On Sunday, Festus Keyamo, Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, firmly stated that no private aircraft, including those owned by influential Nigerians like Bishop David Oyedepo, the founder of Living Faith Bible Church Worldwide, can depart the country directly from their private airstrips without first obtaining clearance from the relevant authorities.
Keyamo made these remarks during his appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today.
His comments come just two months after the House of Representatives called for the revocation of airstrip licenses granted to certain individuals and private entities, citing security concerns.
The House also recommended an immediate halt to the issuance of new airstrip licenses.
In response to concerns about the airstrip operated by Bishop Oyedepo, Keyamo confirmed that it, too, had gone through the necessary approval process, emphasising that no plane, drone, or even military aircraft can depart or enter Nigeria without securing the proper authorization from the appropriate agency.
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He said, “Oh yes, absolutely. That’s no problem. They were only concerned about the fact that they thought that somebody can take off from a private airstrip and fly out of Nigeria or fly into Nigeria. It is not possible.
“You must land in an international airport first. Then the Customs, immigration and NDLEA will process you before you take off from there to your private airstrip. If you are also flying out, you must land at an international airport. You will go through Customs, immigration and all the normal process before flying out.
“So nobody uses an airstrip for any such purpose without seeking clearance. At every point in time, the authorities must approve.”
When quizzed on how many airstrips the country is operating at the moment, Keyamo said they are in the range of 40.
“We have a number of them, more than 40. For the federal airport, we have 23. The state airport has about eight or nine now.
“And then the airstrips are about 40 or thereabouts. I have been there myself,” he stated.
