Keyamo says ‘even airport puff-puff sellers claim to be aviation experts’

Festus Keyamo, Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, has stated that in aviation concerns, everyone, including airport puff-puff sellers, claim to be aviation experts.

Keyamo revealed this on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday when he spoke about the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authorities’ action on Dana Airline’s health.

Chronicle NG previously reported that the NCAA banned Dana Airlines’ Air Operator Certificate with immediate effect due to safety concerns.

The airline suspension came less than 48 hours after a Dana Air aircraft (MD82 with registration marks 5SN-BKI) with 83 passengers and crew members on board encountered a runway incursion on Tuesday while landing at the domestic wing of Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos from Abuja.

However, when asked about the complaints that followed the punishment, Keyamo stated that he never wrote to the airline but authorised the NCAA to do so.

He further stated that if the planes in the country’s aviation sector are not properly inspected, there will be “flying coffins” in the skies.

He said, “The last thing I want to do is deceive Nigerians about the state of health of commercial aircraft.

“There was an audit two years ago that confirmed the unhealthy status of Dana aircraft, and then at some points, something happened, and I said, go back and review it and see how thorough that was  before I allowed them to fly again.

“The problem with this sector is that we have people who claim to be experts everywhere. Everybody is an aviation expert. People who have sold puff puff at the airport will tell you that they have been at the airport for a long time, so they are aviation experts.

“And I have challenged them over and over again since I came to the office to come on TV if they have ideas and better ways to run the aviation sector and debate with me because what we have done since we came was to set clear priority areas for ourselves.”

Meanwhile, the minister has previously challenged several experts to a public debate on aviation issues.

On March 14, Keyamo travelled to France and toured the Toulouse plant of Airbus, the world’s leading aeroplane maker.

A video of Keyamo touring the facility went viral, with some stakeholders claiming Keyamo had converted himself into an Airbus salesman.

However, Keyamo responded in a statement that the Federal Government would go to great lengths to ensure seamless aircraft leasing for domestic businesses.

He also lamented the criticism levelled at ‘experts’, claiming that they had made no contribution to industry advancement.

When asked how he intended to address the sector’s problems, Keyamo stated that there was deep involvement inside the system and that the cleansing process would begin and continue until the issues were remedied.

“The cleansing process is within the system because you see regulators at times buying big houses and driving big cars. Regulators who are supposed to be public servants.

“They endanger the lives of Nigerians by cutting corners. Certain people, among them, falsify reports, checks, and training, among others.

“The commentaries by so-called aviation experts since yesterday are a system of corruption that we are fighting, and we are going to bring it down within the sector. This sector is one of the most corrupt that I have seen because people bypass regulations,” he maintained.

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