The Federal Government yesterday announced that beginning next week it would start sending out Requests for Proposals to investors interested in acquiring shares in the proposed national airline.
It expressed hope that the airline, Nigeria Air, would be quoted on the stock exchange, adding that Nigerians would be allowed to buy shares in the airline that was being planned to commence operations with three leased aircraft.
Aviation Minister, Hadi Sirka, revealed this at a briefing in Abuja, where he explained that 46 percent stake in the airline was exclusively for Nigerians, five percent was for the government, while 49 percent was for strategic equity partners, which were assumed to be foreign investors.
“We will release what is called Request for Proposals very soon, I believe next week. And this Request for Proposals will describe what and what we are asking for.
“You will now go and send us a document that you are proposing to partner us and this is what you are giving us. Then we will sit down, evaluate, discuss and choose a strategic partner or partners for this airline.
“So Request for Proposals are going out next week and by the grace of God we will continue to pursue that and people will show up.”
Reacting to a question on how the 46 percent stake to be owned by Nigerians would be Jacquined, Sirika said, “It will be purchased exactly the way you buy shares in every company.
“This is because Nigeria Air is a limited liability company, for now, registered under the law of the land and structured in a PPP (public-private partnership) manner.
“So you purchase it the same way you purchase shares in any company and later we hope that it will be listed and go through IPO (Initial Public Offering) and so on.”
The minister further said that the airline would start operations with three wet-leased aircraft, as it would take about three to five years to take delivery of an aircraft that was ordered for.
