By Okey Ndiribe & Emman Ovuakporie

ABUJA—House of Representatives, yesterday, ordered an investigation into the actions of the Minister of Aviation, Mrs Stella Oduah, over her alleged denial of landing rights to four airlines at Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano.

Turkish Airline, Ethiopian Airline, Emirates Airline and Skyline, were reported to have repeatedly applied for landing rights, and signified interest to commence operations to the airport, but were allegedly denied entry by the minister.

The House also, yesterday, announced that debate on the general principles of the Bill for an Act for the establishment of a legal fiscal framework for the petroleum industry in Nigeria, popularly referred to as the Petroleum Industry Bill, PIB, would commence next week.

The House’s mandate to its Committee on Aviation to investigate the action of Oduah on the alleged denial of landing rights to the four airlines was the fallout of a motion moved by Chairman of the House Committee on Lake Chad, Ali Madaki, who contended that the action of the minister was not good for the economy of the entire northern part of the country.

The committee has four weeks to report its findings back to the House.

Madaki said: “The refusal of the Minister to grant the permission to these foreign airlines is capable of retarding the business growth in Kano and by implication, Nigeria.”

He added that the minister’s action ran contrary to President Goodluck Jonathan’s transformation agenda.

He said there was need, therefore, to investigate the reasons behind the Minister’s action and its implication to the socio-economic development of the country.

Another bill seeking to establish the national frontier exploration agency for the purpose of exploration and production of oil and gas in the Chad Basin, Dahomey Basin, Imo Basin, Benue Trough, Bauchi Basin and Sokoto Basin, had been consolidated with the PIB.

The bill was sponsored by Kaka Gujbawu.

Though the PIB was listed alongside Gujbawu’s for debate on the House’s order paper yesterday, Majority Leader of the House, Mulikat Akande-Adeola, whose duty, in the tradition of the House it was to lead debate on all executive bills, however, appealed for more time to get the necessary brief on the proposed PIB from the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, before commencing debate.