By Uche Mbah
The suspension slammed on ExecuJet, the airline that flew Naira Marley to the controversial concert in Abuja, has been lifted.
The suspension was lifted Monday by the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika.
Government had cited the contravention of the restriction on interstate movement and social distancing last June in suspending the operations of the Airline.
The Minister of Aviation then had said that “The person on that flight conducted a concert. We approved a flight, but certainly not for a musician. The flight was approved to convey Honourable Justice Adefope Okogie from Lagos to Abuja and then back to Lagos for an official assignment. The operation is a clear violation of our approval which we take very seriously. It seems this is becoming a norm. This is the second time. So, Executive Jet Services is hereby suspended indefinitely and they will face the law.”
Sirika, however, said Monday that the ban on the airline has been lifted.
“Today (Monday), we lifted the ban on Executive Air Services Limited. They have complied substantially with all of our imposed sanctions; they’ve paid part of the fines, and they brought up premium plan. So, we have lifted the ban today, so, they continue to do their business”, he said, adding that the sanctions were not punitive, and that “they are things to make our industry work better and keep all of you safe.”.
Recall that the ExecuJet boss, Sam Iwuajoku, had claimed he was deceived into giving the approval for the flight believing that the passenger was the Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, not knowing they were “a bunch of useless people”.
