The Chief Executive Officer of United Nigeria Airlines, Obiora Okonkwo, has refuted allegations of indebtedness to the federal government regarding the repayment of COVID-19 grants.
In an earlier report, the House of Representatives had a few days ago, asked the airlines to account for how they spent the intervention fund or return same to the federal purse.
Okonkwo, who gave the clarification in an interview with Channels Television yesterday, said the fund allocated to the airlines was N3 billion and not N4 billion.
He said: “To start with, the money that was given to the operators was just N3 billion, not N4 billion. I guess that they are probably not properly informed, if they were, there would be no need for this call.
“The money that was shared among those who received it is such a very small money that nobody should be worried about.
“There’s no operator that the money would pay one month salary of the staff contingent. So, I don’t think that is an issue we should spend any time to talk about”.
Responding to insinuations of misappropriation, Okonkwo questioned the rationale behind the demands for reimbursement.
“Did we embezzle money that you’re asking them to return? I wonder what they know the money should be spent on.
”During COVID, some sectors were supported and even if you look at that money that was given to the aviation sector, compared to the support other sectors got, that was a very ridiculous amount, it does not even solve any single problem”, he said.
Okonkwo criticised the purported lack of proper briefing and engagement with industry stakeholders by the committee overseeing the grants, stressing that the funds were disbursed as support, not loans, intended to mitigate the adverse effects of the pandemic on aviation operations.
He said: “The problem is that the committee has not really been properly briefed and this money came for the ministry of aviation, it did not come as a form of loan, it came as a form of support, grants to cushion the effect of the COVID-19 which was very, very minor”.
Highlighting the need for clarity and dialogue, Okonkwo asked the lawmakers to engage with operators and ascertain the terms and conditions under which the grants were allocated.
He cautioned against hasty conclusions and emphasized the importance of seeking accurate information from the Ministry of Aviation.
“So I’m surprised they have jumped into this conclusion without even interfacing with the operators. I know the National Assembly has good gentlemen who are doing their job.
“They have called for meetings a couple of times but each time, some of our representatives attended, the meeting did not hold.
“So, my advice is that they need to seek information from the Ministry of Aviation, they need to clear the conditions and terms for which that money was given.
“We owe nobody no money and it was not money that was given for any other reason. It is just a grant. It was very specific and direct”, he added.
