Sam Iwuajoku the Chief Executive Officer of Executive Jets Services Ltd, the airline that conveyed Naira Marley and BBnaija star Kim Oprah to Abuja, says he wasn’t aware his airline was being used to fly ‘useless people.’
According to him, he approved the use of the the airplane thinking it was meant to convey the Minister of Works Babatunde Fashola to Abuja.
The airline has since been suspended for flouting the federal government’s directive on suspension of local flights as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak in the country.
In a letter seen by odunews.com and written to the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, Executive Jet CEO Mr Sam Iwuajoku apologised for giving approval for the flight as he was unaware it was going to convey “a bunch of useless people.”
He said, “We hereby apologise for the above flight with your permit ref: FMA/ATMD/0175/V/V/1268 dated 11th June 2020.
“Please the flight was to carry a judge to Abuja on Sunday, 14th, June 2020 as requested and the permit was granted based on the application but unfortunately, when I called the Judge on Saturday morning to inform him that we have the permit, he then said he has reached Abuja already with a different flight that someone gave him a lift to Abuja.
“So, on Saturday morning, 13th June 2020, my staff called me that they have a charter flight to Abuja, and that the passengers are already in the lounge. As a rule, passenger manifests are always sent to me before departure.
“When I went through the manifest and saw FASHOLA BABATUNDE, I thought it was the Honourable Minister of Works going to Abuja with his men. So, we decided to do the flight since he is a serving minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. I didn’t know that it was a bunch of useless people.
“We are very sorry for this mistake and we promise that this would not happen again.”
