Aviation minister Festus Keyamo has raised the alarm that Nigerians are in danger due to the nefarious activities of corrupt regulators who compromise to allow unhealthy aircraft to fly. 

Asked how airlines with unhealthy status are cleared to fly in Nigeria, Mr Keyamo cited corruption. 

He revealed that people’s lives were in danger because regulators compromised to clear unhealthy aircraft to fly. 

“Unfortunately, I’ll have to say this that there is deep complicity in the aviation sector,” Mr Keyamo said in an interview with Channels TV on Thursday night. “You’ll see regulators, who are supposed to be public servants, buying big houses and driving big cars. Because they are endangering the lives of Nigerians by cutting corners and falsifying reports.” 

Mr Keyamo said, “The truth of the matter is that there is falsification of reports in the system. Falsification of checks they do, falsification of training they do. It is a system of corruption we are fighting, and we are going to bring down that system. This sector is one of the most corrupt I’ve seen because people bypass regulations.” 

He added, “Most of them (corrupt regulators) don’t fly those airlines. After compromising, they will tell their relatives don’t fly that airline because they know the health status of those airlines. But innocent Nigerians will fly those airlines.” 

Peoples Gazette has contacted the regulators for comments.

Mr Keyamo’s statement came after a Dana aircraft skidded off the runway at the local wing of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, on April 23. 

The minister had directed the NCAA to suspend Dana Airlines’ Air Operators Certificate on April 24. However, the Aviation Safety Roundtable Initiative (ART) opposed the suspension of Dana Airlines operations and cautioned the ministry against interfering with the autonomy of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).

Meanwhile, the Aviation Safety Roundtable Initiative (ART) has opposed the suspension of Dana Airlines operations and cautioned the ministry against interfering with the autonomy of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).

“ART condemns the external interference demonstrated by the minister’s directive which serves to erode the institutional autonomy and jeopardises safety in the aviation sector. ART hereby reiterates its commitment to the non-negotiable autonomy of the NCAA as stated in Section 4 (3) of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Act,” the ART said in a statement.

ART urged Mr Keyamo “to concentrate on policy issues that positively impact the airline industry” and “demands that other agencies be allowed to carry out their statutory obligations without interference, including the observed interferences at FAAN.”

It also “requests that the minister move promptly to appoint the required boards to enable the smooth and properly guided operations of agencies.”