Airplane violated laws and falsified documents – Aviation Minister

Aviation Nigeria

Minister of Aviation, Stella Oduah, has maintained that the case of the gounded aircraft was not just a case of violation of aviation laws, but also falsification of documents.

According to her, “It is not just a clear violation of aviation laws, it is about falsification of documents.”

Oduah made this call when she appeared before the House of Representatives Joint Committee on Aviation and Justice along with other parties in an ongoing controversial dispute over the NCAA's grounding of an airplane belonging to the Rivers State Government.

While speaking, Stella Oduah pointed out that the the Rivers State Government was operating the said aircraft illegally within the nation’s airspace.

According to her, the Ministry of Aviation or any of its parastatals does not have any record of the aircraft as one documented in the name of Rivers State Government, but that the plane was known to the ministry as a foreign aircraft that comes and goes out of the country upon clearance by the appropriate authority.

Members of the committee however expressed their reservations with the inconsistency in facts provided by parties involved in the hearing. They also expressed concern over roles played by agencies like the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Nigeria Airspace Management Authority (NAMA) and Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) .

They demanded that within two days, the committee be furnished with relevant documents belonging to all private jets in the country.

Some of the documents demanded for are status of registration, number of private jets in the country, letter of purchase, ownership and their insurance certificates.