Festus Keyamo, Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, has clarified the nature of a recent motion in the House of Representatives concerning the licensing of private airstrips.
Contrary to reports that the House called for the revocation of private airstrip licenses, Keyamo emphasized that the House, as a body, did not issue such a call. Rather, a motion raised by an individual member was referred to the Aviation Committee for further investigation.
In a recent statement, Keyamo acknowledged the patriotic intentions of the member who moved the motion, but he indicated that it was based on a misunderstanding of the processes governing private airstrips. He explained that private airstrip operations in Nigeria are heavily regulated, involving multiple layers of authorization and oversight by federal agencies.
According to the minister, private airstrip owners are responsible solely for building the runway and terminal facilities. However, once the control tower is established, it is handed over to the Federal Government and placed under the jurisdiction of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA). “NAMA provides air traffic controllers and engineers for all airports and airstrips in Nigeria, and private airstrip owners pay the government for these services,” he stated.
Keyamo highlighted that all aircraft entering Nigerian airspace are required to file detailed flight plans and obtain prior clearance from NAMA. He further stressed that he recently directed that all inbound flights must land at international airports for proper processing before making any domestic flights to local airstrips or airports.
“It is completely and totally impossible for any private airstrip owner to operate flights in and out of the country without federal authorization,” Keyamo noted, adding that the House member could have sought clarification from the Ministry before advancing the motion.
The statement reads “I think this is not correct. The House of Reps. as a body did not call on the Minister to revoke the license of any private airstrip. I think what happened is that someone moved a motion in that regard and it was unanimously referred to the Aviation Committee to look into it.
Whilst the intention of the Hon. Members who moved it was very patriotic, it was based on a complete lack of knowledge of the aviation sector. By the time we explain to them how private airstrips work and the processes they undergo by our agencies before the final approval, they will be satisfied.
“The responsibility of the owners of private airstrips is just to build the runway and terminal building. But after they built the control tower in particular, it was completely handed over to the Federal Government through NAMA (Nigerian Airspace Management Agency) which is in complete control of the entire airspace in Nigeria.
An MOU is usually signed with NAMA in this regard before the airstrip is approved for operations. It is NAMA that provides the Air Traffic Controllers and Engineers in ALL AIRPORTS and AIRSTRIPS IN NIGERIA. The private airstrip owners pay the Federal Government handsomely for these services. No object flies into Nigeria without prior clearance by NAMA and without filing a clear flight plan, eg, where it is taking off from and where it intends to land I have recently directed that all aircraft coming into the country MUST first land at our international airports where they would be properly processed and checked before they make their local flights into whatever airport or airstrip they intend to go.
“So, it is COMPLETELY AND TOTALLY impossible for any private airstrip owner to just jump on an aircraft and fly in and out of the country through that facility.
The Federal Government does not permit that. You will not be cleared for take off or landing without prior request and authorisation. I thank the Member for his patriotism, but I wish he contacted us first to explain to him before rushing to move such a motion. I attach herewith for public consumption the NAMA Act that gives exclusive control of the Nigerian airspace to the Federal Government through NAMA,”
For transparency, Keyamo attached a copy of the NAMA Act, which gives the federal government exclusive control over Nigerian airspace.
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