Foreign and local players with different ideas that conflict with Nigeria’s interest in the Nigeria Aviation sector have just realized that they have actually met their match.
Olorogun Festus Keyamo has always been a pro-Nigerian and will remain so. Patriotism is in the blood and action, not mouth! Nigerians must at all time try as much to encouraged healthy competition while also protecting their own. Free market is to the extent that competitors and not undermined and the their investment isn’t threatened. We must give our own access to equal opportunities (others have) to grow. That is part of promoting our national interest.
Faced with numerous challenges that would have made him tow the paths of others before him, Nigeria came first. He dared to fix and protect the country’s Aviation sector from big players who have been taken advantage of the country by manipulating the market – fixing prices as they wished.
The face of the sector is changing fast now. What did it take to achieve it? Intelligence, strategy + Love for country! It is only love for country that can make someone achieve so much in so short a time.
His daring strategy has brought hope and reawakening, by extension, increased local investors’ trust and confidence in the sector and also smiles on the faces of Nigerians – who had to pay so much to travel by air out of Nigeria.
The Minister understands the game and refused to cut deals at the expense of the country and the wellbeing of the people, hence the strategy that led to the crash in air tickets prices – a victory for all and a demonstration of capacity and ability by the Minister.
What happened isn’t against international trade agreement. If our government decided to protect local investors against ruthless foreign competitors, so be it. The West and others do it a lot, except African countries. We can too!
The heat is on as foreign airlines have now reduces their airfare along lucrative routes to edge out AirPeace in the long run. Like any other country, Nigerian government needs to be watchful and ready to activate ‘anti trust’ measures, should foreign operator try to undermine the competitive capacity of local competitors.
Foreign companies, aided by their government, go to countries to invest with questionable market/trade intent to undermine competitors – push out local investors/competitors from the market, commandeer the entire local trade instruments, create factors that will make them single handedly dictate/control the market price(s), even policies. This has been going on for long in our country and it has been stopped!
In any sector you see one-sided-control against local investors, know that highly placed persons are working against the interest of their country, colluding with foreigners. In this case, Olorogun has stepped in for good! I pray the Minister also looks into the predatory pricing going on now as most of the airlines have slashed down their fares – drastically, below Air Peace’s, which I think is more of a price war.
Anyways the strategy that brought about the competition is a job well done!
