Nigeria Aviation Minister Reassures Nigerians

The Nigerian aviation industry in 2013 like other sectors witnessed a lot of events; some healthy and laughable while others are nauseating and unbelievable. Some of these events provide stakeholders, experts and analysts issues to discuss on daily basis.
The 2013 major events in the Nigerian aviation industry started with the grounding of the Bombardier Global Express aircraft with registration number 5N565RS that was to convey the Governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi, at Akure Airport, on April 26, 2013, by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), after he attended the burial of the former Deputy Governor of Ekiti State, Mrs. Funmi Olayinka, in Ado Ekiti.
The crisis generated a lot of controversy between the Rivers State and Federal Government.
However, Director of Air Worthiness Standards, NCAA, Engr. Benedict Adeyileka, said in a statement that the decision to ground the plane was reached because it was sighted in several places such as Owerri and Akure after the clearance approval given to the aircraft by NCAA record expired on April 2.
Similarly, on June 7, 2013, the Federal Government grounded a helicopter chartered by Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomole, at the Benin Airport.
Oshiomole and some aides were said to be on their way from Government House, Benin to Awka, Anambra State in the chartered OAS helicopter with registration No 5N-BPX AS335 for the burial of Mrs. Collette Obi, the wife of the Special Adviser to the President on Inter-Party Affairs, Senator Ben Obi when aviation authority recalled the helicopter to Benin Airport.
The General Manager, Public Affairs, Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, Supo Atobatele, confirmed the incident but added that the helicopter was not grounded .He said that the pilot failed to pay charges and submit manifest.
Atobatele said, "Again, the pilot refused to pay our charges. He refused to pay because he was carrying a governor. You are carrying a governor doesn't mean that you cannot pay our charges. But the fact still remains that the pilot refused to do the needful and it is a commercial helicopter. He has to pay the adequate navigational charges; and because he was carrying a governor he refused to pay, so we had no option but to ground the helicopter."
Though the grounding of Amaechi's aircraft and Oshiomole's helicopter were later settled, there were however insinuations in some quarters that the grounding was politically motivated, but NAMA had since said that its action was not politically motivated.
Another incident of note is the stowaway in August 26, 2013. On that day a teenage stowaway, Master Daniel Ohikhena, beat the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) Aviation Security (AVSEC) at the Benin Airport and secretly hid himself in the wheel compartment of Arik Air aircraft to Lagos and was arrested at the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA), Lagos.
Ohikhena it was gathered stowed into the wheel compartment of the aircraft in Benin without any form of documentation or security checks.