NANTA TO FG: You Have Failed Us, You Have Failed Nigerians

* NANTA President, Mrs. Susan Akporiaye (3rd from left) and other  NANTA officials

By Paul Ukpabio

The National Association Of Nigeria Travel Agents (NANTA) is angry and spitting fire. 

The body has bluntly told the federal government that, "you have failed us!"

And that is after losing over 700,000 employed staff of the body, to unemployment market, all in one year!

"What a calamity!" Screamed one of the officials during a World Press Conference held over the weekend in Lagos.

The event which had in attendance, a roll call of who-is-who in the travel industry, was presided over by the President and other elected officials of the association, who all declared that the federal government has not just abandoned the travel agents, but has also abandoned Nigerians as a whole, to the reckless exploitation of foreign airlines in the country.

"We are compelled to share with you, the unjustifiable scenarios ongoing and the harsh reality bedevilling the downstream sector of the aviation industry which we as NANTA represent" said Susan Akporiaye, NANTA President.

"As we speak, it is only in Nigeria that a traveller is made to cough out over $2000 for an economy ticket and also change the date of the flight itinerary for whatever personal reasons with about N1.5m to N1.8m. To put this in perspective, all low fare inventories of the foreign airlines have been deliberately blocked to our members even after various engagements with these airlines, making the market extremely difficult for our members and in effect expensive for travellers. This now means that Nigeria is at a disadvantage since the airlines have mastered the art of exploiting the forex issue to their advantage. Agencies are now forced to close down, leave the country or try to use other neighbouring countries to sell tickets to their customers. Nigerian market is at the losing end, surprisingly, the federal government is losing money too by not being able to collect money, commission from each ticket sold, yet the federal government is not doing anything about it! Can you imagine it, we are losing, and closing shop, Nigerian travellers are losing even the federal government is losing income on each ticket sold and the government is doing nothing about it! Is that not strange? Only the foreign airlines and their collaborators in government, are smiling to the bank in huge foreign currency."

As at filing this report, all efforts to reach the Minister of Aviation to speak on the issue, was aborted.