FG Urged to Adopt Self Slot Allocation System

Chinedu Eze

The Managing Director of Kings Airlines Limited, Senator Musa Adede has urged the federal government to look at the politics of slot allocation and ensure that Nigeria is not shortchanged, using that system.

He recommended that in the spirit of reciprocity, Nigeria should also adopt its own slot allocation system so that if after signing Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA) and the country wished to use slot to sideline Nigerian carriers, Nigerian government could also do the same.

Adede also called for a review of Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA) between Nigeria and all the countries whose airlines operate into the country.

“I very proud of the position taken by the Minister of Aviation and the federal government on the issues concerning air connectivity between Nigeria and UAE. I recommend that Nigeria should renegotiate all the Bilateral Air Service Agreements we have with all the countries whose airlines come to Nigeria. We should also review the issue of multiple landing by foreign airlines and adopt the system that will protect and create market for our airlines. We should also appraise the aircraft type they bring into the country while negotiating BASA henceforth. We should make sure Emirates and other foreign airlines offer us the service, which it offers to other countries.

“We want to see Nigerian cuisine in the menus and also we want to read Nigerian newspapers in flight in these foreign airlines when they take off from Nigeria,” Adede said.

He pleaded with the Ministry of Aviation, the Ministry of Health, theNigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and other relevant MDA’s to ensure that at least 70 per cent of Nigerians are fully vaccinated even with the difficulties African governments are facing with getting the rights and waivers to manufacture these vaccines in about six countries in Africa. Adede said Nigeria has the capability of producing the COVID-19 vaccine in Nigeria.

“All we ask our International partners including World Trade Organisation (WTO), WHO and others is for the developed countries to give us the intellectual property rights so that we in Africa can make our vaccines. Simple,” he added.

Adede observed that if African countries are enabled to manufacture these vaccines, it would be easy to get everyone vaccinated within a short period.

I believe that the more we get our continent as well as other developing countries in the world to manufacture and produce these vaccines locally, then almost all countries will be vaccinated and collectively the world will reduce and eradicate these viruses sooner than later; so that we can all live our lives in a healthy manner again. I also want our government to take drastic measures including jail terms of at least five years against those persons or organisations involved in fake vaccination and fake PCR certificates,” Senator Adede also said.