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BREAKING NEWS: Bayelsa Govt-owned Airline Secures NCAA Certification, To Operations May 25
The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority has presented an Air Operator Certificate to Bayelsa State-owned Pioneer Airline, signalling the commencement of its commercial operations.
Managing Director of Pioneer Airline, Capt. Henry Ungbuku, disclosed this on Thursday at the Government House in Yenagoa after presenting the certificate to Governor Douye Diri.
Ungbuku described the AOC certification process as stringent, noting that the airline completed it within four and a half months.
A statement issued by the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr Daniel Alabrah, said the airline is expected to begin flight operations from the Bayelsa airport on May 25.
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The Bayelsa State Government had, in 2025, acquired two aircraft under an agreement with Pioneer Airline.
One of the aircraft, an ATR 72-600, conducted its inaugural flight on November 26, 2025, from the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, to the Bayelsa International Airport before undergoing the NCAA certification process for commercial operations.
Ungbuku, who was accompanied by the Managing Director of the Bayelsa State International Airport, Air Vice Marshal Nelson Calmday (retd), said the airline achieved the certification with the support of the state government.
He noted that the certification timeline, which typically ranges between eight months and two years, was completed in record time.
“At our meeting with the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority and the Honourable Minister of Aviation in Abuja on Wednesday, they confirmed that Pioneer Airline is the fastest to get an Air Operator Certificate in Nigeria. Normally, it takes between eight months and two years. But we got it in four and a half months,” he said.
He attributed the milestone to Governor Diri’s commitment to ensuring flight operations commence in the state.
“We came today to say thank you, Your Excellency, for all the support you have given us,” he said.
Ungbuku explained that Pioneer Airline operates under a dry lease agreement with the Bayelsa State Government, which owns the aircraft, while the airline pays monthly lease rentals.
“The Bayelsa government owns the assets and Pioneer will pay monthly lease rentals to use them to generate revenue. For now, the aircraft will operate under Pioneer Airline. The approval to brand them as Bayelsa Air is still pending with the NCAA.
“It is not a direct scheduled service yet. However, you can book through designated ticketing and travel agencies or arrange group bookings and charter to anywhere in Nigeria. If you want an aircraft to fly to Lagos, Abuja, Kaduna or anywhere today, we are ready to fly,” Ungbuku stated.
He added that ticket bookings would open within seven to ten days ahead of the airline’s planned launch on May 25.
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Breaking: Nigerian Workers Demand N300,000 Minimum Wage, FG Faces Fresh Salary Pressure
The Federal Workers Forum, FWF, has demanded an immediate increase in the federal minimum wage from N70,000 to N300,000, noting that the current salary structure can no longer sustain civil servants amid Nigeria’s rising cost of living.
The Forum made the demand in a letter dated September 2, 2026, addressed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the National Assembly, with the Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Chief Justice of Nigeria and Head of the Civil Service of the Federation listed among the recipients.
The workers also proposed a new salary structure that would place the highest-paid Level 17 officer on a monthly salary of N1.5 million, while Level 1 Step 1 workers would earn N300,000.
“We call for justice and immediate wage review now, adjust the federal minimum wage to N300,000 and a maximum wage of N1.5m for the Level 17 officers,” the Forum said.
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The FWF argued that the Federal Government had not fully implemented the 2024 minimum wage agreement, claiming that federal workers had yet to receive the full consequential adjustment and associated allowances.
“It will surprise you to hear that the Federal Government has not fully implemented the new national minimum wage since July 2024. We have been in the battle for full consequential adjustment of the new minimum wage,” it said.
Recall that the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, in August 2026, demanded an upward review of the minimum wage to N500,000.
In July 2024, President Bola Tinubu’s government increased the minimum wage to N70,000 per month from N30,000.
However, the cost of living for many Nigerians has tripled between 2024 and 2026.
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The Federal Government has said Nigeria will never support a military coup or any unconstitutional change of government, following claims that the country backed a failed coup attempt in the Niger Republic.
The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Sola Enikanolaiye, made this known in a statement issued on Thursday.
According to the statement, the claims circulating on social media are baseless and misleading.
Enikanolaiye said Nigeria remained committed to democracy, constitutional rule and political stability in West Africa and would not support any attempt to remove a government through unconstitutional means.
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“Nigeria will never support illegality or unconstitutional change of government anywhere, no matter who is involved or which country is concerned,” he said.
The minister also rejected claims that Nigeria, through its membership of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), supported or endorsed the military takeover in Niger.
He said the Federal Government had already stated its position on the situation in Niger in an earlier statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on August 30, 2026.
According to him, Nigeria remains deeply concerned about developments in Niger and wants the country to return peacefully to stability and constitutional order.
Enikanolaiye said Nigeria’s close historical, cultural and fraternal ties with Niger made peace and stability in the neighbouring country particularly important.
“Nigerians at home and abroad should disregard the videos and narratives circulating online, they are intended to create confusion and tarnish Nigeria’s image,” the statement said.
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