Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday said he was under immense pressure from many patriotic Nigerians to establish a national airline.

While receiving the President of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), Muyiwa Aliu at the State House, Abuja, President Buhari reiterated the determination of his administration to improve the nation’s aviation infrastructure for the benefit of the country’s economic development.

“I equally support a national airline for both patriotic and economic reasons. We have enough trained citizens, including pilots and engineers. But Nigerians need to know how we lost the one we had before,” Buhari said.

According to a statement released by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Shehu Garba, the President, who used the occasion to receive three awards won by Nigeria from ICAO said the nation’s high ranking in safety and security at the airports were achieved after measures were put in place to address the worrisome situation.

The statement further stated that the Minister of State for Aviation, Hadi Sirika who led the ICAO delegation informed President Buhari that Nigeria had been selected to host the International World Aviation Forum in Abuja, which marks the first time ever that the meeting would be holding anywhere outside Montreal, Canada.

He disclosed that over 40 aviation Ministers from around the world, aviation representatives from 70 countries, the World Bank, African Development Bank as well as manufacturers of aviation equipment are expected to attend this year’s forum which has the theme ‘Financing Development of Aviation Infrastructure.’