The airline, which launched its maiden flight in June 2019, is rated as one of the most successful airlines in Nigeria.
A governorship candidate in Akwa Ibom State, Iboro Otu has vowed to privatise major state government's investments, including Ibom Air, if elected in next year's election.
Established by the state government in 2019, Ibom Air, with seven aircraft (five Bombardier CRJ900 and two Airbus A220-300) in its fleet, flies 11 routes, covering six Nigerian cities - Abuja, Calabar, Enugu, Lagos, Uyo, and Port Harcourt, and has operated 23, 630 flights and carried close to two million passengers as of 31 July 2022.
Its two Airbus were acquired as part of a recent deal to purchase 10 Airbus A220 aircraft, apparently with a plan for regional flight in West Africa.
The airline, which launched its maiden flight in June 2019, is rated as one of the most successful airlines in Nigeria and has garnered many awards in the aviation industry.
But Mr Otu, who is contesting on the platform of the African Action Congress, said the "state government has nothing to do with business".
The governorship candidate stated this in an interview with PREMIUM TIMES where he vowed to defeat the Peoples Democratic Party, which is the ruling party in the state.
Mr Otu, a music engineer, queried the number of Akwa Ibom residents employed by Ibom Air, and said it would "make more sense to privatise" the airline and invest the money in agriculture, healthcare or education sector and employ over 250, 000 people of the state.
"I would put it (Ibom Air) out there for credible companies that can run airlines to come in and take over, alongside a lot of other things that we have in mind to do.
"For me, I believe in what is called opportunity cost. So how many Akwa Ibom people has Ibom Air employed as compared to the cost of running the Airline?"
Mr Otu said he would ensure that 80 per cent of staff working in companies in the state are from Akwa Ibom.
He said indigenes of the state have expertise in all sectors of the economy that should be harnessed.
"In the Deep Seaport, for example, we don't have Akwa Ibom people that can dominate that sector. Let's shut it down.
"We should prioritise projects and prioritise Akwa Ibom people period. If the Deep Seaport is a great business, which I believe it is, let the private sector come and take over it, we would share with them in shares and then they take over it because it is going to be profitable but for the government to take it and put government money in, it doesn't make any sense."
Priority project
Mr Otu said if elected, he would give priority to Ibom Science Park, a project initiated by former Governor Victor Attah but abandoned by Godswill Akpabio's administration.
Governor Udom Emmanuel's administration made an attempt to revive the science park project, with some Chinese investors, but was hindered by the COVID-19 pandemic.
"When I come into office the projects I will actualise quicker would be the Ibom Science Park because of where the world is positioned today.
"The world is moving into a sphere where web tech is leading everywhere and it is a low-hanging fruit because it only needs training of people, scaling of syllabuses and connecting people to the ecosystem for great things to happen and it's already happening here.
"So that Akwa Ibom people can have access to jobs sitting here (Uyo) and providing services across the world.
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"The Ibom Science Park is one we would prioritise because getting the paperwork done takes very little.
"Now with the Deep Seaport, there is too much. You need licenses from the federal government that is why it's been there for a while but then let's assume the Deep Seaport is ready today how do we get it to work, remember businessmen that will be doing businesses in importing and exporting will need roads, we need so much infrastructure so there's a long road ahead."
He said with his experience working in many "great companies" and "being trained in many areas", he was better equipped to govern the state.
Mr Otu said with the recent innovations in the electoral system including electronic transmission of results, which he said has made snatching of ballot boxes unfashionable, he was confident of victory.
