Minister of aviation and aerospace development Festus Keyamo has said that Bishop David Oyedepo cannot leave the country from his airstrip without first securing clearance from authorities.
Keyamo stated this during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics.
Oyedepo’s airstrip has been in the news since announcing to his congregation in October that it was approved by the government.
Members of the House of Representatives earlier called for a revocation of airstrip licences issued to certain individuals and private organisations, citing security reasons.
But Keyamo insisted that no airplane or drone, even if it belongs to the military, can leave or come into the country without first getting a nod from airspace authorities.
Asked if Oyedepo’s airstrip passed through the same due process, Keyamo 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.”
The minister said there are about 40 airstrips in the country.
