BENIN CITY— CHAIRMAN of the first indigenous Nigerian Airline, the Okada Airlines, Chief Gabriel Igbinedion, yesterday, queried the parameters adopted by the Federal Government in granting licence to five indigeneous airline operators to ply some African routes.
The business magnate who is the father of Governor Lucky Igbinedion of Edo State said the whole process was ethnicised and politicised by government officials, wondering how the five airlines which operational facilities could not be compared in standard to those of Okada Airlines were granted licence and his airline rejected.
An angry Esama of Benin who spoke to newsmen in Benin City over the denial of licence to his Okada Group said he had looked at the conditions for granting the licence and could not comprehend why his airline was left out. His allegation of bias against the Federal Government has also raised further questions on the continued closure of Slok Airlines, owned substantially by the Abia State governor, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu.
He (Igbinedion) was shocked that the Okada Group with 46 aircraft comprising two Boeing 747, the largest in Africa was rejected while some others from some particular geographical locations with less facilities and not currently flying were granted the bid to fly some African routes.
Chief Igbinedion asserted that the denial of licence to his airline to fly some African routes smacks of injustice, resulting from the ethnic card played by some people in authority. He said he was aware that some of his business enemies used his pilots to ground some of his aircraft and condemned the politicisation and ethnicisation of issuance of licence by government.
The Esama said that he refused to sell his aircraft, some of which were grounded and parked in the hanger of the Benin Airport when he was allegedly approached recently by the Aviation Minister because he wanted them to address the injustice meted to him.
The Okada Airlines from which motorcycle operators took their name “okada” has not been in operation for some years now due to some technical problems that led to the closure of the company. The Esama was understood to be keen on reviving the Okada Airlines and was of a very strong hope that his company would be granted licence to fly some African routes to enable him stage a comeback.
