The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has refuted claims that the ministry is considering moving a firefighting simulator from the Nigerian College of Technology in Zaria, Kaduna State, to Lagos State.
This denial was made in a statement dated March 3, 2023, by the minister’s Special Assistant on Media and Communications, Tunde Moshood, on Keyamo’s official X account on Monday.
In the statement titled ‘Aviation Ministry Refutes Unsubstantiated Rumour Regarding Movement Of Fire-Fighting Simulator From Zaria To Lagos’, the minister stated that the rumor was fabricated by troublemakers trying to cause chaos in the country.
He also clarified that there is no truth to the rumor, as the person who started it, a member of the House of Representatives, falsely claimed that the ministry was planning to relocate the fire-fighting simulator from the Nigerian College of Technology in Zaria to Lagos State.
The statement reads, “The attention of the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development has been drawn to a video making the rounds of a motion moved on the floor of the House of Representatives by an Honourable member making reference to an unsubstantiated plan by the ministry to move a fire-fighting simulator out of the Nigerian College of Technology, Zaria, to Lagos State and urging the House to restrain the move.
“The rumour is nothing but pure mischief by agents of destabilisation and is untrue. Whilst we acknowledge the patriotism of the House entertaining the motion, we think it was totally unnecessary since the Speaker already had a private audience with the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development a few days ago when this issue came up and the minister assured Mr. Speaker that there was no iota of truth in the rumour.
“The minister further put a call to the Rector of the school who re-assured Mr Speaker that it was an unfounded rumour and purely a mischief. So, why the motion?
“We urge the public to disregard any such rumour and it amounts to grandstanding by anyone still trying to make political gains out of nothing.”
The Northern Elders Forum expressed serious concern on Sunday about the rumored relocation of simulation equipment from the Nigeria College of Aviation Technology in Zaria, Kaduna State.
In a statement issued on Sunday by Abdul-Azeez Suleiman, Director of Publicity and Advocacy/Spokesperson for NEF, the Forum praised the House of Representatives for opposing the relocation plan. This move is especially troubling given the recent transfer of key departments from the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Federal Aviation Authority of Nigeria from Abuja to Lagos.
Suleiman pointed out that these actions suggest a deliberate attempt to weaken Federal institutions in Northern Nigeria.
