The Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, on Monday, said that the chartered flight which conveyed musician, Naira Marley from Lagos to Abuja, was actually approved for Justice Adefowope Okojie, a Lagos Division of the Court of Appeal.
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The minister, who stated this during the daily press briefing of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 in Abuja, said the aviation authorities approved the flight on June 14 having considered the judge to be on essential duties.
According to him, he was then surprised that the flight which was to take off on June 14 and convey the judge took off from the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, for the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport, Abuja, on June 13 at 6.00 p.m.
According to him, “we wrote a letter approving the chartered flight for Justice Adefowope Okojie and we approved the flight for June 14. We were therefore surprised that the flight took off on June 13 and also surprised at the passengers.”
He added: “The operator is Executive Jets Services and the approval was very clear and I will read part of it. This is the letter from the ministry of Aviation to the Chairman of the Executive Jets Services and it was signed by the Director of Air Transport Management on my behalf.”
On the suspension of the jet services, Sirika said: “The operation is a clear violation of our approval to which we take very seriously and it seems this is becoming a norm. Perhaps, this is the second time. So, Executive Air Services operations are hereby suspended indefinitely. We will also fine them maximally according to the law.
He said the company has been suspended indefinitely.
He also said the flight captain will be sanctioned for providing false information.
The minister said as of now, investigation is ongoing to know the pilot of the plane and those aviation officials who were around when the flight took off in Lagos and landed in Abuja.
“It seems also that people are not tired of trying our resolve. Well, we are also not tired of rising up to the challenge and living up to our own responsibility for keeping every one of us safe.
“Governance is a serious matter. We don’t take things lightly in civil aviation because it means the lives of people. We are highly regulated, we are international and we are one aviation.
“Going forward, we will put up mechanisms in place or escalate the mechanisms we have in place to detract people from doing so and it means that we will be stricter in our approvals and whoever dares us will meet the consequences.”
It will be recalled that Federal Capital Territory Administration sealed off Jabi Lake Mall on Sunday for two weeks over Naira Marley’s concert which violated the government’s ban on public gathering.
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