4th January, 2014



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APC delegation prevented from landing at Gombe Airport

January 4, 2014 by Niyi Odebode and Okechukwu Nnodim





An aircraft carrying a delegation of the All Progressive Congress was on Thursday  prevented from landing at the Gombe Airport.

Our correspondent learnt on Friday that the aircraft was about to land when the pilot saw that a fire truck was parked at the runway.

The delegation was led by a former Minister of State for Power and Steel, Muritala Aliyu.

It was gathered that the pilot informed the APC leaders that he did not have enough fuel to go to back to Abuja.

 It was learnt that the plane had to go to Bauchi for emergency landing.

The National Publicity Secretary of the party,  Alhaji Lai Mohammed, confirmed the incident, in a telephone interview with one of our correspondents.

He said that the APC officials were going to Gombe for the inauguration of the state interim executive of the party.

According to him, the officials had to go to Gombe from Bauchi by road. There are no night flight facilities at the Bauchi airstrip.

Mohammed described the action of the aviation authorities as political prosecution.

The former minister, who led the delegation, in an interview on Friday, said the aviation authorities should have let the pilot know the condition of the airport before he took off from Abuja.

According to him, the  pilot was in touch with the control towers at the Gombe Airport, adding that that there was no information that Gombe Airport was closed to traffic until they got there.

When contacted the spokesman of the aviation agencies, Mr. Yakubu Dati, told one our correspondents that a notice to all airmen was issued to pilots before the airport was closed.

According to him, the pilot of the chartered aircraft may have chosen not to obey the notice.

He stressed that the occupants of the aircraft may be trying to gain publicity by ignoring professional instruction by the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria.

Politics in nigeria is very intresting.
Why is it that it was only the craft carrying those APC members are having issus with FAAN ?
Who are we to believe ?

Forget politics....a fire truck on the runway? These people are crazy playing with people's lives ooooo

Mynd_44: Forget politics....a fire truck on the runway? These people are crazy playing with people's lives ooooo

nigeria is a very big political jungle.
This kwestion is for illugunboy and his fellow E-idiotic rats.
(1)Was notice given to all pilot or not ?
YES or NO

When contacted the spokesman of the aviation agencies, Mr. Yakubu Dati, told one our correspondents that a notice to all airmen was issued to pilots before the airport was closed

A notice was issued yet the pilots attempted to land at the airport and lai Muhammad is saying that no notice was issued so who do we believe now.

ndala:
When contacted the spokesman of the aviation agencies, Mr. Yakubu Dati, told one our correspondents that a notice to all airmen was issued to pilots before the airport was closed.

According to him, the pilot of the chartered aircraft may have chosen not to obey the notice.

He stressed that the occupants of the aircraft may be trying to gain publicity by ignoring professional instruction by the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria.

APC fools always looking for attention, they would have lost their lives for nothing.

Fire truck on a run-way, so there's no other space where they could have parked the truck... abi??

Ogogoro politics as usual from the PDP...

People and their ridiculousness,

A NOTAM was issued Notice to AIRMEN stating that the runway was closed and inoperable, yet a pilot ignored such and proceeded and when he was turned back and diverted, then they claim it's political prosecution... Smh @ cheap score points.

I don't blame some of you who join political issue with technical matters.when airport service is closed fire trucks are packed beside the runway in case of unfortunate or unapproved landing.The message was properly delivered to them,but the pilot thought he would get late minute clearance due to the high profile passengers.APC is not helping this country at all,they are propaganda specialists.

Garri the 1st: Fire truck on a run-way, so there's no other space where they could have parked the truck... abi??

Ogogoro politics as usual from the PDP...

pls don't celebrate ignorance.this is 2014 not 1914

samuelkaykay: I don't blame some of you who join political issue with technical matters.when airport service is closed fire trucks are packed beside the runway in case of unfortunate or unapproved landing.The message was properly delivered to them,but the pilot thought he would get late minute clearance due to the high profile passengers.APC is not helping this country at all,they are propaganda specialists.

