No Preferred Bidder Yet for Nigeria Air, FG Clarifies

•Insists no corporate entity, individual has been appointed or selected

Kasim Sumaina in Abuja

The federal government yesterday said it was yet to appoint any bidder for the proposed Nigeria Air even as it stated that it had at no time selected nor appointed either entity nor individual as preferred bidder for the project.

The government through the Ministry of Aviation, made this known in a statement made available to journalists in Abuja.

The statement by the Director, Public Affairs, Ministry of Aviation, James Odaudu, read: “Our attention has been drawn to reports in some media to the effect that Qatar Airways has been chosen as the preferred bidder for Nigeria’s national carrier, Nigeria Air.

“The report, 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.

It further read: “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.

“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.”

The statement added: “Our driving force is the commitment of the Buhari’s 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.”