ABUJA, Nigeria — The Federal Government may move to seize the assets of Dana Air in order to refund passengers and travel agents whose funds remain trapped following the airline’s suspension, Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development Festus Keyamo disclosed on Tuesday, November 25, 2025.
Speaking at the fourth-quarter aviation stakeholders’ engagement in Abuja, themed “Leveraging Public Feedback to Drive Excellence in Aviation Services,” Keyamo said the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) had already been directed to investigate why Dana Air had failed to refund affected customers.
According to the minister, the airline’s suspension was a necessary safety measure, prioritizing the protection of lives over commercial considerations.
“For Dana, the problem is that it was a choice between safety and disaster. So, we didn’t take the commercial thing as priority. The priority was safety and we all looked at the damning reports that we met on the table,” Keyamo said.
“It was a decision of the NCAA to suspend them, but I pushed them to say, look, these are the reports we are seeing on the table about safety record, about lack of standards that put the lives of Nigerians at risk.
If they continue flying, I don’t know whether most of us will be here. Many of us would have been victims of one of those flights. God forbid.”
The minister said he has directed the NCAA to ensure refunds are made to passengers and agents whose funds are still trapped with the airline.
“I have asked Najomo to dig deep to find out how those passengers and agents will be refunded. He has to dig deep on that.
One solution will also be that if that same individual or those entities are trying to come back to aviation under any guise, whether to go and register a new AOC or use any business within aviation sector, they have to go and settle their debts first.
We should look at their assets. There are assets that are still available. Let them sell their assets. Let’s cannibalise their revenue and pay people. Let’s find a way to go after their assets and get money to pay Nigerians who are owed.
NCAA should do that because they can’t get away with it,” he said.
Tinubu Approves Special Fund for NAMA Equipment
Keyamo further disclosed that President Bola Tinubu had approved special funds for the procurement of new equipment for the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) — moving such financing outside traditional budgetary allocations.
Highlighting the agency’s progress, NAMA Director-General Engr. Ahmed Farouk, represented by Director of Air Traffic Services John Tayo, said the agency now operates a fully functional flight calibration unit to validate instrument approaches and navigational aids in line with ICAO standards.
Farouk also announced the signing of regional agreements with Sierra Leone and Liberia to provide calibration and flight procedure validation services.
Additionally, he revealed that four new airports — Owerri, Enugu, Yola, and Ilorin — have been granted approval to operate until 10 p.m., following stakeholder requests for extended flight schedules beyond Lagos and Abuja.
“We are always available to grant extensions because of our capacity. For now, we will not be able to operate all the airports in the country till 10 p.m., but following your directive, sir, we started till 10 p.m. with those airports I mentioned,” he said.
Nigeria to Host ACI Africa Conference in 2026
Meanwhile, on Monday, Keyamo received Mr. Alli Tounsi, Secretary General of Airports Council International (ACI) Africa, whose visit aimed to assess Nigeria’s preparedness to host the ACI Africa Regional Conference and Exhibition, scheduled for September 2026 in Abuja.
In his remarks, Tounsi highlighted Nigeria’s pivotal role in African aviation.
“Nigeria must host this next Acrobatics Regional Conference. BAGASSO is already in Nigeria, and it is only right that ACI Africa is here too,” he said.
Keyamo assured the delegation of Nigeria’s readiness to deliver a world-class event.
“We accept wholeheartedly to host. Nigeria has the capacity, the infrastructure, and the commitment to deliver a world-class conference. You can count on us,” Keyamo said in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Communications, Tunde Moshood.
Also speaking, FAAN Managing Director/CEO, Mrs. Olubunmi Kuku, said preparatory work was underway to ensure the conference exceeds expectations.
“All hands are on deck. We are confident that we have ample time for comprehensive planning. The hotel management has assured us that their upgrades will be completed by April next year, and the facility’s standards will match the calibre of this global aviation event,” she said.
Kuku added that discussions were ongoing with a leading five-star hotel in Abuja undergoing major renovations, and that FAAN was working closely with the ACI team to finalize logistics.
She described the visit as “a significant milestone in Nigeria’s aviation diplomacy,” reinforcing the country’s leadership in Africa’s aviation sector.
The ACI Africa delegation included top officials from the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), such as Mrs. Olubunmi Kuku, Henry Agbebire (Director, Public Affairs and Consumer Protection), and Adebola Agunbiade (Director, Commercial and Business Development).
