NAMA Grounds Oshiomhole’s Helicopter

The last may not have been heard about grounding of aircraft linked to Nigerian Governors as the type of treatment meted out to the Governor of Rivers State, Hon Rotimi Amaechi was on Friday repeated. This time, Governor Adams Oshiomole of Edo State was at the receiving end. In what appears to be a replay of the fate of Rivers Governor, Rotimi Amaechi’s experience with authorities of the Nigeria Airspace Management Authority, when his plane was not allowed to take-off from Akure Airport, Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State suffered a similar fate on Friday, as Nigeria’s airspace authorities forced him to abort the burial ceremony of the wife of Senator Ben Obi. The scheduled helicopter flight was forced to return to Benin Airport for clearance.

The chopper was meant to fly Oshiomhole’s to Awka, Anambra State, to attend the burial ceremony of Obi’s late wife, scheduled for 10am.

Narrating how it happened, the pilot of the helicopter, Captain James Manahash said “I was surprised that I was recalled after taking-off from Government House because I had communicated with the control tower on radio. We were already airborne when we got the call to return to the airport and we were even threatened that failure to do so would lead to complete grounding of the aircraft. The governor prevailed on me to return and listen to them. When we got back to the airport, I was told to pay landing and aerodrome fees which ordinary we could pay later because we were already airborne”.

The pilot however indicated that there might be more to the recall than just the landing as he said “even after completion of the process of payment which was done within 10 minutes, we were still delayed for one hour fifteen minutes. The Governor left in anger after that. I am surprised by this development because this is not the first time I would be coming to Benin to fly the governor”.
Speaking further, the pilot said “I was even threatened, after payment, that the aircraft will be grounded completely if I argued with them. I have flown for 35 years, seven of which I spent in Nigeria and this is the first time I am encountering a situation like this. I do not know what problem they have with the governor.”
When contacted, the Managing Director of OAS Helicopters, Mr Everest Nnaji disclosed that he was yet to find out why the helicopter was prevented from flying. “I am still making calls to find out exactly why they did not allow the pilot fly the helicopter conveying the Governor to Anambra State. I am really angry, I don’t know why they did that and that is why I am still trying to make contact because we have no problems with NAMA”, he said.