News & Publications

By Emmanuel Adefeso Esq.

As the pump price of Jet-A1 otherwise known as Aviation fuel continues to skyrocket, the Director-General of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Captain Musa Nuhu, as alerted the nation that unless something urgent is done to address the current situation in the aviation industry, the agency may be forced to shut down the nation’s airspace for the safety of air travellers.

Captain Nuhu disclosed this at a meeting summed by the leadership of the House of Representatives led by the Deputy Speaker, Hon Idris Ahmed Wase, to find a lasting solution to the aviation fuel crisis. This came just as the House directed the Nigeria Midstream and Downstream Regulatory Authority to do everything possible to dismantle the cartel growing in the industry that had jacked up the prices of aviation fuel to its current price of N670 per litre from its usual price of N190 and the non-availability of the product. however, the Executive Director, Distribution Systems, Storage and Retailing Infrastructure of the Nigeria Midstream and Downstream Regulatory Authority, Ogbogu Ukoha, insisted that there was enough jet A1 in the country to last for 34 days.

Chairman of Air Peace, Allen Onyeama, who spoke on behalf of the Airline Operators said they have held back from shutting down the industry because of the impact it will have on the nation and its economy. According to him, “it is because of this statement that you made now about being in a politic era that we have not shut down. We do not want anybody to use us to blackmail the government who has done so much for the industry. On his own, the Chairman of Skyjet Aviation, Kashim Bukar Shettima, gave an indication of the existence of a black market ring operating within the industry when he said that while none of the known fuel marketers agree to have the product in stock, there were companies which are not known that are selling the product”.

In his intervention, Group Managing Director of the NNPC Limited, Mele Kyari, assured that they would do everything possible to address the issue of supply of jet A1, while also collaborating the statement that there was enough supply of the product in the country. According to him, “I can confirm that there is enough supply. Yes, it might be in the wrong hands or in the wrong places. We are going to do everything we can to address the situation.

Indeed, aviation fuels are petroleum-based fuels, or petroleum and synthetic fuel blends, used to power aircraft. In recent times, due to the lack of supply of aviation fuel to airline companies, the cost of air tickets has gone through the roof and this does not portend well for the industry as the airline industry cannot survive such volatile system. It is advised that stakeholders meet and should facilitate the availability of aviation fuel in sufficient quantity so that the industry could have the stability and standardization of fees it has enjoyed in recent years.