Senate President Godswill Akpabio has expressed concern over the difficulty politicians are facing in securing private jets for campaign activities ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Akpabio attributed the challenge to the inability of private airline operators in Nigeria to meet the growing demand for air travel, urging the Federal Government to address the difficulties confronting domestic airlines.
He made the remarks during Tuesday’s plenary session while lawmakers debated a motion calling for the enforcement of the Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) between Nigeria and China.
Citing the December festive season as an example of the pressure on the aviation sector, the Senate President said domestic airlines were struggling to cope with demand, leaving politicians with limited options for chartering aircraft.
“Watch December and the confusion. Even the private airlines cannot handle it. Common campaigns, we cannot see even private jets to hire. We should at least be able to urge the federal government to look into that to alleviate the plight of airlines,” he said.
Akpabio also recalled the days when Nigeria operated a national carrier, Nigerian Airways, which transported pilgrims to Saudi Arabia and provided flights to various destinations.
According to him, the defunct airline once had between 32 and 40 aircraft in its fleet.
“We used to have a plane in those days carrying people to Saudi Arabia and all that. At the time, Nigerian Airways had about 32 planes on ground, about 40, going from one place to the other. So, how did we get here?” he asked.
The Senate President maintained that Nigeria needs a national carrier capable of representing the country internationally by flying its flag.
His comments came amid discussions in the Senate on Nigeria’s aviation sector and the need to strengthen domestic airline operations and international air service arrangements.
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