91 top affluent Nigerians including some top pastors have been banned by the Federal Government from utilizing their private jets.
The FG has guided the Nigeria Customs Service to ground the 91 personal luxury planes owned by the top rich men over their supposed refusal to pay import duty hurrying to over N30bn.
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This was contained in documents seen by the media.
Accordingly, the Comptroller-General of Customs, Col Hameed Ali, (retd.) following a mandate from the Presidency, has composed a letter to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, and the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency.
He requested that the organizations ground the affected to rich men private jets with immediate impact.
The letter, with reference number NCS/T&T/ACG/042/s.100/VOL.II, which was dated November 2, 2021, was addressed to the Director-General, NCAA, Capt Musa Nuhu.
A duplicate of the letter, which was acquired by one of our reporters, was likewise addressed and shipped off the Managing Director, FAAN, Capt Rabiu Yadudu; and the Managing Director, NAMA, Capt Fola Akinkuotu.
The letter coordinated the aviation organization controller (NCAA), the country’s airspace the board office (NAMA), and air terminal administration office (FAAN), to ground the personal luxury planes belonging to the top pastors and others by denying them authoritative and functional flight clearances endlessly.
Discoveries by our journalist revealed that the letters were gotten by the flight organizations on November 8, 2021.
As per reports located by one of our journalists, the NCS letter to NAMA was conveyed with reference code 19755747 by the dispatch organization, while the NCS letter to FAAN was referred to 19755746 by the messenger firm.
The NCS letter, which was conveyed to the NCAA, was additionally referred to 19755748 by the dispatch firm.
It was titled, ‘Recovery of Aviation Import Duty on Privately Owned Aircraft Operating in the Country.’
The NCAA letter read in part, “The Federal Government in its drive for enhanced revenues has mandated the Nigeria Customs Service to immediately recover from defaulting private aircraft owners the required statutory import duties on their imported aircraft.
“You may wish to recall the verification exercise conducted by the NCS, initially scheduled for a 14 day period, but magnanimously extended over a 60-day period from 7th June through 6 August 2021, following a World Press Conference held on 31st May 2021. The outcome of the aforementioned verification exercise is a compilation of all private aircraft imported into the country without payment of statutory import duty.
“The Nigeria Custom Service, in line with its statutory functions, is empowered by Part 111 Sections 27, 35, 37, 45,46, 47, 52, 56,63 & 64; Part XI Sections 144, 145, 155, 160, 161& 164 and Part XII Sections 167, 168, 169, 173 & 174 of the Customs and Excise Management Act.”
It further read, “In this regard therefore, your full cooperation is being solicited to ensure the success of this initiative and that all such private aircraft owners or representatives are denied administrative and operational flight clearances indefinitely, until an NCS issued Aircraft Clearance Certificate is procured and presented to your organisation as proof of compliance.
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“For the avoidance of doubt, ALL aircraft operated in accordance with the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority’s regulation for the issuance of Permit for Non-Commercial Flight and those issued with Flight Operations Clearance Certificate and Maintenance Clearance Certificate accordingly are affected by this directive.
“Please find attached the list of all verified aircraft and indeed others of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority’s register, which may not have come forward for your record and necessary action. Strict compliance with this directive is to be ensured. Please accept the assurances of my highest regards and esteem as always.”
