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.
The PUNCH reports 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, it was not possible to 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 otyn 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.”
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