Keyamo defends decision to grant approval of private airstrip amid controversy

The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has defended his decision to grant approval to a private airstrip amid rising concerns and accusations of preferential treatment.

Keyamo who stated this on the ‘This Morning’ programme on Arise News on Sunday, monitored by Gentechnews emphasized the importance of fairness and adherence to legal processes in granting approvals for private airstrips across Nigeria.

Keyamo asked rhetorically “You can’t single out an individual in a country like this when you have given the same right to so many people and say withdraw that particular one. On what basis?”

“The people have not breached any terms upon which we gave them the license. If you single them out, the constitution says you should not discriminate against any Nigerian. They are following the rules.”

The minister highlighted that the approval process for the airstrip was rigorous and took over a year to complete, adding “It took me one year to approve that airstrip because we went through so many processes. By law, I said the minister would approve. That is what the law says. And it came to me. I looked at all the processes. I approved.”

He debunked that accusations that the approval could be interpreted as favouritism, noting that similar permissions have been granted across the country.

“Why should I not approve when others have been approved across the country? That is why we must be careful not to see this as an attack on the church. Once they have fulfilled the obligations, why not?” he emphasized.

Speaking on security concerns, he assured Nigerians that stringent measures are in place for private airstrips, stressing that no private aircraft can depart directly from an airstrip to an international destination without undergoing thorough checks at a designated airport.

In the minister’s words “You cannot take off from any private airstrip in Nigeria and fly outside the country. This is not possible. You must first land at an international airport. You will be well-processed and checked before you fly out. If you are flying in, you must first land at an international airport. You will be processed before you fly to your private airstrip.”

It will be recalled that the House of Rep’s issued instruction to the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace to stop the issuance of airstrip licenses to private individuals and organisations as well as called for the withdrawal of licenses already granted to Living Faith Church and other private individuals and organisations, to safeguard national security.