Lockdown: Some governors have been denied flight access, says Sirika

Hadi Sirika, minister of aviation, says some governors have been denied access to Abuja since President Muhammadu Buhari ordered a lockdown three weeks ago.

The president had ordered a lockdown in Lagos, Ogun and Abuja to limit the spread of coronavirus.

While responding to questions during the media briefing of the presidential task force (PTF) on COVID-19 in Abuja, on Tuesday, Sirika said the restriction of movement is being followed strictly.

He said a Twitter user had demanded that shuttles of very important persons (VIPs) should be controlled as part of measures to contain the spread of COVID-19.

“Kindly also stop all the VIP shuttles going on. It makes no sense to lock [citizens] up and allow Governors stream in and out of Abuja. In the first instance, they carried this virus into Nigeria. Now running around isn’t OK!” read the tweet he referred to.

Kindly also stop all the VIP shuttles going on. It makes no sense to lock cotizens up and allow Governors stream in and out of Abuja. In the first instance, they carried this virus into Nigeria. Now running around isn’t OK!

— Savanna Princess (@Fadimat34865588) April 20, 2020

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In his response, Sirika said: “I agree with you, however, trust me that whoever is approved to fly privately, Governor or no Governor, is an essential trip and a value addition. 98 percent is related to COVID-19.”

He attributed the increase of flights in Abuja to the rehearsals by the Nigerian Air Force, as well as essential flights which are COVID-19-related.

“This is occasioned by the information dished out by the Nigerian Air Force that they will be carrying out some activity to mark their week, I think tomorrow, so I think maybe a rehearsal on that,” he said.

“But suffice to say that every single flight that you would see, every single one that we would approve, will be an essential flight, and 98 percent of them would be connected to COVID-19; a few of them might be repatriation requests from diplomatic community which must go through foreign affairs, or it might be repatriation due to illness of another kind – medical evacuation – and those evacuations need the stamp of a teaching hospital which we’ve said before.

“There is no exception for governors. I’ve denied several of such flights including two governors from the south-south, two from the south-east, and by the way three of them are members of the APC – I think one is from north-central.

“Just to say that once you see a flight approved, it’s diligently done, must be essential, it must be COVID-19-related, or it’s some other flights like cargo, or to bring in medicines or equipment, or something related to COVID-19 or our own well-being like food and so on and so forth.”