Nigeria’s Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, on Tuesday said he has not travelled out of the federal capital city, Abuja, since March 22 in a reaction to a raging controversy over Nigerian musician, Naira Marley.
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A statement by Hakeem Bello, Mr Fashola’s media aide, described as ridiculous attempts to link the minister with a non-compliant flight recently taken to Abuja for a concert by the controversial singer, Naira Marley.
Mr Fashola is reacting to controversies generated against the backdrop of a performance by singer Naira Marley at a concert in Abuja amid moves by the government to control the spread of COVID-19.
“For purposes of clarity and in order to set the records straight, the Hon. Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola SAN, has not travelled out of Abuja since March 22, 2020, when he returned there after an inspection tour of the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway construction work and a visit to Lagos, before the lockdown.
“The decision of the Hon. Minister not to travel was taken in strict compliance with the Federal Government’s ban on inter-state travels as part of efforts to control the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It is therefore ridiculous for Dr Iwuajoku to attempt to link the Hon. Minister with any non-compliant flight.”
Rapper Naira Marley was actually born Azeez Fashola, with his younger sibling bearing the name Babatunde Fashola.
Sam Iwuajoku who is Chairman/CEO of Executive Jets Services Limited, has had his airline grounded by Aviation Minister Hadi Sirika for flouting COVID-19 era restrictions and guidelines.
Iwuajoku’s excuse was that airlifting Marley and his crew from Lagos to Abuja stemmed from a clear case of mistaken identity.
“When I went through the manifest and I saw FASHOLA BABATUNDE I thought it was the Honorable Minister of Works going to Abuja with his men, so we decided to do the flight since it is a serving Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, I didn’t know it was a bunch of useless people.
“We are very sorry for this mistake and we promise that this will not happen again,” he had written to the Aviation Minister.
TNL Recalls that the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) had sealed off the Jabi Lake mall, which hosted the singer, for violating restrictions to slow the spread of COVID-19.
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