NIGERIAN Aviation Minister Stella Oduah threatened on Friday to institute legal action against Arik Air, allegedly for leveling unfounded allegations against her.
A statement issued on Friday by Ms Odua’s media aide, Mr. Joe Obi, said that a recent claim by Arik Air that she requested 5% shares of the aviation company’s holdings was meant to embarrass her.
Sharpedgenews.com, quoting another reliable online news source, reported on Thursday that the beleaguered airline circulated a text message accusing Ms. Oduah of vindictively fomenting crisis within the airline for denying her demand to receive a stake of 5% of its corporate shares
“Due to persistent hostility of the ministry of aviation, with a minister who is demanding a 5 percent equity in a business where she has no investment…and FAAN management, which has culminated in the use of FAAN staff to stop the airline operations and lock in checked-in passengers in Lagos this morning, Arik Air has suspended all domestic operations until further notice,” read the text message, allegedly circulated by Arik Air.
“This issue [borders] on personal interests and not payment of bills; since FAAN has been collecting,” the text message further read.
The statement released on behalf of Ms. Odua on Friday said that Arik Air was owing the ministry N85.4 billion and stressed that Oduah had no stake in the company.
The release stated that the minister could not have contemplated acquiring a stake in any airline and cautioned that the time was ripe for Arik Air to change its business module to resolve its financial crisis.
Arik Air is currently engaged in an industrial dispute with its workers, who are currently on strike, leaving commuters who patronize the airlines stranded in different locations in and outside Nigeria.