28th February, 2017
Rev Tor Uja, Executive Secretary, Nigerian Christian Pilgrim Commission (NCPC) says adequate funding of the Nigerian airlines is necessary to strengthen the Bilateral Air Service Agreement ((BASA) between Nigeria and Israel.
Uja said on Tuesday in Abuja that the Federal Government should get involved in funding of Nigerian airlines so that the industry would be globally competitive.
President Muhammadu Buhari had directed the immediate activation of BASA with the State of Israel in March 2016.
The agreement, which was signed in 2013, was to make all trips stress free, reduce the long hours pilgrims spend waiting for flight to the Holy land and ensure effective operations.
“I call on the Federal Government to fund our airline industry so that we can strengthen it to be able to operate and be more globally competitive.
“Right now, no Nigerian airline has the capacity for global competition and it is not good for our nation. All the airlines making a lot of businesses in Nigeria are foreign airlines.
He noted with concern that many indigenous airlines are currently facing financial crisis including Arik Airline, stressing the need for a special bail out package.
“We are already party to what happened to Arik Airline and several others that have come and gone like that. The government needs to get involved,’’ he said.
According to him, when some commercial banks were faced with similar problems in the past the government moved in money to save the banking industry.
Uja said the benefits derivable from running an indigenous airline that will convey Nigerian pilgrims straight to the State of Israel and back were in the area of security.
He explained that BASA will begin in earnest after the two countries are able to tackle security issues involved.
“BASA requires that a Nigerian airline must be responsible to pick pilgrims straight from here without break to Israel or the Israeli airline will pick pilgrims from Israel without a break to Nigeria.
“Our security has become a great issue and you know security is a great issue of concern to Israel,” he said.