This was revealed by Keyamo during his appearance on Politics Today on Channels Television on Thursday, when he discussed the action taken by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authorities regarding the health of Dana Airline.
It was reported that due to safety concerns, the NCAA immediately revoked Dana Airlines’ Air Operator Certificate.
Less than 48 hours had passed since a Dana Air aircraft (MD82, registration number 5SN-BKI) carrying 83 passengers and crew members had a runway incursion on Tuesday while landing at the domestic terminal of Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos from Abuja. This led to the suspension of the airline.
Speaking about the backlash that followed the suspension, Keyamo clarified that he never wrote to the airline but rather gave the NCAA instructions to do so.
He went on to say that there would be “flying coffins” in the sky if the nation’s aviation sector’s aircraft are not thoroughly inspected.”It is not my intention to mislead Nigerians regarding the condition of commercial aircraft,” he declared.”Two years ago, an audit verified the unfit state of Dana aircraft.
However, at some point, an incident occurred, so I instructed them to revisit and assess the level of thoroughness before resuming operations.”The issue facing this industry is the prevalence of individuals claiming to be experts in every field. Everyone is an authority on aviation.
The folks who have been selling puff puff at the airport will tell you that they are aviation experts because they have worked there for a long time.”And ever since I took office, I have repeatedly challenged them to debate with me on TV if they have better ideas for managing the aviation industry, because we have established clear priorities for ourselves since then.”
The minister has previously invited a few experts to participate in a public discussion on aviation-related issues.Keyamo traveled to Toulouse, France, on March 14 and took a tour of Airbus, a leading aircraft manufacturer.A video that showed Keyamo touring the factory went viral, and some stakeholders claimed that Keyamo had become an Airbus sales representative.In response, Keyamo issued a statement announcing that the Federal Government would do everything within its power to make aircraft leasing easy for regional operators.
He also lamented the criticism leveled at the “experts,” who, in his opinion, have made no advancements to the industry.In response to inquiries about his plans to stop the anomalies in the industry, Keyamo stated that there was systemic deep complicity and that the cleaning process would begin and go on until the issues were fixed.The system is being cleansed because regulators are occasionally seen purchasing large homes and luxury vehicles. regulators who are meant to work for the government.
By taking short cuts, they put Nigerians’ lives in jeopardy. Some of them fabricate training, checks, and reports, among other things.
Since yesterday, the opinions made by so-called aviation experts have been part of a corrupt system that we are fighting and will eventually be within the industry. Because so many people avoid following the rules, this industry is among the most corrupt that I have seen,” he continued.