FG suspends Adeboye’s jet over expired documents – Newstrends
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FG suspends Adeboye’s jet over expired documents

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The Federal Government through the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority has grounded a private chopper belonging to Pastor Enoch Adeboye of the Redeemed Christian Church of God at the Lagos airport, investigations by Sunday PUNCH has revealed.

It was learnt that the aircraft, AgustaWestland AW139 chopper, with registration number 5N-EAA, was suspended from flying over two weeks ago, following the expiration of some of its papers and spare parts.

The suspension, officials said, would also allow the regulator to conduct vital safety checks on its safety-critical components, especially some spare parts that are due for replacement.

Adeboye had last Saturday during a special meeting with all ordained ministers of the mission at the RCCG, Region 21, in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, called for drastic action against corrupt practices in all facets of Nigeria.

The RCCG leader, who flew a chopper to the venue, said he arrived late for the meeting because someone had requested a bribe from him to fly his chopper.

He said he had decided to embark on the trip via his chopper to avoid a possible gridlock on the busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

The 79-year-old mathematician-turned-preacher said, “I don’t give excuses because I have discovered long ago that only failures give excuses. But you must pray for Nigeria.

“Something must be done about corruption in this nation. All I can say is that I am this late because somebody wanted a bribe. And you know if you are expecting a bribe from me, you have to wait forever.

“But the devil has failed. And the devil will continue to fail. I decided to come by helicopter so that there won’t be a traffic jam that would tie me down on the expressway because I know what the devil could do.

“Then, I ran into something else. But by the grace of God, we are here.”

Although Sunday PUNCH could not ascertain who requested the alleged bribe from the revered servant of God, investigations by the paper revealed that the cleric’s chopper was suspended from flying by the regulatory authority over safety issues.

Multiple aviation sources confirmed that Adeboye could not fly his chopper with registration number 5N-EAA to the Ibadan programme but had to fly another aircraft reportedly belonging to Bishop David Oyedepo of the Living Faith Church (Winners Chapel).

A top official of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, who is close to the operations of the two choppers belonging to the servants of God, said, “The team relating directly with Daddy G.O. should have told the man of God on time that his chopper had not been cleared by the NCAA and, as such, it couldn’t go on the Ibadan trip. They shouldn’t have waited till the last minute. The NCAA (aviation regulatory agency) that we have now is different from what it used to be. There is a new man in charge who always insists that things must be done properly as far as the safety of lives is concerned. The church’s protocol team should have told him that the NCAA has not cleared the aircraft and it may not clear it within a short time because certain procedure must be followed. As such, an alternative arrangement should have been made.”

The NAMA official, who chose to speak on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak on the matter, further said, “On that last Saturday morning, when it later became obvious that the jet was not cleared to fly, they had to make an alternative arrangement with Bishop Oyedepo’s chopper. They had to quickly begin that process by filing the flight plan, etc. It was Bishop’s aircraft that Pastor Adeboye later flew to the event. He could not use his own.”

A top official of Omni-Blu Aviation, the airline operating the chopper for Adeboye, confirmed the development.

The official, who chose to speak on condition of anonymity, said a letter from Italy-based Leonardo, the manufacturer of Adeboye’s AW 139 helicopter, requesting the NCAA to grant a time extension on some spare parts that are due for replacement came late.

The spare parts due for replacement have been ordered from the manufacturer but they have yet to be shipped into Nigeria because they are usually produced on demand, according to Omni-Blu Aviation.

As such, the NCAA could not immediately grant the requested extension. Instead, the regulatory agency requested that comprehensive safety checks be conducted on the aircraft in line with standard aviation safety practice.

He said, “The NCAA that we have now is different from what it used to be. It always insists on standard. We don’t want any disappointing situation for anybody, especially for a globally reputed servant of God like Daddy G.O. It appears the man of God was not properly briefed. But we thank God an alternative arrangement was made to rescue the situation. Safety is first and paramount. No life is worth toying with, how much more that of a servant of God like Daddy G.O. As an airline, we won’t compromise safety no matter the pressure.”

The Omni-Blu official denied knowledge of any bribe request, either by the airline or aviation officials.

He, however, said it was not impossible that some people might have cashed in on the situation to demand a bribe.

“You know some people don’t fear God no matter what. They can even go to the extent of asking a servant of God for a bribe. So, it is not impossible. But on our part, I am not aware of such.”

As it stands, it is uncertain when Adeboye’s chopper will be allowed to fly.

However, findings revealed that NCAA had directed maintenance and safety checks to be conducted on the aircraft.

As such, the operator has secured a date for this at Aero’s maintenance hangar.

When contacted for comments, the Director-General, NCAA, Captain Musa Nuhu, confirmed that the regulatory agency had suspended flights on the aircraft for safety reasons.

According to him, the NCAA does not often deal directly with individuals or owners of aircraft but the operator.

In this case, he said the NCAA only had business with the operator of the aircraft, Omni-Blu Aviation.

Nuhu said, “There are safety-related issues that must be resolved before the aircraft will be approved for resumption of flights. Safety is the paramount consideration in all approvals given by the NCAA. No matter what, we must not sacrifice safety for flights; that is the whole idea.”

When contacted, the spokesperson for RCCG, Pastor Olaitan Olubiyi, said the matter was being resolved already.

