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NCAA Clarifies U.S. Delisting of Nigerian Airlines, Cites Lack of Direct Flights
The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has responded to recent reports regarding the removal of Nigerian airlines from the list of those authorised to operate flights to the United States. This clarification was made in a statement by the NCAA’s Acting Director General, Capt. Chris Najomo, on Monday.
The delisting of Nigerian airlines, including notable carriers like Air Peace and United Nigeria Airlines, which had plans to fly routes to Washington and Houston, Texas, has caused significant concern.
The restriction came as a result of the loss of Nigeria’s Category One status certification, which is essential for airlines to maintain direct operations to the U.S.
However, Capt. Najomo provided clarity on the situation, explaining that the decision to delist Nigerian airlines was not linked to any safety or security deficiencies in the country’s aviation oversight system.
Instead, the delisting occurred because Nigerian airlines had not operated direct flights to the U.S. for two consecutive years leading up to September 2022.
“No Nigerian operator has provided service into the United States using a Nigerian-registered aircraft for two years before September 2022,” Najomo stated.
“As a result, it was expected that Nigeria would be removed from the list, just as other nations in similar situations were. The NCAA had been duly informed of this action back in 2022.”
Najomo further emphasised that Nigeria had undergone thorough safety and security audits by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
These audits found no Significant Safety Concerns (SSC) or Significant Security Concerns (SSeC), confirming that Nigeria’s aviation sector met international standards in these areas.
The acting director’s statement aims to address concerns and reassure the public that the delisting is purely an administrative consequence of airlines’ lack of recent operations to the U.S., rather than any fault or shortcoming in Nigeria’s aviation safety and security protocols.
TV anchor Rufai Oseni makes headlines as he speaks on fuel subsidy in Nigeria. He shared that Nigeria can have fuel subsidy without the long queues at filling stations.
“When we were still paying subsidies, there were no long queues. We were subsidising. So you can still have a subsidy regime going on, and there will be no long queues because production was close by. Dangote had it. That’s just it. That argument also falls flat.
“The biggest beneficiaries of subsidy are not Nigerians. They are crony capitalists that have big infrastructure, and they do contracts. They have been the biggest beneficiaries of the subsidy,” he said.
Lagos State Governor, Sanwo-Olu, speaks to those in the electricity sector about the usual blackouts in the state.
He speaks on ways things can change in the state and how electricity can be provided.
“We need to drop corporate egos, abandon long-standing excuses, and confront the harsh realities obstructing progress in the power sector.”
“We, state governments, used to give excuses that everything is centralised, so the Federal Government has unbundled it now. What have we done in a year and a half?” Sanwo-Olu asked.
“We take two steps forward, we go five steps backward,” he said.
Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has declared Thursday, August 20, a work-free day for public servants in the state to mark the Isese Festival.
Speaking on the celebration, he said “Ìṣẹ̀ṣe is not a relic. It is a living expression of our traditions and a celebration of Yoruba spirituality as an important part of Nigeria’s cultural and religious landscape,” he said.
He added “When the drums sound in Lagos on Thursday, they answer drums in Havana, in Salvador, in Port of Spain. Fifty-five million people and counting. Lagos is not observing a local holiday. Lagos is standing at the centre of a global heritage,” Aregbe said.
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