‘He has a listening ear’ — airline operators commend Keyamo’s reforms in aviation sector

The Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) has commended the policies of Festus Keyamo, the minister of aviation and aerospace development, saying he has a listening ear.

Obiora Okonkwo, spokesperson for the AON and chairman of United Nigeria Airline, spoke during the signing ceremony of the memorandum of understanding (MOU) between Nigeria and Boeing Company in Seattle, the United States.

“When the minister came on board, one thing we continued to see that is an influence is that he has a listening ear,” Okonkwo said.

The AON spokesperson said aviation stakeholders had always emphasised the need for policy “on the few occasions that we have met with him”.

Okonkwo said in those meetings, the AON consistently asked the minister to “remove the blocks, remove the clogs along our way and the rest will flow just easily.”

“We thought we were going to say what we have to say to one of those government officials but we didn’t know how much the minister took in and when he started running, his pace was fantastic,” he said.

“Honorable minister, we are happy that we are here.”

Okonkwo also extended his appreciation to Boeing for its ongoing support and partnership with Nigeria’s aviation sector.

He said at the end of Keyamo’s reforms, he would become “the father of the modern aviation sector in Nigeria.”

“By the end of this whole game, what the minister is doing with Boeing is over, what he is doing with the laws of Nigeria is completed, he eventually, at whatever time he will bow out as a minister, would have become the father of the modern aviation sector in Nigeria,” the AON spokesperson said.

Keyamo, on August 29, announced the signing of an MOU with Boeing to facilitate the acquisition of modern aircraft.

The minister led a delegation which included executives from major airlines under the AON and other key stakeholders in the civil aviation ecosystem.