-FAAN, NCAA Say Aircraft Did Flouted Air Travel Rules
THE order to ground the executive jet that transported Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi to
the Ondo State capital of Akure on Friday was given by the federal aviation minister, Stella Odua, sharpedgenews.com can exclusively report.
Amaechi arrived the regional airport in Akure earlier in the day as part of the dignitaries who attended the funeral ceremonies of the late Deputy Governor Funmi Olayinka in Ado-Ekiti, capital of neighboring Ekiti State.
According to exclusive sources close to Governor Amaechi, the brand new jet suffered no technical problems as being speculated as possible reasons for its grounding by the aviation minister.
It was however revealed by those in the know that the ordered delay of Amechi’s flight is the latest presidential intrigue to test the waters on how to frustrate Amechi’s possible run on a joint ticket with his northern counterpart, Sule Lamido, come 2015.
The surprising order ‘from above’, said to have been approved by the lackluster aviation minister Stella Odua, kept the Rivers State governor within the VIP lounge of the Regional Airport behind schedule for more than 2 hours.
Amaechi’s lengthy stay at the airport caused curious Akure residents to inquire how the governor acquired his Yoruba name of Rotimi.
One of the governor’s aides present at the airport explained that Amaechi’s late father was fond of the late legal luminary, Chief Rotimi Williams, and decided to name then newborn Chibuike after Chief Williams.
A new twist to the episode concerning the no-flight order placed on the Rivers State governor’s executive jet was revealed on Saturday during a press conference held by acting director general of the National Civil Aerospace Agency, Joyce Nkemakonam, who said that the license to operate the aircraft within Nigeria’s airspace has been suspended.
According to Ms. Nkemakonam, the clearance certificate issued the owners of the aircraft had expired since last April 2nd, meaning that the aircraft had been operating illegally in Nigeria for at least two weeks.
“By our records, the last flight clearance for this aircraft was approved for operation on Thursday, March 28, 2013 on Accra-PH –Accra and to terminate on April 2, 2013. With this development, the aircraft has exceeded the extra two days or 48 hours leeway for it to leave the country,” the NCAA boss said.
Later on Friday, the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria reveled that it prevented the aircraft from taking off from the Akure airport because the manifest of the aircraft was not made available for the agency as required by law, and that it was on this basis that it was grounded at the airport.
This however contradicts what sharpedgenews.com learned from sources close to Governor Amaechi, who said it was nothing short of showing whose boss between contending political forces who see Amaechi as a threat to President Jonathan’s political fortunes in 2015.
The aircraft in question is a bombardier –BD700, global express with registration no N565 RS.