By our reporter 15.10.2026
Fromer Nigeria’s minister of aviation Femi Fani-Kayode, has rubbished claims by the current holder of the office Mr. Festus Keyamo that former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s government ruined the nation’s carrier Nigeria Airways popularly known back in its heydays as the “Flying Elephant.”
Fani-Kayode who was minister at the tail end of Obansajo’s reign between 1999-2007 said Nigeria Airways was already doomed by corruption before Obansojo returned as the democratically elected President of Nigeria in 1999.
Keyamo who was trying to deliver a political blow on former Vice President Atiku Abubakar who had accused President Bola Tinubu of mishandling pensioners funds, blamed Obasanjo and Atiku for the demise of the once fledging airline.
But writing on X Fani-Kayode tried to set the records straight.
“My dearest brother @fkeyamo, permit me to share the facts with you on this matter for posterity’s sake. In fairness to President Obasanjo the Nigeria Airways “mess” as you have described it, was established before he came back to power in 1999.
“And it was indeed a mess, but it was not of Obasanjo’s making. He met it there after he was sworn in and what he found broke his heart.
“I, as Minister of Aviation from 2006 after being redeployed from being Minister of Culture and Tourism, can confirm that.
“The facts are as follows. When Obasanjo left power as Military Head of State in 1979 Nigeria Airways had a total of 32 functional planes, excellent pilots and crew members, a first-class management team and an accountable Board of Directors.
“Nigeria Airways, at that time, was indeed the pride of the nation. By the time Obasanjo came back to power in 1999, 20 years later, there was only one plane left and it was not functional.
“The rest had vanished together with virtually all of the company’s assets. Everything in the company had gone to the dogs. Worse still it was plagued with debts.
“Through those 20 years all forms of corruption were committed by the various management teams and Board of Directors of the company and it was literally gutted.”