ABUJA, Nigeria — The first Nigeria Air flight successfully touched down at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja on Friday, May 26, 2023, following its departure from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
This milestone comes just days before the transfer of power from outgoing President Muhammadu Buhari to President-elect Bola Tinubu.
The maiden flight of the national carrier fulfilled the promise of the Buhari administration that Nigeria Air would be airborne before the end of his tenure.
However, this milestone was marred by controversy.
A report in the Guardian indicated that despite court orders, Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, announced that the aircraft would be unveiled in Nigerian colors.
The move was seen as a way to validate all commitments made by the Buhari-led administration in the aviation sector.
The Airline Operators of Nigeria, AON, were quick to criticize this development. They referred to the move as a “last-minute disobedience of a court order,” and an attempt to cloud the issue with a so-called phantom project.
The AON further criticized it as an attempt to “rubbish” the legacy of the Buhari-led administration in its final days.
The organization’s reaction hints at a brewing storm within Nigeria’s aviation sector, casting a shadow over the arrival of the inaugural Nigeria Air flight.
As the incoming administration prepares to take over, how this matter will be addressed remains to be seen.
Observers believe that this controversy could be one of the first significant challenges for the incoming President Tinubu.
