Airlines in Nigeria on Sunday announced that they may be forced to ground flights later this week if nothing is done by the Federal Government to sanitise the aviation sector that has been enmeshed in corruption, especially the one that involves embattled Minister of Aviation, Stella Oduah.
The airlines also said they have decided to stop payment of any charges, dues or levies to aviation agencies, including the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria since the monies are mismanaged and plundered by those who are in positions of authority in the sector.
They said their decisions would remain until the government changes it lukewarm attitude concerning the corruption crises that have hit the sector.
Princess Stella Oduah is currently enmeshed in a N255 million car purchase as well as other charges of corruption in office. The House of Representatives is currently investigating the allegations while the minister has engaged in desperate measures such as placing advertorials and documentaries in the news media concerning her efforts in the sector as a way of disabusing the minds of the people calling for her sack.
Making the announcement on behalf of the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), Mohammed Tukur, the association’s spokesperson, said the airlines has stopped making any payment or remittance to government coffers since November 1 because of unending corruption in the sector.
According to Tukur, in a statement to Huhuonline.com, the action of the airlines became more important as a result of the shameful corruption challenges facing the Minister and the sector.
“We have resolved to stop the remittances of all charges, both current and outstanding debts to the agencies, pending the time they reform or come clean on the taxes and charges they have collected which runs into several billions of naira,” he said in the statement, adding that the agencies have continued to increase such charges with nothing to show for it, except squandering and purchases of expensive and unimportant cars.
