Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has denied claims that his ministry has finalized plans to relocate a firefighting simulator from the Nigeria College of Aviation Technology (NCAT) located in Zaria, Kaduna State to Lagos State.
The Minister debunked the claims while reacting to a statement by the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) faulting the alleged relocation plans and free there was no truth in the rumours.
The NEF statement issued by its Director of Publicity and Advocacy, Abdul-Azeez Suleiman, condemned the said plans by saying it raises serious concerns about an intentional effort to undermine federal institutions located in Northern Nigeria.
Meanwhile, in a statement issued by Special Assistant on Media and Communications, Tunde Moshood, which was posted on Keyamo’s official X account, the Minister said the rumours were “pure mischief by agents of destabilization.”
The statement titled ‘Aviation Ministry Refutes Unsubstantiated Rumour Regarding Movement Of Fire-Fighting Simulator From Zaria To Lagos’, noted that there was no iota of truth in the rumour because the originator, who is a member of the House of Representatives, referred to an unsubstantiated plan by the ministry to relocate the fire-fighting simulator out of the Nigerian College of Technology, Zaria to Lagos.
The statement read: “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 destabilization 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.”
