The President of the National Association of Nigerian Travel Agencies, Mrs Susan Akporiaye, has welcomed the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission’s plan to investigate airfare pricing in Nigeria.
NANTA had called on the Federal Ministry of Aviation, Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, and the National Assembly Committee on Aviation to wade into the issue of exorbitant airfares in the country that had made life difficult for the members of Nigerian travelling public and impacting negatively the survival of travel trade professionals in the country.
According to Akporiaye, NANTA is elated by the response of the Federal Government through its consumer protection and regulatory agency to wade into the matter.
In a recent interview, the NANTA president said, “We want to appreciate the government through the Executive Vice Chairman of FCCPC, Babatunde Irukera, who has assured the sector that investigations would commence into the present structure of airfares in Nigeria and bring it to an acceptable regime,” she stated.
Akporiaye described Irukera’s announcement as “a Christmas and New Year gift” to travel agents, who had borne the backlash of the fare hike by airlines operating in the country.
“This is it, and we want to appreciate Mr President for gifting us an FCCPC, headed by a thorough professional. And to this end, we will endeavour to help the regulatory authority with whatever information that can help bring back sanity to fare management issues and give some respite to our Nigerian customers,” she said.
Irukera had on Thursday in Abuja, while hosting the press to the end-of-year party, promised to run a detailed investigation into the high airfare regime in Nigeria.
He explained, “There’s a provision in law against price gouging. Nigeria is a free market economy where the buyer and seller agree to determine cost. Do we, as a regulator, have the power to impose prices? No, we don’t. So, one way to determine excessive pricing is through investigation.”
The FCCPC boss revealed that forensic studies in airfare pricing remained the most complex in the market investigation ecosystem, adding that it was possible to travel at a short distance and pay more, even with someone sitting beside you, paying something different.
Describing the phenomenon as a “competition issue,” Irukera noted that there were many issues that must be considered when investigating hikes on airfare.
“We believe that airfare in Nigeria is too high, but it will amount to an abuse of office by the regulatory authority to take action just because we feel the price is high. Our duty is to establish evidence and confront the body, and that’s hard work,” the FCCPC boss clarified.
SOURCE: PUNCHNG
