One of the helicopters belonging to the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye, has been reportedly grounded by the federal government for safety reasons.
According to PUNCH, expired papers and spare parts were the causes for the AgustaWestland AW139 chopper to be grounded at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, for the past two weeks. More so, some of its spare parts were reported to be due for replacement.
However, the chopper of Bishop David Oyedepo of Living Faith Church (Winners Chapel) has been an alternative for the RCCG pastor..
The director general of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Musa Nuhu, was said to have confirmed that flights on the aircraft was suspended by the regulatory agency. In response to questions on Adeboye, Nuhu stated that the agency deals directly with the operator and not with owners of aircraft.
Furthermore, he was quoted as saying that before the aircraft would be allowed to resume flights, it must resolve its safety-related issues. He insisted that safety is a prerequisite for all approvals by the regulatory agency. Hence, it will not be sacrificed for any reason.
A top official of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) was said to have confirmed the news, saying, “when it later became obvious that the jet was not cleared to fly, they had to make an alternative arrangement with Bishop Oyedepo’s chopper.”
The airline operating the chopper is Omni-Blu Aviation. A staff at the airline said that the letter which requested the NCAA to permit an extension on the spare parts that are due for replacement came late. The aircraft manufacturers in Italy – Leonardo- was said to have ordered the spare parts. However, they are still awaiting shipping to Nigeria.
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