 The Senate has appealed to international airlines not to withdraw their services while efforts are ongoing to resolve the current issues of blocked funds in the country. The upper chamber also urged President Mohammad Buhari to direct the Central Bank of Nigeria to pay up the affected airlines. These resolutions followed a motion on the current issues on airlines blocked funds in Nigeria sponsored by Senator Biyadu Ulujimi and presented on the floor of the Senate by Senator Bala Nala during plenary. Discovered that a review of airlines blocked funds in Nigeria in the last six months shows an average month-on-month increase of 49.5 million dollars. Further regrets that the consequences of these block funds are that chief tickets are not available in Nigeria because taxes and inflation will have eroded the profit when the funds are kept for a very long time. It is now how to do something. We have airlines that are here, the Nigerian government should encourage and they will operate well, like the APs, like AcquireA. These are reputable companies and airline owners knows, airline owners knows that we are paying the most expensive tickets in Nigeria. We cannot continue in this manner to place these airlines. This is the most profitable route for British Airways. It is the most profitable route for Newfoundland. It is the most profitable route for Ethiopian Airlines. This is a killing for them and every day they put pressure on our government to add more money and to give them foreign exchange. They are already charging us in the black market So I did to disagree with my colleagues that we should step down this. I would like to correct an impression. I don't believe this amount was inherited. The reason I would say so is that there was an intervention with the CBN on this issue in the past and I remember we suggested to the CBN to dedicate the monies coming from diaspora remittances and use it to pay up these monies. So it can't be something that was inherited. So is that your contribution? At CBN can dedicate that money from diaspora remittances because it was an international obligation we have with the airlines to remit the monies they have. We are also doing businesses in all of these countries and I think it's not very good for Nigeria and for our image. For Nigeria to be owing or to not be remitting monies when they are due. Agent of any airline in this chamber. I also want to say that not airlines, anybody, any organization, any interest, any sentiment is free to come and lobby members of the National Assembly. Whatever they have interest is worth to know the difference of what we are asked to do whether these are good things for our country or not but I think even though it was said jokingly but no agent. Only the single senators of the federal public are inside this chamber. Hello. Hope you enjoyed the news. Please do subscribe to our YouTube channel and don't forget to hit the notification button so you get notified about fresh news updates.