House Committee on Aviation say reappointment of Sirika is good for continuity

Nnolim Nnaji has commended the reappointment of Hadi Sirika as Minister of Aviation by President Muhammadu Buhari saying it was good for continuity.

Nnaji who is the Chairman House Committee on Aviation noted that he would expect the Minister to hit the ground running because he was already familiar with the terrains.

“There are so much to be done within a short time to prepare the industry for the challenges posed by the emerging African Continental Free Trade Area (AFCFTA), so we don’t need a new person that will require a lot of time to learn the ropes,” he said.

The lawmaker representing Nkanu East and West Federal Constituency, Enugu State also stated that he is happy the minister is coming at the time the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, (FAAN) is commencing the reconstruction of the Enugu Airport Runway.

He urged the minister whom he said understands the problems associated to Enugu Airport, to use his knowledge as a seasoned aviator to ensure that the right things are done immediately because of the importance of the Airport to the South East.

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“I am sure he will be interested in finding out how the Enugu Airport runway failed within Six years of commissioning and believe he will assist our committee in unravelling the circumstances that led to the collapse of the runway during our investigation.

While congratulating him on his reappointment, Nnaji equally assured him of the cooperation of his committee towards providing a Safe, viable and reliable air transport industry for the country.

He stressed that he welcomed his new portfolio as a substantive Minister of Aviation which according to him will enable the Minister to be focused solely on the Aviation industry.

The aviation committee chairman further made case for adequate funding of the industry because of its strategic role in stimulating the economy of Nigeria.

Nnaji who expressed concern over the glaring dominance of foreign airlines on the nation’s major international routes said that the legislative arm of government would work closely with the executive arm of government to correct the imbalance.

Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha

Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha is the Aviation Correspondent at BusinessDay Media Limited, publishers of BusinessDay Newspapers. She is also the Deputy Editor, BusinessDay Weekender Magazine, the Saturday Weekend edition of BusinessDay. She holds a BSC in Mass Communication from the prestigious University of Nigeria, Nsukka and a Masters degree in Marketing at the University of Lagos. As the lead writer on the aviation desk, Ifeoma is responsible and in charge of the three weekly aviation and travel pages in BusinessDay and BDSunday. She also overseas and edits all pages of BusinessDay Saturday Weekender. She has written various investigative, features and news stories in aviation and business related issues and has been severally nominated for award in the category of Aviation Writer of the Year by the Nigeria Media Nite-Out awards; one of the Nigeria’s most prestigious media awards ceremonies. Ifeoma is a one-time winner of the prestigious Nigeria Media Merit Award under the 'Aviation Writer of the Year' Category. She is the 2025 Eloy Award winner under the Print Media Journalist category. She has undergone several journalism trainings by various prestigious organisations. Ifeoma is also a fellow of the Female Reporters Leadership Fellowship of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism.