The Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, has said the aircraft that conveyed controversial singer Abdulafeez Fashola aka Naira Marley to Abuja despite the ban on interstate travelling was given approval for another purpose.
Naira Marley, a popular artiste and controversy magnet, was seen in a viral video on Sunday performing at a concert at the Jabi Lake Mall in violation of the ban on large gathering. Several social media users wondered how the singer who resides in Lagos travelled to Abuja amid inter-state travel ban.
Special Assistant to the President on New Media, Tolu Ogunlesi, in a series of tweets on Monday quoted the Minister as saying the airline operator ExecuJet was given approval to convey a service Justice from Lagos to Abuja however, violated the approval.
Ogunlesi tweeted “The flight was approved for a different purpose, to convey a service Justice from Lagos to Abuja and back, on official assignment. (Judiciary considered essential services). Flight operator violated approval.”
The Minister revealed that the aviation company have been suspended indefinitely from operating and will also be fined.
“Flight Captain will also be sanctioned for providing false information,” the statement read.
Meanwhile, ExecuJet has denied operating a flight to Abuja over the weekend.
One of the airline’s representatives who refused to reveal his name told Neusroom in a telephone conversation: “We've more than 100 aircrafts in Lagos and it would have been easier if the Minister revealed the registration number of the aircraft he claimed embarked on the trip.”
When asked if the airline was issued an approval to travel to Abuja and when last it operated a flight to Abuja, the representative said it is “a classified information, I can’t reveal that.”
In April, Naira Marley escaped the wrath of the law after attending the in-house birthday party of Abdulrasheed Bello aka JJCSkillz at Amen Estate in Lagos during the lockdown. While JJC Skillz and his wife Funke Akindele were sentenced to 14 days community service and fined N100,000 each, the Lagos State government withdrew charges against him after agreeing to apologise to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and President Muhammadu Buhari for violating the restriction on large gathering and movement within the state.
A viral video showing Naira Marley singing at the Abuja concert at the weekend sparked social media outrage. While some are calling for his arrest, others believe Naira Marley wouldn’t have flouted the order if the government and top government officials have also been obeying the law.
In April, when previous Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari, the crowd at his funeral led by Boss Mustapha, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation who also doubles as the Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, flouted COVID-19 rules on ban on large gathering and social distancing.
A few days ago, there were reports that President Buhari’s new Chief of Staff, Ibrahim Gambari has been travelling to Lagos every weekend to see his family despite the ban on interstate travel. The President’s daughters Zahra and Halima were also reported to have flew out of Abuja recently despite the lockdown.
These are some of the instances cited by social media users in defense of Naira Marley as they claimed since those who are supposed to uphold and enforce the law have been hypocritical about it, other citizens would also tread their path.