Oluwasegun Emmanuel @BigMaxSupport

Why Lagos Needs Its Own Airline: An Open Proposal to Dr Obafemi Hamzat By Oladimeji Bolarinwa (Aare Kurunmi kakanfo) Singapore is smaller than Lagos State, and has fewer people. Yet when you land at Changi, or see a Singapore Airlines jet on a runway in London, New York or Johannesburg, you are looking at the power of a city that decided to reach out to the world on its own terms. Lagos has the population, the economy and the ambition to do the same. What it lacks is wings. As Dr Obafemi Hamzat prepares to lead Lagos into its next chapter, I want to put one big idea on the table: Eko Airline, a Lagos State airline built through a public-private partnership and run as a world-class business. It would carry the name and the brand of Lagos to every corner of the world. Airlines are instruments of power The world's great city-states understood this long ago. Singapore Airlines is majority-owned through Singapore's state investment company. Emirates is owned by the Government of Dubai. Neither was built just to move passengers. They were built to put their cities at the centre of global trade, tourism, finance and diplomacy. Every Emirates flight is an advertisement for Dubai. Every Singapore Airlines flight tells the world that Singapore is open, efficient and serious. These airlines turned their home cities into hubs, and hubs became the economic and political centres of their regions. Lagos is already Nigeria's commercial capital and the busiest aviation market in West Africa. But today, the vast majority of international passengers flying in and out of Lagos travel on foreign carriers. The revenue, the jobs and the branding leave with them. When foreign airlines had hundreds of millions of dollars trapped in Nigeria a few years ago, they cut flights and left Nigerians stranded. A great city should not depend on others to connect it to the world. Why a state airline, and why now? Some will say aviation belongs to the federal government. It is true that licensing and regulation sit with federal agencies. But nothing stops a state from owning or investing in an airline that meets federal standards. Akwa Ibom has already proved it. Ibom Air, owned by the Akwa Ibom State Government, has become one of Nigeria's most respected domestic carriers. It is known for punctuality and professionalism. If Akwa Ibom can do it, Lagos, with an economy larger than many African countries, can do it at a far greater scale. The timing is right. Lagos is building new gateways: the Lekki Deep Sea Port, new rail lines and the planned Lekki-Epe International Airport. An Eko Airline would be the missing link that turns Lagos from a destination into a hub. The model: public-private partnership, not government-run Nigeria has buried too many airlines. Nigeria Airways collapsed under political interference, mismanagement and debt. The more recent Nigeria Air project became a national embarrassment. Lagos must not repeat those mistakes. That is why Eko Airline should be a public-private partnership, built on five principles: 1Lagos State as a strategic minority shareholder. The state provides land, airport access, guarantees and the brand. Private investors and a strategic airline partner hold the majority and bring capital and expertise. 2Professional management, not political appointees. An independent board and an experienced aviation chief executive, selected on merit and held to commercial targets. 3Ring-fenced finances. The airline must stand on its own balance sheet. No bailouts, no budget lines and no hidden subsidies. 4Start regional, then go global. Begin with West African routes to Accra, Abidjan, Dakar, Lomé, Cotonou, Freetown and Banjul, where Lagos traders already travel daily. Then expand to diaspora routes such as London, Houston and Atlanta. 5Let Lagosians own it. Once it is profitable, list Eko Airline on the Nigerian Exchange so ordinary Lagosians can buy shares in their city's flag carrier. What Lagos gains

Don’t be scared of starting. Be more afraid of never finding out what could’ve happened if you had. That idea you keep thinking about might fail. It might also become something bigger than you imagined. You’ll never know until you start..

This is the future we shall bring into being

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🚨MR M$NEY SCULPTURE BY IRAQI-DUTCH ARTIST ATHAR JABAR 🥶

Engineering is real magic

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