11 hours ago
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The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has said that Senator Orji Uzor Kalu is in desperate need of media attention.
This comes after Kalu alleged that pilots and cabin crew members in Nigeria are involved in substance abuse.
Responding, Keyamo described the lawmaker’s statement as reckless, baseless, and politically motivated.
In a detailed rebuttal titled “Leadership, Responsibility, and the Recklessness of Words — Setting the Record Straight on Senator Orji Uzor Kalu’s Aviation Allegations,” the Minister’s Special Adviser on Media and Communications, Tunde Moshood, said the Senator’s comments were dangerous and capable of causing panic among the travelling public.
“It is one thing to call for higher standards; it is another to make wild claims without a shred of evidence. The Senator is just desperately in need of media attention,” the statement said.
According to him, Kalu’s statements undermined the credibility of the aviation sector and insulted thousands of professionals who dedicate their lives daily to ensuring passenger safety.
The statement also revisited Senator Kalu’s past in the aviation business, recalling the rise and fall of his defunct airline, Slok Air, founded in 1996.
The airline, though financed in Nigeria, operated primarily from Banjul International Airport in The Gambia and ceased operations in 2008 following financial and management challenges.
