The Nigerian government has said that it is impossible for private planes of privileged Nigerians, including that of Bishop David Oyedepo, Founder of Living Faith Church to fly out of Nigeria from their airstrips without clearance from relevant authorities.
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo made the clarification on Sunday during an interview with Channels TV.
Recalls that the House of Representatives had about two months ago, called for the revocation of airstrip licences issued to Oyedepo, other individuals and private organisations.
The lower legislative chamber made the call following security concerns particularly the continuous importation of illegal arms by alleged terrorism sponsors.
Addressing the matter on Sunday, Keyamo clarified that there was no way a plane or drone can leave or come into Nigeria without first securing clearance from the agency.
According to him, “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 processes before flying out.
“So nobody uses an airstrip for any such purpose without seeking clearance. At every point in time, the authorities must approve.”