Private airstrips, including Oyedepo’s, must follow clearance protocols: Keyamo

The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has clarified that private planes, including those belonging to prominent individuals like Bishop David Oyedepo, cannot leave Nigeria from private airstrips without clearance from relevant authorities.

Speaking on Politics Today on Channels Television, Keyamo emphasized that strict protocols govern the movement of all aircraft, whether private or military, within and outside Nigeria.

“There is no way a plane, even if it belongs to the military, can leave or enter the country without clearance,” he stated.

The minister’s comments follow a resolution by the House of Representatives two months ago to revoke and halt airstrip licenses for individuals and private organizations, citing security concerns. Keyamo reassured that all private airstrips, including Oyedepo’s, adhere to the same regulatory processes.

He said, “Oh yes, absolutely. That’s no problem. They were only concerned about the fact that they thought that somebody can take off from a private airstrip and fly out of Nigeria or fly into Nigeria. It is not possible.

“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 process before flying out.

“So nobody uses an airstrip for any such purpose without seeking clearance. At every point in time, the authorities must approve.”

When quizzed on how many airstrips the country is operating at the moment, Keyamo said they are in the range of 40.

“We have a number of them, more than 40. For the federal airport, we have 23. The state airport has about eight or nine now.

“And then the airstrips are about 40 or thereabouts. I have been there myself,” he stated.