House of Reps Didn’t Ask to Revoke Living Faith Church Airstrip License, Minister Keyamo Clarifies
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr. Festus Keyamo has refuted the claims of the House of Representatives calling for the revocation of Living Faith Church airstrip license.
Recall that member representing Gummi/Bukkuyum Federal Constituency in Zamfara State, Sulaiman Abubakar Gumi moved a motion on the need to stop issuance of airstrip license to private individuals and organisations in Nigeria.
Similarly, Gumi defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) some days ago from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), citing internal conflicts within the PDP in his constituency.
However, Minister Keyamo reacting to the report on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday described it as false, explaining that the motion was unanimously referred to the Aviation Committee for review.
“I think this is not correct. The House of Reps. as a body did not call on the Minister to revoke the license of any private airstrip. I think what happened is that someone moved a motion in that regard and it was unanimously referred to the Aviation Committee to look into it.
“Whilst the intention of the Hon. Member who moved it is very patriotic, it was based on a complete lack of knowledge of the aviation sector. By the time we explain to them how private air strips work and the processes they undergo by our agencies before the final approval, they will be satisfied,” he stated.
According to him, the responsibility of the owners of private air strips is limited to building the runway and terminal building – and after constructing the control tower in particular, it is completely handed over to the Federal Government (FG) through NAMA (Nigerian Airspace Management Agency), which assumes complete control of the entire airspace in Nigeria.
“An MOU is usually signed with NAMA in this regard before the airstrip is approved for operations. It is NAMA that provides the Air Traffic Controllers and Engineers in ALL AIRPORTS and AIRSTRIPS IN NIGERIA.
“And the privates air strip owners pay the Federal Government handsomely for these services. No object flies into Nigeria without the prior clearance by NAMA and without filing a clear flight plan, eg, where it is taking off from and where it intends to land,” the minister explained.
He disclosed that he recently directed that all aircraft coming into the country must first land at the international airports where they would be properly processed and checked before they make their local flights into whatever airport or airstrip they intend to go.
The human rights activist stressed: “So, it is COMPLETELY AND TOTALLY impossible for any private airstrip owner to just jump on an aircraft and fly in and out of the country through that facility. The Federal Government does not permit that. You will not be cleared for take off or landing without prior request and authorisation.”
He expressed gratitude to Mr. Gumi for his patriotism, however, he wished he contacted the ministry for explanation before ‘rushing to move such a motion’.
