Obasanjo inherited Nigeria Airways mess as President – Fani-Kayode replies Keyamo

Nigeria’s Ambassador-designate to South Africa, Femi Fani-Kayode, on Thursday, stated former President Olusegun Obasanjo inherited the Nigeria Airways “mess” when he assumed energy in 1999.

Fani-Kayode, who was the Minister of Aviation beneath Obasanjo, made the comment in response to feedback by the present Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo.

Keyamo had claimed that Obasanjo’s administration liquidated the Nigeria Airways with out duly compensating its staff, thereby making a mess.

The minister was reacting to the African Democratic Congress, ADC, presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar’s declare that Tinubu made life costly for pensioners and Nigerians on the whole.

Reacting, Fani-Kayode insisted that the mess in Nigeria Airways was not Obasanjo’s making.

Posting on X, the ambassador wrote: “My dearest brother @fkeyamo,

“Permit me to share the facts with you on this matter for posterity’s sake. In fairness to President Obasanjo the Nigeria Airways “mess” as you might have described it, was established earlier than he got here again to energy in 1999.

“And it was certainly a mess however it was not of Obasanjo’s making. He met it there after he was sworn in and what he discovered broke his coronary heart.

“I, as Minister of Aviation from 2006 after being redeployed from being Minister of Culture and Tourism, can verify that.

“The information are as follows. When Obasanjo left energy as Military Head of State in 1979 Nigeria Airways had a complete of 32 useful planes, wonderful pilots and crew members, a first-class administration crew and an accountable Board of Directors.

“Nigeria Airways, at the moment, was certainly the pleasure of the nation. By the time Obasanjo got here again to energy in 1999, 20 years later, there was just one airplane left and it was not useful.

“The relaxation had vanished along with nearly the entire firm’s belongings. Everything within the firm had gone to the canines. Worse nonetheless it was plagued with money owed.

“Through those 20 years all forms of corruption were committed by the various management teams and Board of Directors of the company and it was literally gutted.”