The Ogun State Government has rejected claims that it does not own Gateway Air, calling the allegations misleading and politically driven. In a statement on Tuesday, Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on New Media, Emmanuel Ojo, confirmed that the state fully owns the airline's aircraft while outsourcing flight operations to ValueJet, an indigenous operator. Ojo stated that the partnership was structured to leverage ValueJet's technical expertise and existing regulatory framework in aviation, avoiding the complexities of establishing a new airline from scratch.
He emphasized that the arrangement made economic and operational sense, noting that ValueJet had already operated scheduled flights from Ogun State to Abuja before Gateway Air's official launch. The aide also dismissed critics of the project, accusing them of attempting to politicize the initiative and lacking appreciation for progress. Ojo maintained that the launch of Gateway Air under Governor Dapo Abiodun's administration marked a historic milestone, dismissing negative commentary as irrelevant.
Emmanuel Ojo's defense of Gateway Air reveals how state governments now outsource core functions to private operators under the guise of efficiency. This means Nigerians may soon see more public-private partnerships in critical sectors, but with little transparency about long-term costs or control.
