to the COVID-19 pandemic,It was also learnt that some commercial flights that were contracted by foreign missions to evacuate stranded citizens from Nigeria were also being used to convey passengers at an extra fee.
When asked to explain, he stated, “If you own a private jet, all you need to do is write a letter to the minister indicating that you need to travel for medical reasons. And you would be given approval almost immediately. Once you are given the approval, you can add people to the flight under the guise that they are your personal staff or family members.
He explained that when some flights come for evacuation, they also take some Nigerian citizens at a different and more expensive fee. “I know several international airlines that have been doing this. The two biggest culprits are based in Western Europe. They come on a regular basis under the pretext that they want to evacuate and then move Nigerians along with them.”
For instance, the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, moved his wife and two children to the UK on a chartered flight. She wrote, “Thank you lord. My babies are home. When all fails and your dad has to fly a PJ to come get you himself. Captain Matthew Ekeinde, na man you be. This is to appreciate you for being such a superhero. Thank you lord for journey mercies.”One of our correspondents who posed as a businessman, reached out to a travel service firm, Etam Avitat Services Limited, on the availability of flights to the UK.
An official of the Global Links and Services Limited told one of our correspondents on Friday that the Lagos to London flight was scheduled for August 2 and it was a charter flight with economy and business classes. Meanwhile, the official at FlyBoku, said, “The one we did was from Johannesburg to Lagos. For now, we don’t have Lagos to Johannesburg.”
The Director, Public Relations, Federal Ministry of Aviation, James Odaudu, said the ministry was not aware of such incidents at the moment. The Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, said the carrier was also reported to stipulated authorities in the United Kingdom. He said, “When you are very hungry, if they give you garri, it becomes a suitable food, forget about the ban on international flights.
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