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The Senate on Tuesday summoned the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, along with heads of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), over the sudden and steep increase in domestic flight ticket prices.
The minister and heads of the agencies are expected to appear before lawmakers in a closed-door session on a date to be announced.
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The resolution followed a motion sponsored by the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Aviation, Buhari Abdulfatai.
While presenting his motion, Mr Abdulfatai lamented that airfares across Nigerian airlines had risen sharply due to the festive season, a development he said would force many Nigerians to forgo travel because of insecurity on the roads.
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The senator, who represents Oyo North Senatorial District, said he had previously engaged airline operators on the issue, but the high fares persisted. He therefore urged the Senate to empower its aviation committee to intervene.
One-way airfares on some domestic routes have risen by as much as 150 per cent, with tickets costing at least N300,000. Before the festive period, domestic flight tickets averaged around N120,000, but prices have reportedly surged to as high as N400,000.
Given the worsening insecurity on major highways, many Nigerians prefer to travel by air, but the soaring cost of tickets is a major hindrance.
Debate
Contributing to the debate, Adamu Aliero (APC, Kebbi Central), described the fare hike as unacceptable in a country where the minimum wage is N70,000. He noted that a civil servant would have to save for up to six months to afford a one-way flight.
“The synopsis of the motion was given that the minimum wage for Nigeria is 70,000 Naira. It means a civil servant will have to save five months’ salary or even six months’ salary before they could afford a one-way ticket to Lagos,” he said.
Mr Aliero, a former minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), questioned the rationale behind the sudden increase in air fares and insisted that the Senate must summon all stakeholders to explain the hike.
“Mr President, this is unaffordable, and there has not been a corresponding increase in aviation fares. There has not been a corresponding increase in the airport charges from either FAN, NCAA or Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority. So we need to summon all the stakeholders and question them on why this hike is announced.
“And not only that, Mr. President, we need to halt this increase in order to save Nigerians from exploitation. Mr. President, it is normal for airlines at the end of the year to increase fares, but not as it is announced today. An increase of 10 to 15 per cent is understandable, but not an increase of over 200 per cent. So if we do that, honestly speaking, Mr. President, we are allowing exploitation of Nigerians,” he added.
Peter Nwebonyi (APC, Ebonyi North) also condemned the sharp increase, saying he attempted to book a flight from Abuja to Enugu and was shocked to discover that Air Peace Airline was charging N500,000 and Ibom Air, N460,000.
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“Just this morning, I called my personal assistant to get a ticket for me for the 13th of December from Abuja to Enugu, and shockingly, Mr. President, the cost for a one-way ticket from Abuja to Enugu is N500,000 for Air Peace and N460,000 for Ibom Air. Mr. President, this is unheard of. This is over a 400 per cent increment at a go. We never had it this way,” he said.
Adeola Olamilekan (APC, Ogun West) called for a comprehensive engagement with all aviation stakeholders to find a lasting solution to the problem.
In his remarks, the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, accused airlines of exploiting Nigerians.
“It is very clear that Nigerians are being exploited and people are taking advantage of Nigerians,” he said.
Mr Akpabio subsequently put the motion to a voice vote, and it received overwhelming support.
After taking the vote, the senate president said the planned meeting with the aviation minister and relevant agencies was necessary to address the abysmal fare increase and to prevent disruptions to travel during the Christmas period.
