President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has welcomed world aircraft – maker Airbus proposal to establish maintenance and hanger facilities in Nigeria as part of a broader effort to position the country as a regional aerospace and aviation hub.
A statement on Saturday by Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Mr Bayo Ononuga, stated that President Tinubu emphasised Nigeria’s urgent need for modern helicopters and fixed – wing aircraft capable of supporting security operations, logistics, and national development priorities, in furtherance of his administration’s effort to end the intractable security challenges in some parts of the nation.
The President spoke on Thursday, during a meeting with a delegation from Airbus, led by Head of Regional Business Growth Africa and Middle East, Thierry Cloutet on the sidelines of the African CEO Forum in Kigali, Rwanda.
He told the delegation that his administration was determined to scale up cordial relationship between both parties, leveraging the company’s competitive advantage in military aircraft and aerospace development.
The President in the statement called the accelerated delivery of the three Apache helicopters already ordered by Nigeria to support ongoing security and counterterrorism operations, underscoring his administration’s determination to deploy all asset against terrorists across the nation.
“Nigeria needs attack helicopter urgently that can be used to confront and overwhelm terrorists. That is my priority now” President Tinubu said.
Nigeria’s acquisition of the Airbus C -295 platform, broader defence aviation cooperation, as well as aircraft leasing and financing models, including export credit arrangements, scale – and – leaser – back structures, and long – term solutions aimed at improving airlines’ access to aircraft and reducing sector financing constraints were also discussed.
In furtherance of strengthening the existing relationship between the company and Nigeria, President Tinubu also discussed with the Airbus delegation the possibility of establishing an aviation leasing company to unlock value along Nigeria’s aviation value chain and improve access for domestic operators.
According to the statement, Cloutet commended President Tinubu’s economic reforms and the efforts to stabilise Nigeria’s aviation sector. He reaffirmed the Company’s interest in supporting the country long – term aerospace development objectives. In support of the administration’s policy to modernise the nation’s Aviation sector, Cloutet proposed what he described as a “360 – degree engagement” model with Nigeria.
The engagement according to Cloutet, will cover commercial aviation, military aircraft cooperation, human capital development, sustainability initiatives, operational hubs and maintenance infrastructure. It will also include collaboration on Satellite and Earth observation.
