Babatunde Fashola, the former Lagos Governor and current Minister of Works and Housing, has responded to a letter written by the Chairman of Executive Jets Services, Sam Iwuajoku, apologizing to the Federal Government for his company’s involvement in conveying singer Naira Marley to Abuja from Lagos for a concert, in violation of COVID-19 guidelines.
According to Fashola, he has not traveled out of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, since March 22, so it is absurd to link him with the flight that carried the singer.
On Monday, the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, announced the suspension of Executive Jets Services during a Presidential Task Force briefing in Abuja. This led the chairman of the company to apologize, stating that he mistakenly approved the flight, thinking the passenger was the minister Fashola, as the flight manifesto contained the name Babatunde Fashola, unaware that it was Naira Marley’s brother who also goes by the name Babatunde Fashola.
In response to this, Fashola’s Special Adviser on Communications, Hakeem Bello, said in a statement on Tuesday,
“The attention of the Office of the Honourable Minister of Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola SAN, has been drawn to a letter signed by the Chairman/CEO of Executive Jets Services Limited, Dr Sam Iwuajoku concerning a flight it operated to Abuja last weekend.
“For purposes of clarity and in order to set the records straight, the Hon. Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola SAN, has not traveled out of Abuja since March 22, 2020, when he returned there after an inspection tour of the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway construction work and a visit to Lagos, before the lockdown.
“The decision of the Hon. Minister not to travel was taken in strict compliance with the Federal Government’s ban on inter-state travels as part of efforts to control the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It is therefore preposterous for Dr. Iwuajoku to attempt to link the Hon. Minister with any non-compliant flight.”