Senate pushes for direct Nigeria-China flights, threatens to review air deal

The Senate on Tuesday threatened to review Nigeria’s Bilateral Air Service Agreement with China unless Nigerian airlines are granted reciprocal rights to operate direct flights to the country, The PUNCH reports.

The resolution followed a motion by Senate Leader Mohammed Monguno (Borno North), who said the agreement signed under former President Muhammadu Buhari had not delivered expected reciprocal benefits for Nigerian carriers.

“The population of Nigerians in China is more than 1m people, while that of Chinese in Nigeria is more than 500, 000. This has generated the interest of China in Nigeria because it is Africa’s most populous nation and largest economy, offering massive markets on the African continent,” Monguno said.

Seconding the motion, Senator Abdul Ahmed Ningi (Bauchi Central) said Nigerians travelling to China often connect through Morocco, the UAE, Ethiopia or the UK.

The Senate urged the Federal Government to renegotiate the agreement and mandated its Committees on Aviation and Foreign Affairs to report back within four weeks.