The federal government said it declined the requests of five governors to travel by air in compliance with the travel restrictions imposed in the country to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, disclosed this yesterday at a press conference in Abuja.
Sirika explained that two governors from the South-east, one from the North-central and another two from the South-south regions had made requests to travel by air but he turned the requests down in strict compliance with the federal government’s flight restriction policy.
The minister, however, did not explain whether the governors wanted to travel out of the country or they wanted to travel locally.
Sirika also said that government was very strict about flight restrictions in Nigeria’s airspace, noting that concessions were only allowed on COVID-19 related flights, which might include the movement of medical personnel, medical supplies or related cargo.
He added that the other approvals, which might be one per cent of the air movement during the closure of Nigeria’s airspace was for the evacuation of foreigners by their countries.
“There is no exception given to governors. I had denied several of such flights, including two governors from the South-south, two from South-east and one from the North-central; by the way, three of them are members of APC. This is just to say that once you see a flight approval, just know that it is diligently done, it must be essential, it must be COVID-19-related or some other flights like cargo that will bring in medicines or equipment or something related to our own well-being like food,” he said.