President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has granted exemption on foreign travels to the aviation sector for safety reasons, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr. Festus Keyamo, has disclosed.

Keyamo stated that after the federal government had placed a ban on foreign trips for government functionaries, he wrote a memo to the president on behalf of the aviation industry stating why the sector should be exempted, disclosing the president graciously granted the approval.

He spoke on Saturday night during a dinner and award ceremony to mark 25 years anniversary of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).

The minister also declared at the forum that there were several attempts to kill the NCAA including through the recommendation of Steve Oransaye’s report which advocated the merger of the aviation regulatory body with the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA).

It would be recalled that Tinubu had last year placed a temporary ban on all foreign trips by ministers and other government officials.

Tinubu gave the directive via a letter by his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, addressed to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume.

In the letter, dated 12 March 2024, Tinubu put an embargo on all foreign trips but it was stated that an exemption could be given to “trips deemed absolutely necessary”.

It was observed that despite the ban, Keyamo embarked on several foreign trips. It was after the memo that he travelled to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic for the ICAO World Aviation Forum.

He was also in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for the Future Aviation Forum in May; Johannesburg for the IATA Wings of Change Focus Africa Conference in South Africa in July, among others which confirmed the exemption reportedly granted to the industry.

The minister at the forum reiterated that he sought the exemption on foreign trips which the president granted for safety reasons and to ensure that the training of manpower is kept alive.

He said, “I am sure you know that the president has directed that foreign travels should stop except on exceptional circumstances. Last year, there was a memo stopping foreign travels for three months….

“Despite that memo last year, he made an exemption to the aviation ministry. I wrote a memo to him after that directive on behalf of the entire aviation sector, explaining that because of the safety of the industry, you need to make some exemptions and the President graciously granted this.”

Keyamo described NCAA as a child of God, saying the authority survived several turbulent moments and attempts to kill it.

“The NCAA is a child of God that despite turbulent waters and attempts sometimes to kill the NCAA, the NCAA has survived 25 years.

I am sure you know that any child born 25 years ago, that of course is undoubtedly an age of maturity. By then you would have graduated, served and started working at 25 if everything goes well.

“Unknown to you and maybe known to a few people, you know the Oronsaye’s report also recommended the merger of NCAA and NAMA and so that was also another attempt to kill the NCAA, that report was passed on from Jonathan’s government to Buhari’s government and then to the present government.

“And so, throughout the tenure of the Buhari government, we couldn’t consider that report, incidentally I was the only surviving minister from Buhari to this government. So, I was part of that government and it came up a few times in council but we couldn’t consider it. Guess what, it was one of the first items we considered in this government. So, the Oransaye report came up that day and I was ready with my battle hat and so the President went on and on, considered every item on the Oransaye report and asked the council to vote. For each item, they would listen to the ministers.

“And so, they came to aviation, and the President said, merge of NCAA and NAMA as one body. Then I raised my hand? I said, Sir, I spoke for about five minutes. And because we have a wonderful president who listens to you, knows good counsel and good arguments. After I finished speaking, he said, item “dropped” NCAA and NAMA will remain,” he said.

Keyamo earlier at the 25th anniversary symposium with the theme “Human Capital Development: Upskilling the Next Generation of Aviators,” says aviation safety remains the priority of the federal government.

Represented by the permanent secretary at the ministry, Dr. Ibrahim Abubakar Kana, the minister also highlighted the importance of upskilling aviation professionals to meet the evolving demands of the sector.

He commended the NCAA for its achievements over the past 25 years but stressed the need for sustained efforts.

“Whilst NCAA has achieved maximum success over the past 25 years, sustaining these accomplishments requires a deliberate focus on safety planning, stakeholder collaboration, and adoption of innovative practices, especially focusing on training and retraining,” he stated. (Daily Trust)