Osita Chidoka, minister of Aviation, has said that the Federal Government will continue to protect local airline operators in Nigeria’s aviation sector.
He gave the assurance when the management of Arik Air paid him a courtesy visit at the headquarters of the Federal Ministry of Aviation in Abuja.
Chidoka, according to a statement from the ministry yesterday, said the concerns raised by Arik were traceable to global conspiracy by the developed world to make sure that the developing countries remain constrained.
He noted that it was not a Nigerian conspiracy against the local airlines and that it affects other sectors.
The minister, however, assured his guests that the government would do all it can to improve local operations.
“The good thing is that those of us who know about this global conspiracy will do everything to protect the local operations in the aviation industry,” he said.
Chidoka advised the local operators to improve their services to meet with global standards.
He said, “You have to make a transition. You cannot run your business as if you are running it for only Nigerians. Go global in your operations because we are used to global services.
“A lot of things have to be done to improve the internal operational systems in the local industry to be able to compete with the global system.”
He added that the government wants to create safe and secured airports and that the partnership with local operators was necessary for this to be achieved.
“I am ideologically attuned to local industries and we are ready to ideologically make a shift to partner with the local operators to grow their businesses. We are going to be partners in progress in the interest of the passengers for we are looking forward to a Nigerian company that will take the bull by the horn and I know that Arik is up to it,” he said.