Babatunde Fashola, the Minister of Construction and Housing, said he had not left the federal capital Abuja since March 22.

The Minister responded to a letter from the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Executive Jets Services Limited, Sam Iwuajoku, concerning the circumstances of a flight from Lagos to Abuja on Saturday.

The PUNCH had previously reported that the airline was suspended by the federal government because a musician, Azeez Fashola aka Naira Marley, and his team had flown to Abuja for a concert.

Aviation Minister Hadi Sirika had announced the suspension on Monday at a briefing of the Presidential Task Force in Abuja.

The chairman of the airline then wrote a letter of apology to Sirika, saying that he had agreed to the flight on the assumption that the passenger was Fashola.

In a statement on Tuesday, Fashola’s Special Advisor on Communication, Hakeem Bello, responded to this,

“The attention of the Office of the Honourable Minister of Labour and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola SAN, has been drawn to a letter signed by the Chairman/CEO of Executive Jets Services Limited, Dr Sam Iwuajoku, concerning a flight he took to Abuja last weekend.

“For the sake of clarity and to set the record straight, the Honourable Minister of Construction and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola SAN, has not travelled from Abuja since 22 March 2020, when he returned there after visiting the construction works at the Enugu Port Harcourt Expressway and visiting Lagos before its closure.

“The Minister of Honor’s decision not to travel was made in strict compliance with the federal government’s travel ban on interstate travel as part of efforts to contain the COVID 19 pandemic.

“It is therefore ridiculous that Dr. Iwuajoku is trying to link the Minister to a non-compliant flight.