Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has affirmed that the license issued to Bishop David Oyedepo‘s Living Faith Church, popularly called Winners’ Chapel, will remain intact.
Naija News recalls that in October, the House of Representatives called for the revocation of licenses granted to the church and other private entities and organizations, citing concerns for national security.
Keyamo, however, contended that the church had not breached any regulations and emphasized that it had complied with all legal requirements before the airstrip was approved.
He maintained that it would be discriminatory to single out a person and revoke his licence when the exact right had been given to others.
Naija News reports that Keyamo made these remarks during an appearance on This Morning, an Arise Television-era program.
The Minister said: “You can’t single out an individual in a country like this when you have given the same right to so many people and say withdraw that particular one. On what basis?
“The people have not breached any terms upon which we gave them the license. If you single them out, the constitution says you should not discriminate against any Nigerian. They are following the rules.
“It took me one year to approve that airstrip because we went through so many processes. By law, I said the Minister would approve. That is what the law says. And it came to me. I looked at all the processes. I approved.
“You cannot take off from any private airstrip in Nigeria and fly outside the country. This is not possible. You must first land at an international airport. You will be well-processed and checked before you fly out. If you are flying in, you must first land at an international airport. You will be processed before you fly to your private airstrip.”
