Keyamo Orders Agencies To Obtain Debt Repayment Plans From Airlines

Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo,  has directed a structured debt repayment schedules from airlines.

He gave the order at an emergency stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja yesterday.

The meeting was convened by the minister to resolve the lingering industrial disputes and restore lasting harmony within aviation sector.

The engagement followed previous consultations with aviation sector unions and the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON). It came on the heels of the unions’ temporary suspension of industrial action on Tuesday.

A statement issued to LEADERSHIP Friday in Abuja yesterday by the permanent secretary of the  ministry, Mahmud Adam Kambari, explained that the closed-door deliberations were characterised by frank exchanges and a shared commitment to finding practical solutions to the multiple challenges threatening the stability of the industry.

The meeting adopted a series of binding resolutions to ease financial pressures on operators while safeguarding the rights and welfare of aviation workers.

In a decisive move to address the mounting debt burden on domestic airlines, the minister directed the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and the heads of all other aviation agencies to obtain structured payment schedules from the airlines immediately.

These repayment plans are to be spread over a reasonable and mutually agreeable timeframe, with the directive explicitly instructing regulators to take full account of the airlines’ operational costs and the broader economic realities currently facing the nation.

To translate this directive into concrete action, the Directors of Finance and Accounts in all aviation agencies have been mandated to meet individually with each airline within one week to negotiate and finalise realistic repayment terms for outstanding statutory charges and regulatory levies.

On the contentious issue of labour rights, which had been a primary flashpoint in the recent industrial action, the Minister made his position unequivocal. He reaffirmed the fundamental right of every worker to freely decide whether to join or refrain from joining any trade union, emphasising that such decisions must be made by the workers themselves, not through management proxies or coercion.

Keyamo also ordered the NCAA to immediately grant union representatives direct, unfettered access to the workers of all airlines operating in the country. This access is strictly for the purpose of distributing membership forms, enabling each worker to independently and confidentially indicate their preference regarding unionisation without intimidation or interference.

He warned that any airline found to have prevented or obstructed this direct interface would face severe sanctions from the NCAA, underscoring the government’s determination to protect workers’ freedom of association.

To ensure accountability and sustained progress, all parties at the meeting resolved to reconvene after one month to review the implementation of these resolutions and assess the overall state of industrial relations within the sector. The Minister was careful to note that all the resolutions reached were collective decisions, freely agreed upon by every stakeholder present, and not unilateral impositions by the government.

The minister reassured the industry players and the travelling public of the government’s unwavering commitment to a safe, viable, and efficiently managed aviation sector.

He reiterated President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, ‘s full backing for all measures aimed at maintaining a peaceful, sustainable, and world-class aviation industry that serves the best interests of Nigerian workers, operators, and passengers alike.

The Minister expressed optimism that the resolutions would mark a new chapter of cooperation and mutual respect, ultimately positioning the sector for growth and long-term stability.