Why Nigerian Senate Leader Bamidele, Other 17 Colleagues Were Denied Landing At Taraba Airstrip –Senator Jimkuta
According to reports, the senators were in the state to attend an event hosted by Senator David Jimkuta, who represents Southern Taraba.
The Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, and 17 other senators were reportedly denied landing at the Kashimbilla airstrip in Taraba State on Tuesday.
Kashimbilla, an airstrip in Taraba State, Nigeria, is currently undergoing upgrades to become a cargo and agro-allied airport as part of a public-private partnership (PPP).
The airstrip was originally built by General Theophilus Danjuma in Takum Local Government Area.
According to reports, the senators were in the state to attend an event hosted by Senator David Jimkuta, who represents Southern Taraba.
Clarifying the incident, Jimkuta stated that his colleagues were unable to attend the function due to operational safety requirements. He explained that landing approval was necessary before the aircraft could depart from Abuja.
The spokesperson for the senator, Adi Useni, said “Flights could not be operated on the scheduled date because the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) required at least two weeks to conduct necessary tests on the control towers to ensure operational safety as the reason many of the senator’s colleagues were not present at the occasion.”
“Senator Jimkuta commended the Honourable Minister of Aviation for working tirelessly to ensure that landing approval was granted as quickly as possible,” he said.
He further clarified that “at no point did the Senator accuse any individual or entity of deliberately denying him or his colleagues access to the airport”.
When asked if he believed the action was intentional, he firmly stated, “It was a matter of safety, and safety must always be paramount in aviation operations.”
On Tuesday, Senator Jimkuta expressed frustration over the denial of landing clearance for an aircraft carrying 18 senators, including Senate Majority Leader Bamidele, at Kashimbila Airstrip.
The senators were scheduled to attend the unveiling of his empowerment programme in his senatorial district.
Jimkuta alleged that the state authorities deliberately blocked the aircraft from landing in an attempt to frustrate his multi-billion naira empowerment initiative, which he launched to benefit his constituents in Taraba South during his nearly two years in office.
Speaking in Wukari, where he distributed empowerment kits to residents of Wukari, Takum, Donga, Ibbi, and Ussa Local Government Areas, Jimkuta explained that the visiting senators were not only invited to witness the program but also to assess firsthand some of his proposed legislations at the National Assembly.
