Reps minority caucus tasks Buhari to intervene in planned shutdown of airline operations

The minority caucus in the lower legislative Chambers on Saturday called on President Muhammadu Buhari to intervene in the planned shutdown of airline operations in Nigeria as it would have dire implications on the nation.

The call was at the backdrop of the notice by Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) to shut down flight operations in the country from Monday, May 9, 2022 due to the unbearable high cost of aviation fuel (JetA1) from N190 to N700 per litre.

The minority lawmakers noted that the ugly trend in the aviation sector was occasioned by the unpardonable failure, corruption, incompetence, negative policies and lack of capacity of the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led administration to effectively manage the national economy even as the nation is a producer of oil.

The lawmakers averred that they could no longer keep quiet as representatives of their constituents, stressing that shutting down air operations would have devastating effect on other interconnected critical sectors.

In a statement on Saturday by the minority caucus leader, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu in Abuja, said “apart from the direct disabling of thousands of aviation related jobs and ancillary businesses, a shutdown of the sector will also have grave negative impact on critical government and public sector activities which are sustained by air travelling.

“It is instructive to note that the aviation sector is no longer an exclusive reserve of the elite, but plays central role in the movement of personnel and equipment that drive and sustain services and operations which benefit the masses in healthcare, manufacturing, education, food production, telecommunication, retailing, banking and finance, hospitality, entertainment, power, security and other key sectors.”

The shutdown, they insisted would cripple millions of businesses and mounting pressure on the economy further.