Beside the runway not block the runway. I am not supporting the APC or calling this political madness but blocking a runway is just wrong. What if an aircraft needed to make an emergency landing?

Mynd_44:
Beside the runway not block the runway. I am not supporting the APC or calling this political madness but blocking a runway is just wrong. What if an aircraft needed to make an emergency landing?

You called it an emergency right? Besides, any disabled aircraft using a closed runway should know that casualties abound. There's a reason why they are closed, they could be closed for engineering and construction, repairs and maintenance, and what not.

Mynd_44:
Beside the runway not block the runway. I am not supporting the APC or calling this political madness but blocking a runway is just wrong. What if an aircraft needed to make an emergency landing?

no emergency landing without station permit,that will enable emergency rescue unit to position within the runway.fire truck can be on the track when operation is off,even in Texas .

samuelkaykay: no emergency landing without station permit,that will enable emergency rescue unit to position within the runway.fire truck can be on the track when operation is off,even in Texas .

Do not mind those lying propagandists called APC.
Gombe and Maiduguri airports had been shot down due to security reasons by the military since the latest onslaught by boko haram and those politicians wanted to create a political publicity and went there, na God save them.

Common, seriously? Is this where we have descended to? Parking fire-trucks on runways?
PDP needs to wake up and smell the coffee.

I can see so many nincompoops on this thread, spewing their usual sheet.

donphilopus: I can see so many nincompoops on this thread, spewing their usual sheet.

Don`t run away ooo .....bring on your propaganda and we will keep tearing them to shreds in your faces.

Chylo: Common, seriously? Is this where we have descended to? Parking fire-trucks on runways?
PDP needs to wake up and smell the coffee.

pls dont invite insults,are you deaf?don't you know about the security challenge s in the north?what do you know abt airport security file?if you don't have a good idea pls logout.

samuelkaykay: pls dont invite insults,are you deaf?don't you know about the security challenge s in the north?what do you know abt airport security file?if you don't have a good idea pls logout.

Dude, security challenge made PDP to put fire-truck on the runway? I hail you oh.

Chylo:

Dude, security challenge made PDP to put fire-truck on the runway? I hail you oh.

Guy read the full report without bias naa.... The runway had been closed APC Just like cheap publicity stunt.. I am sure as someone said they hoped to get a last minute approval... Even If there were no fire trucks on the runway... They wouldn't have been able to land ... Cos it had been closed and notice sent out...

enigmang:

Guy read the full report without bias naa.... The runway had been closed APC Just like cheap publicity stunt.. I am sure as someone said they hoped to get a last minute approval... Even If there were no fire trucks on the runway... They wouldn't have been able to land ... Cos it had been closed and notice sent out...

You conveniently decide to ignore this fact in the article right?

ndala: The former minister, who led the delegation, in an interview on Friday, said the aviation authorities should have let the pilot know the condition of the airport before he took off from Abuja.

According to him, the pilot was in touch with the control towers at the Gombe Airport, adding that that there was no information that Gombe Airport was closed to traffic until they got there.

Once they knew it was APC on board, they refused to inform the pilot and then parked fire-truck on the runway knowing they had no fuel to return to Abuja. Height of wickedness, if you ask me.

Chylo:




Once they knew it was APC on board, they refused to inform the pilot and then parked fire-truck on the runway knowing they had no fuel to return to Abuja. Height of wickedness, if you ask me.

Did you read the part where the airport spokesman said an earlier notice was issued to ALL airmen, which the pilot choose to ignore at the instruction of the APC men on board for publicity purpose only.

luvinhubby:
Don`t run away ooo .....bring on your propaganda and we will keep tearing them to shreds in your faces.

What's this odoriferous nitwit spewing??

APC is about to take up their media madness into our Airspace. It must be PDP air traffic controllers that closed the airport just before the APC flying wagon came into the aerodrome air space. Mohamed Lie confirmed it, was he at the control towers when all these happened? The professionally reckless pilot was allowed to land at Bauchi, ‘cos there were no PDP folks in that state. NIGERIA MEDIA, MAKE UNA GROW UP telling childish lies is not journalism, that profession has ethics that govern practitioners.