The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr. Festus Keyamo, SAN, has been nominated for The Sun Newspaper’s Minister of the Year Award for 2024.
The announcement was made today by the managing director of The Sun Newspaper, Mr. Onuoha Ukeh who led a high-level delegation from his management team on a courtesy visit to the minister in Abuja.
Upon receiving the nomination letter and invitation for the award, Keyamo described his nomination as both encouraging and exciting. He emphasised that his commitment is not aimed at receiving accolades; rather, he views himself as a servant of the people.
Keyamo stated that aviation is a customer-centric sector that is visible and judged by all. While acknowledging that not all challenges in the sector have been resolved, he noted that effective policy generation, implementation, and communication have significantly improved the ministry’s service delivery.
He further remarked that the endorsement by The Sun Newspaper, one of Nigeria’s leading media organisations, signifies that the public is recognising the positive impacts of the advancements made in the aviation industry. He also mentioned that two other leading newspapers in Nigeria have nominated him for the same award.
Earlier, Ukeh stated that the nomination of the minister by the Board of Editors was based solely on merit. He highlighted the minister’s achievements since his appointment in 2023, particularly in the ministry.
“In line with the vision of the aviation ministry to be the best aviation industry in Africa and among the best in the world,” Ukeh said, “you introduced a five-point agenda focused on enhancing safety, infrastructure, support for local operators, human capacity development, and revenue generation in the sector. Under your leadership, Nigeria’s aviation sector has undergone a remarkable transformation.”
Ukeh also mentioned a historic moment when the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) signed the updated Procedure for Recordation of Irrevocable Deregistration and Export Request Authorisation.
About the recent ‘Operation AirClean,’ which was approved by the minister to eliminate multiple physical checks by various security agencies at international airports, Ukeh commented that this initiative aims to reduce the harassment of travellers. Such checks will now be managed through technology and cameras. He emphasised that this decisive action has instilled confidence in the future of the aviation sector.
The award ceremony is scheduled for March 1, 2025, at Eko Hotel in Lagos and The Sun Newspapers team looks forward to welcoming the minister and his entourage in person, Ukeh disclosed.
