At least six planes
full of passengers were made to hover around the Murtala Muhammed International
Airport in Lagos, western Nigeria, on 20 September to allow President Goodluck
Jonathan and his advanced team solely use the airspace.
The process,known as
VIP movement, lasted for about two hours, starting some minutes to 9:00 a.m.
and ending after 11:00 a.m.
A VIP movement in
Nigeria’s aviation parlance means that the airspace is closed to other
commercial or private planes until the VIP has landed and is away from the
apron. Continue..
During such movements,
other planes are made to hover except if there is an emergency.
The risky incident
happened while President Jonathan was visiting the Synagogue Church of All
Nations where a guesthouse collapsed on 12 September and killed at least 115
people most of them South Africans.
The airspace was first
closed some minutes to 9:00 a.m. for the President advanced team. It was opened
for some minutes but closed again almost immediately.
A Dana plane scheduled
to leave Lagos for Abuja at 9:00 a.m. did not take off until minutes after
11:00 a.m.
The aircraft had to be
refuelled to compensate for the two hours lost while the VIP movement lasted.
A Lagos – Abuja flight
last only about an hour, and the aircraft is fuel sufficiently enough for that
distance.
When the airspace was
reopened, our correspondent counted at least six big planes that landed before
other parked aircraft were allowed to proceed.
VIP movements are not
new in Nigeria and did not start with the administration of Jonathan, but many
Nigerians have said the risk for hundreds of passengers in hovering planes
outweigh the benefits.
This, they say, is
also because many people are not yet convinced that the Nigerian Airspace is
safe again.
But a security
official who wanted to remain anonymous said with current security challenges
in Nigeria, VIPs should be adequately protected.
He said there was
nothing wrong in protecting the life of the president, especially as he puts
his own life on the line to protect Nigerians.
VIP movement also
covers the wife of the president, Patience, other heads of state and some high
ranking political office holders.
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