President Muhammadu Buhari in the course of the week assured that the promised National Carrier would commence flight operations on or before December this year.
The president gave the assurance at the 3rd Ministerial Performance Review Retreat on Monday in Abuja.
According to him, the establishment of the National Carrier for Nigeria is at 91 per cent completion, saying the feat was being boosted with the certification of Lagos and Abuja International Airports by the International Civil Aviation Organisation.
He said Kano and Port Harcourt Airports were undergoing similar certification processes.
The Nigeria Air gulps N14.6 billion, under five per cent government’s equity share.
It was reliably learnt that the federal government had already taken delivery of nine out of the 20 training aircraft meant for the smooth preparation for the Nigeria Air project.
On the economy at the retreat, the president restated that the country had witnessed seven consecutive quarters of growth, after negative growth rates recorded in the 2nd and 3rd Quarters of 2020.
According to him, high-impact projects had also been implemented across the country meeting the yearnings and aspirations of Nigerians.
The president highlighted remarkable progress made in the areas of agriculture, infrastructure, security, health and anti-corruption, among others.
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He told participants and guests at the retreat, including the Keynote Speaker and immediate past President of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta, that over 3,800km of roads had been constructed across the country.
The presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, who also addressed the participants on Tuesday, pledged to build on the legacies of President Muhammadu Buhari, if elected as president in 2023.
Tinubu, who made an appearance at the retreat on the invitation of the organisers, commended Buhari for doing so well for Nigeria since he assumed office in 2015.
Also at the closing of the retreat on October 18, Buhari warned Ministers, Permanent Secretaries and Heads of Government Agencies not to abandon the business of governance for electioneering, saying ”any infraction will be viewed seriously”.
He told participants that with the commencement of campaigns towards the 2023 general elections, the business of governance must continue to receive the needed attention during this period.
The president, who signed the Executive Order 012 on Improving Performance Management, Coordination and Implementation of Presidential Priorities, directed the Ministry of Transportation and relevant security agencies to ensure the provision of maximum security along the nation’s railway corridors.
