olajide Oshundun, the minister reminded the NLC leadership that he incorporated them into the tripartite conciliation going on in his ministry, and being aware of efforts of the government to resolve the impasse, they cannot embark on any rally or protest.

He further told the labour leaders that the Federal Executive Council mandated him to notify them of the serious security implications of the planned protest.

According to him, a security report also sent to his office by the Department of State Services, strongly warned against holding the protest.

He urged the NLC to reconsider the planned rally as hoodlums might take advantage of it to cause breach of security.

Ngige expressed the concern of the Government that politicians might cash in on the rally to wreak havoc in the country.

He said, “The masses might wrongly interpret the rally as a ploy by the NLC to enhance the chances of the Labour Party presidential candidate, a situation which could spur the supporters of the other political parties into violence.

“Section 40 of the constitution is clear on Freedom of Association. One of the provisions is that people of like minds can organise themselves and form a political party. There is also a provision that people in work or employment can organise themselves into unions. They are two parallels. Parallels don’t meet.

“I heard when you said you are mobilising for Labour Party. But, a trade union is not a political party. Look at the Trade Union Act. It does not allow trade unions to use their contributions to support any political party.”

Keyamo, who is also the chairman and supervising minister NDE, added that the Nigeria’s economic situation is not the worse when compared to the elites nations in the world that suffered the COVID -19 pandemic.

The Minister stated this at the retreat and inaugural meeting of the NDE Board held in Benin City where he said he would in line with the law setting up NDE constitute advisory councils for the state offices and also set up committees to monitor the progress of the Directorate in between board meetings to push for the realization of President Muhammadu Buhari’s target on poverty eradication.

He said “So many nations are collapsing all over the world leading to social unrest here and there.

“So, Nigeria is still managing its affairs very well. If you look at the global reports of elite countries who were richer than Nigeria who are now in danger of a collapsing economy, Nigeria is not there.

“I need to say this at this point and as we go into campaigns, people should not deceive Nigerians as if Nigerians are gullible, that Nigeria is an isolated nation in the world that is facing a certain economic crisis.

Keyamo said the rate of unemployment has increased from 26 percent to 33 percent and that the only solution to cushion the effects of unemployment is to skill up the Nigerian populace and “There is no way we can create spaces within public institutions to employ Nigerians and clean up the unemployment market”, he said.

Earlier, the DG, NDE, Mallam Abubakar Nuhu Fikpo, appealed for increase in budgetary allocation to the body in order to meet up with its demands as he said the budgetary allocation to it has not been increased since 2004 “despite geometric increase in the rate of unemployed persons with its attendant socio economic implications”

He also suggested the possibility of external funding for the Directorate to meets its target.