March 09, (THEWILL) – The Federal Ministry of Aviation (FMA) has refuted media reports indicating the preference for a particular organisation as preferred bidder for the proposed national carrier.
In an official statement issued Wednesday, signed by the Director, Public Affairs, Ministry of Aviation, James Odaudu, the Ministry stated that no preferred bidder has been selected for the national carrier, Nigeria Air.
The statement, stated “it has come to our notice that some persons with vested interests have been promoting some organisations that have bid for the forthcoming national carrier, Nigeria Air.
“For some time now, the name Qatar Airways has been coming up as the core investor of the airline in the media reports, but we wish to state that no preferred bidder has been selected for the national carrier.”
According to the statement, similar reports coming just two days after the issuance of a Request For Proposal which was published in local and international news media, is not only false, but capable of discrediting the process for the establishment of the airline, and discouraging interested parties.
“We wish to state that throughout the process leading to the publication of the Request for Proposal, the guiding principle has been transparency and accountability, which we promised, will remain till the final delivery of the project, and by which we stand.
“We wish to state categorically that no corporate entity or individual has been appointed or selected, or even preferred for the project as the process for selection has just started with the Request for Proposal”, it explained.
It stated further that, “all interested partners and the public are therefore advised to discountenance the report and proceed with their proposals as we assure them of our unalloyed commitment to transparency and accountability till the end of the process.
“Our driving force is the commitment of the Buhari administration to bequeath to the country a national carrier that Nigerians would be proud of, and our determination and commitment to it remains stoic.
“Finally, we wish to appeal to media practitioners to always confirm information from the right quarters before going to press, so as to avoid misleading the public as in this particular case”, the Ministry advised.
Anthony Awunor, is a business correspondent who holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Linguistics (UNILAG). He is also an alumnus of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria Kaduna State. He lives in Lagos.
