New Telegraph

Ogun Wasimi airport unknown to us –NCAA

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, boss, Captain Musa Shuaibu Nuhu, yesterday said the agency has no record in its files about any airport currently being constructed in Wasimi, Ogun State. Nuhu said that NCAA only has record of Sagamu Cargo Airport. He said: “I was given the records of an approval issued in 2008 on behalf of the Hon. Minister for the establishment of Ogun State Cargo Airport in Sagamu.

Furthermore, I saw some documents in which the NCAA had interacted with them on that airport. When asked whether NCAA had any record giving approval for the establishment of Wasimi Airport, Nuhu said: “I asked and I was told that there is no such document with NCAA.”

The NCAA DG, however, admitted that he knew of no law that forbids a state from operating two cargo airports. “It is not in our purview to determine for a state or any entity the number of airports they want to have. All we will do is to ensure that any airport built must comply with our regulatory requirements.

That is our function,” Nuhu said. Responding to a question whether he knows anything about the Wasimi Airport Project, Nuhu said: “I have seen an approval from the Ministry of Aviation for Wasimi Project. But in my records or in NCAA, I don’t have anything.” Senate Committee on Aviation also backed the decision of the Director General of the NCAA, Nuhu, to ground Azman Airline over alleged safety concerns.

The Chairman of the Committee, Senator Smart Adeyemi, spoke during an interactive session with the NCAA DG in Abuja. This happened as the NCAA denied any knowledge of Wasimi Airport currently being constructed in Ogun State. Adeyemi said it was better that the NCAA was proactive in its decision rather than waiting for any air disaster to happen before taking the required action.

The grounding of the Azman Airline had generated controversy, which warranted the Senate panel to intervene by summoning Captain Nuhu to brief it on the development. Nuhu told the committee that the airline was grounded over observed problems with damaged types, broken hydraulic pipes and damage to the hydraulic reservoir of its aircraft.

He said that the airline continued to operate the particular aircraft even after officials of the NCAA pointed out the observed anomaly. He said the agency took the action to prevent any air mishap that could have resulted from any faulty parts of the aircraft. Nuhu said: “I don’t like judging people because I am not there and I don’t have the details. As a professional pilot, I think every pilot will take decision based on the information available to him. At the end of the day, it may be the wrong decision, but nobody will intentionally man a wrong decision.

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