The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has referred to the attempt by a member of the House of Representatives to revoke the licences of certain airstrips in the country as “a lack of understanding of the aviation industry.”

Addressing the concerns raised by the lawmaker on his X handle on Saturday, Keyamo explained that the House of Representatives as a whole had not requested the revocation of any private airstrip licences.

This clarification followed calls by some lawmakers, particularly in the House of Representatives, for the revocation of airstrip licences belonging to certain individuals and private organisations, citing security reasons.

A member of the House of Representatives, Sulaiman Abubakar, argued that the frequent approval of airstrips for private individuals could exacerbate the country’s security challenges.

However, responding to the lawmakers’ move, Keyamo then educated the public on the operations of the aviation sector regarding licence approvals.

“I think this is not correct. The House of Reps. as a body did not call on the Minister to revoke the licence 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.

“The responsibility of the owners of private air strips is just to build the runway and terminal building. But after they build the control tower in particular, it is completely handed over to the Federal Government through NAMA (Nigerian Airspace Management Agency) which is in 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 private airstrip 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. And I have recently directed that all aircraft coming into the country MUST first land at our 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.

“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. I thank the Member for his patriotism, but I wish he contacted us first to explain to him before rushing to move such a motion. I attach herewith for public consumption the NAMA Act that gives exclusive control of the Nigerian airspace to the Federal Government through NAMA,” he said.

Oladotun Olakanle, the Chairman of Onigbongbo Local Council Development Area (LCDA), popularly known as “Tant’olorun”, has passed away after a brief illness.

The news of his death has sent shockwaves through the community.

Olakanle, who recently celebrated his 54th birthday, was a prominent figure in the council.

His sudden demise has left residents and politicians deeply saddened.

More to come…

The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has expressed concerns about the pricing of fuel from the Dangote Refinery. According to IPMAN, the price of fuel from the refinery was higher than that of other sources as of last week.

Yakubu Suleiman, National Assistant Secretary of IPMAN, explained that marketers are compelled to prioritize lower-priced options to ensure profitability. He emphasized the need for transparency in pricing, particularly from Dangote Refinery.

Suleiman highlighted the influence of international pricing on domestic fuel prices and urged Dangote Refinery to disclose its specific selling price to provide clarity to the market.

He said: “Prices are determined by international pricing. Dangote is supposed to be saying like every day, ‘This is the price I’m going to sell this product’.

“But he cannot be able to do that unless he (Dangote) engages the stakeholders. And you cannot just say okay, we must only buy in his own depot.

“IPMAN cannot just sit down and say ‘We will tell our members, all of you go to Dangote Refinery and buy your product and load’. We cannot just do that. This is a deregulated system.

“We have to source where products are much cheaper. Then we would inform our members to go and load product in any depot that the product is cheaper.

“If Dangote has a product and is selling N1000, let’s assume, and there are other places that are selling N900. We can’t just say because for the sake we are doing business with Dangote, ‘Okay go and do it’. It’s not profitable to us.

“We must go where the price is lower; where we get profit. That is it.”

Continuing, the IPMAN scribe added, “We are in a deregulated economy but Dangote is like trying to monopolize the whole issue. Fine. Let us know if there is monopoly in the whole system.

“But we believe that it’s now deregulation. Like last week, Dangote’s price is higher than other places. Because if you can go by the price, the international price, crude has already started coming down.

“If I could remember, as of last week, he gave N995 per litre, and you have to bring your cargo and load. How much will you pay the cargo? How much will be the other charges to your depot? And how much will go to the depot?

“And we expect independent marketers to go and sell it. Can we go and sell? Look at we have to pity Nigerians.”