Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr Festus Keyamo has insisted that the license given to Living Faith Church, otherwise known as Winners’ Chapel, will not be withdrawn.
In October, the House of Representatives demanded the withdrawal of licenses granted to the church, other private individuals and organisations to safeguard national security.
Keyamo, however, argued that the church has not violated any rules, and stressed that the church adhered to all legal processes before the airstrip was approved.
He spoke on This Morning, an Arise Television programme.
His words: “You can’t single out an individual in a country like this when you have given the same right to so many people and say withdraw that particular one. On what basis?
“The people have not breached any terms upon which we gave them the license. If you single them out, the constitution says you should not discriminate against any Nigerian. They are following the rules.
“It took me one year to approve that airstrip because we went through so many processes. By law, I said the minister would approve. That is what the law says. And it came to me. I looked at all the processes. I approved.
“You cannot take off from any private airstrip in Nigeria and fly outside the country. This is not possible. You must first land at an international airport. You will be well-processed and checked before you fly out. If you are flying in, you must first land at an international airport. You will be processed before you fly to your private airstrip.”
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