ABUJA: The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has revealed that the Federal Government may move to seize and sell off Dana Air’s assets in order to refund passengers and travel agents whose funds remain stuck following the suspension of the airline’s operations.
Speaking in Abuja on Tuesday during the ministry’s fourth quarter stakeholders’ engagement themed Leveraging Public Feedback to Drive Excellence in Aviation Services, Keyamo said the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) would be directed to probe why Dana Air had failed to issue pending refunds.
He explained that the airline’s suspension was strictly due to safety concerns. For Dana, it was a choice between safety and disaster.
We didn’t prioritize commercial considerations. Safety came first, and the reports we saw were damning, he said.
It was the NCAA’s decision to suspend them, but I insisted that the safety records and lack of standards could put the lives of Nigerians at risk.
Many of us could have been victims of one of those flights. God forbid.
Keyamo confirmed he had instructed Acting NCAA DG, Chris Najomo, to dig into the matter and ensure trapped funds are recovered.
I have asked Najomo to find out how passengers and agents will be refunded. He has to dig deep on that, he added.
The minister also stated that anyone associated with Dana Air would not be allowed back into the aviation sector under any new company or business name—until all outstanding debts are cleared.
He further disclosed that Dana Air’s assets should be used to repay affected Nigerians.
We should look at their assets. There are assets still available. Let them sell them. Let’s cannibalize their revenue and pay people.
The NCAA should go after their assets and get the money. They won’t get away with it,” he said.