On the bribery allegation, he said the church would not want to take issue with the aviation authorities on the matter.

Olubiyi said, “We will not want to take issue with the aviation authorities but I can assure you that an amicable solution is being found to the issue.”

-Sunday PUNCH

Aviation

Domestic airlines get one-week ultimatum to return N4bn support fund

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Domestic airlines get one-week ultimatum to return N4bn support fund

All private airlines that received N4 billion COVID-19 relief funds have been directed to refund the allocated money to the coffers of the Federal Government treasury, if they fail to give a convincing account of how the money was spent within seven days.

House of Representatives Committee on Public Accounts gave the directive.

The committee chaired by Bamidele Salam (Osun-PDP) disclosed this  at the resumed investigative hearing on the alleged mismanagement of the COVID-19 intervention funds by the Ministries Departments and Agencies of the Federal Government and others.

The committee said despite appearing before it, many of the airlines and industry stakeholders, including Aero Contractors, Azman, Newrest, and representatives from the Federal Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development, failed to provide satisfactory explanations regarding the allocation and expenditure of the funds.

The committee stressed the need for accountability and transparency in the utilization of public funds.

But Azman Airlines represented by its Marketing Manager, Odum Chizoba Uju, admitting receiving N367,935,779.95, said it was allocated for various operational expenses such as aircraft maintenance; spare parts, fueling, Forex purchasing, and insurance premium.

Also, Station Manager of Aero Contractor, Mr. Abdulmalik Musa, said the company received N217,345,542.05 from the government for the COVID-19 intervention fund.

The representative of the Aero said the fund was used for airport handling and facility payment, fueling payment, onboard catering payment, pilot training payments, and lease rental payments.

But a member of the committee and former pilot with the Nigeria Air Force, Hon. Ojuawo Adeniyi, from Ekiti State, faulted the submissions, saying that the services claimed by the operators were applicable only during the regular operations of airlines.

Following this development, a motion was moved by a member, Akiba Bassey,   that the amount involved should be refunded to the Federation Account in seven days if no convincing details of the spendings were provided.

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Just in: Air Peace crashes London flight fare to N1.2m

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Air Peace crashes London flight fare to N1.2m

Travellers on Air Peace London flight will pay N1.2 million and N4 million respectively for Economy and Business classes, with effect from March 30.

The airline announced this in a statement issued on Wednesday in Lagos by its Corporate Communications Lead, Mr Stanley Olisa.

Flight tickets for London in Nigeria are between N2.3 million and N4.2 million for economy and N6 million for business class.

Olisa said the flight schedules for Air Peace London route available on the airline’s website showed that it had crashed the price of its flight tickets.

“A return economy class ticket goes for N1.2 million, while a return business class ticket sells for N4 million.

“Nigerians studying in the United Kingdom can also now access their special 15 per cent rebate on the already reduced economy fares.”

The airline had announced a special fare for Nigerian students in the UK when it hosted travel agents in Lagos in preparation for the launch of the London route.

Olisa also said London would be the airline’s seventh international destination since kicking off operations about 10 years ago.

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Unbelievable: Court had declared Wigwe’s chopper model unsafe for flights, after many crashes – Investigation

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Unbelievable: Court had declared Wigwe’s chopper model unsafe for flights, after many crashes – Investigation

 

A new investigation has revealed that Eurocopter EC 130B4, the aircraft model that Friday crashed and claimed the lives of Herbert Wigwe, Access Holdings CEO, his wife, son and three others, recorded five crashes last year alone.

A report of an investigation released on Monday by FIJ stated that a Nevada judge concurred with the position of relations of a crash victim that the aircraft model was unsafe for air travel as it did not have a crash-resistant fuel system, which was why it regularly burst into flames upon crashing.

It also reported that a similar crash occurred on December 1, 2023, involving the same Eurocopter EC 130B4, which struck power cables during takeoff and crashed into a ball of flames near Ex Hacienda el Hospital, Cuautla, Morelos in Mexico.

Three people died in the accident.

It was the last of 11 crashes involving Airbus models in 2023.

A total of 100 crashes involving the aircraft and previous models manufactured by Airbus Helicopters SAS have been recorded since 1975, according to the investigation.

Wigwe died in the helicopter crash near Interstate 15 in Southern California’s Mojave Desert, and questions were raised over the circumstances surrounding the crash.

The same aircraft model crashed in the Grand Canyon in 2018 and claimed the lives of five people.

Scott Booth, who piloted that flight and managed to survive, told investigators that the aircraft encountered a violent gust of wind before spinning uncontrollably and crashing into flames.

Parents of Jonathan Udall, one of the passengers on the flight, who was on a honeymoon with Eleanor, his wife, had filed a lawsuit against Papillon Airways Inc, the company that owned the aircraft, and the manufacturer.

These plaintiffs argued before the Nevada judge that the aircraft was unsafe for air travel.

In January, the court ordered that Papillon should pay them $24.6 million and Airbus pay $75 million for the loss of their son.

Speaking to the Associated Press after the ruling, Gary Robb, the family’s lawyer, said, “They don’t want anyone else to go through what their son went through in an otherwise survivable accident — not a broken bone. He would have walked away.”

His statement was a nod to the fact that Jonathan did not die as a result of the direct impact of the crash but suffered burns in the explosion, which caused his death days later.

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