Festus Keyamo, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, has instructed that no international flight operations should be conducted through non-international airports.
The directive became necessary over suspicion that many VIPs might be smuggling cash, goods, arms and possibly human beings into Nigeria away from the prying eyes of security agencies at the officially designated international airports.
An insider who spoke with Cable News disclosed that many VIPs have resorted to requesting last-minute landings at local airports, thereby escaping the scrutiny of immigration and customs services.
The source said, “Many VIPs have devised a way of asking for last-minute permissions to land at local airports, even claiming they have made arrangements for a customs or immigration officer to clear them on arrival.
“This has been going on for a while and nobody has called them to order. The minister has decided to act decisively.”
Similarly, the directorate of air traffic services of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) has issued a circular regarding the latest developments.
The deputy general manager, S.E. Inegbedion, who signed the circular dated July 17, 2024, informed all stations of the ministerial directive starting immediately and that no international flight operations should be conducted through non-international airports.
He said the minister also directed that all international flight operations at general aviation terminals (GAT) and other private terminals at the international airports “must complete clearances/checks at international terminals, except those exempted by the national security adviser (NSA)”.
Inegbedion said compliance was “compulsory” and any violation would attract “appropriate sanctions”, although it is unclear what that might be.