New national carrier must fail for Nigeria’s sake – Oby Ezekwesili

A former minister of education in Nigeria, Oby Ezekwesili, has predicted doom for the country’s new national carrier, the Nigeria Air.

“It shall fail,” Mrs Ezekwesili ‏said on Twitter, March 28, three months before the new airline was unveiled on Wednesday at the Farnborough air show in England.

“For the sake of the country, it must fail,” she tweeted through her handle @obyezeks.

Mrs Ezekwesili said establishing the new national carrier was “clearly a wrong priority” and “a waste”.

Her remarks attracted criticisms from other Twitter users who said she wasn’t wishing Nigeria well.

“Ma, if you had maintained that it’s ‘clearly a wrong priority and a waste’. That’s understandable,” one Twitter user (@Hafsathaadi) said to Mrs Ezekwesili. “But adding that it shall and must fail is totally offensive. I think you should apologize to all those who want to see Nigeria work. Be humble enough to do that!”

But Mrs Ezekwesili, seemingly unmoved by the criticisms, reiterated her stance against the new national carrier.

“Before we once again sink scarce public resources into a wrong-headed prestige project like an airline, I am glad to stand alone on this,” she tweeted on Thursday.

Mrs Ezekwesili had said in a previous tweet that Nigeria lost the benefit of its market-size comparative advantage to be West Africa’s travel hub because of policy, regulatory, and standard failures of its aviation sector.

Oby Ezekwesili

✔@obyezeks

I actually don’t encourage ‘situational respect’ so this is just fine .@CiceroAFC that you can now keep yours. I maintain that ANY ATTEMPT AT WASTING LIMITED Public Resources in a BADLY CONCEIVED&WRONG-HEADED ‘National Airline’ MUST FAIL. The growing # of Poor CAN’T AFFORD THIS.

Cicero@CiceroAFC

.@obyezeks I always had great respect and admiration for you but I never expected person of your ilk to come out with such remark. You should never wish a ''National Project to fail'' I expected you to articulate your tweet/remarks in a different way https://twitter.com/obyezeks/status/978957399963860992 …

20:15 - 19 Jul 2018

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“Failure of public sector begets failure of private sector!” she had said on the social media site.

Oby Ezekwesili

✔@obyezeks

A ‘National Airline’ which disclosed details raise more questions than they answer.
They chorus:”Yen, yen, yen. FG is only 5% & private sector is 95%.” Which Private Sector, please?

What is the Push Factor for FG HASTE in RUSHING a ‘Deal’ it has NOT FOUND the rest 95% “owners”?

19:52 - 19 Jul 2018

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Oby Ezekwesili

✔@obyezeks

Their PLAN for it MUST FAIL to SAVE THE POOR of this country, the COLOSSAL WASTE of LIMITED PUBLIC RESOURCES that should be INVESTED in SECTORS that would help LIFT THE POOR OUT OF POVERTY. FG has NO BUSINESS GOING INTO THE BUSINESS OF AIRLINES. The Evidence is STRONG.

Olasoji Opeyemi@Extra_ola

@obyezeks Excuse me ma, your statement concerning the #NigeriaAir is very sad. If that airline fails, then its every Nigerian shame and not this present government.Buhari will leave when God says so but that airline can carry your future generations.Your wish for Nigeria is OP.

15:30 - 19 Jul 2018

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Oby Ezekwesili

✔@obyezeks

Taaa! Retract a tweet that is not even as STRONG as I would like to sound on this WASTEFUL MISADVENTURE at a time that POVERTY IS GROWING in the country? Pls .@olaoluakorede stop that. NO MORE WASTE OF PUBLIC RESOURCES in WRONG HEADED VENTURES. Early Failure of their Plan is KEY!

Mbizzle@olaoluakorede

Replying to @obyezeks

This tweet is far better than your initial statements and I think you should retract that awful tweet.

15:44 - 19 Jul 2018

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Oby Ezekwesili

✔@obyezeks

Of all countries that my Aviation Team at the World Bank offered expert advisory support to REFORM their Aviation Sector, guess which was least interested?
Yeah, you got that right.
All that Sector has ALWAYS CARED ABOUT are 3 things:
1Transactions
2Transactions
3Transactions.

16:04 - 19 Jul 2018

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Oby Ezekwesili

✔@obyezeks

It MUST o at the earliest before THEY ACHIEVE THEIR PLANNED WASTEFUL INVESTMENT of our LIMITED PUBLIC RESOURCES into it .@Col_Casi . I have taken my STAND and MADE A DECLARATION!. Take yours my dear. We are in a Democracy.

Esömönu AFC@Col_Casi

Replying to @obyezeks @olaoluakorede

You can stand against it. Its ok. But saying it must fail is distasteful.

16:35 - 19 Jul 2018

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The proposed airline is expected to gulp $8.8 million preliminary cost and $300 million as take-off cost, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

The Minister of State for Aviation, Hadi Sirika, said the Nigerian government is not fully funding the airline.

Mr Sirika said the government opted for a Public-Private partnership to deliver a national carrier that would stand the test of time and be world class in operation and management.

He said Nigeria will receive the first set of five airplanes for the airliner on December 19 and own 30 aircraft in five years.

The airline will make profit in three years after operations, the minister said.

Nigeria’s former national carrier, Nigeria Airways, was closed down after 46 years of operation.

It was liquidated by former President Olusegun Obasanjo in September 2004 after it slipped into heavy indebtedness and inefficiency.

Source: New Telegraph