2 days Ago By Olusegun Koiki
– Kicks Against Planned Splitting Of NCAT Into Regions LAGOS – Capt Bala Jibrin, a former Director in the Ministry of Aviation, has petitioned President Bola Tinubu, over the approval of airstrip for Cannanland, the property belonging to Pastor David Oyedepo’s Living Faith Church in the Ota area of Ogun State. The aviation expert also kicked against the planned regionalisation of the Nigerian College of Aviation technology (NCAT), Zaria into six geopolitical zones. These were contained in an open letter Tinubu, dated April, 6, 2025 and obtained by Daily Independent .
Jibrin insisted that there was no justification for the approval of airstrip for the church, citing numerous security challenges in the country. He expressed that the siting of a fourth airstrip within Lagos and Ogun was a disaster in the waiting, saying that the axis was already choked up. He explained that the existing three Airport Traffic Areas between Lagos, Ogun and Ibadan also overlapped.
He added that on completion, the airstrip would be in the hands of non-state actors, maintaining that airports/airstrips in the hands of non-state actors were very dangerous gambles with national security, safety of air navigation and air traffic control in the busiest corridor of the Nigerian airspace. Jibrin also argued that there was no evidence of extreme need and urgency for the granting of the permit to an individual to operate his jet into and out of the airstrip. He explained that despite the busy schedule of President Tinubu, he still drives from Aso Villa to the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja for departures and vice-versa.
This, he pointed out, also applies to the 36 state governors of the federation, including traditional rulers of different classes, wondering why an individual could not do the same. He recalled that just a few years ago, a Reverend who flew out of Nigeria in his private jet through Abuja airport was apprehended in South Africa for alleged money laundering and caught with the sum of $10 million after being frisked. He added: “Why must the Bishop fly out from his church? Mr.
President, only a few years ago, a reverend flew out of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, with the sum of US $10 million in the baggage hold of his private jet. Only to be arrested and detained at a South African Airport. With all the security and detection tools at the NAIA, Abuja, no one detected anything foul with the $10 million cargo.
“Imagine Mr. President, sir, if it were the Sultan, Shehu of Borno or the Emir of Bauchi that was caught with the $10 million raw bank notes, and that the white man with the reverend was an Arab or worse still an Iranian or Pakistani; would the said story be forgotten? “Mr. President, sir, an airstrip in the hands of non-state actors must not be allowed.
Let’s look at this simple analogy, sir. We need a 1,600km road network to drive to Maiduguri from Lagos. This will take anywhere between 24 – 30 hours of driving, rest, food, fueling stops & more.
However, all that is needed is a 2km stretch of a runway and an aircraft would take off, fly for 12 hours and land in New York or Washington DC; in 10 hours to Brazil or India. This is how dangerous a runway/airstrip can be.” Mr.
Festus Keyamo, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, had confirmed the approval of an airstrip for Oyedepo a few months ago. Also, on the planned splitting of NCAT into six regions, Jobrin described the move as a balkanisation of the premier aviation college in Nigeria, alleging that it had political undertones. Jibrin said that NCAT with its six schools – Flying, Air Traffic Control, Engineering, Aeronautical Communication, Aviation Management and Emergency and Safety, all interface with one and other.
He maintained that none of the six schools could stand alone as a unit, insisting that splitting them into geopolitical zones would affect the quality of training offered by the college. Jibrin insisted that splitting the college into six geopolitical zones was ill-motivated and politically a wrong decision. The Federal Government had in the 2025 budget proposal to the National Assembly, decentralized NCAT, splitting its campuses into the six geopolitical zones in the country.
The government had said that the decision was aimed at ensuring efficiency, national coverage and smooth operations of the college. According to the plan, NCAT would now have its campuses in Akure (Southwest), Osubi (South-South), Ebonyi (Southeast), Ilorin (North Central), Yola (NorthEast) and Zaria (NorthWest)..
