ABEOKUTA – The Ogun State Government has officially debunked reports suggesting that safety or infrastructural deficiencies at the newly commissioned Gateway International Airport (GIA), Iperu, led to the relocation of Hajj pilgrims to Lagos for their journey to Saudi Arabia.
In a press statement released by the Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Hon. Kayode Akinmade, the government characterized recent media reports alleging a “rejection” of the facility by Saudi airline Flynas as a gross distortion of facts.
Logistics, Not Infrastructure
According to the state, the decision to move the second batch of pilgrims to Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos was a purely logistical adjustment necessitated by international aviation scheduling. The government clarified that the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) had engaged Max Air for the GIA operations. However, Saudi aviation authorities were unable to secure a landing slot for the carrier within the required timeframe.
With the scheduling conflict arising just two weeks before departure, NAHCON redirected the pilgrims to Lagos as a practical measure to ensure they reached the Holy Land on schedule.
A Proven Track Record
”Flynas did not reject the Gateway International Airport on grounds of safety or operational limitations,” Akinmade stated, noting that the first batch of pilgrims had already departed successfully from the Iperu facility. This initial flight was hailed as a historic milestone for the state’s aviation sector.
The government further emphasized the airport’s credentials:
- Commissioning: Officially opened on April 4, 2026, by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
- Certification: Fully approved by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and compliant with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards.
- Capacity: The runway is engineered to handle wide-body aircraft, including the Boeing 747 and the Airbus A380.
- Technology: Equipped with a CAT II Instrument Landing System (ILS) and state-of-the-art weather monitoring equipment.
Call for Verifiable Reporting
The statement underscored that the facility has undergone rigorous technical and safety audits since 2025 and has successfully received presidential flights. The government argued that no regulatory body would permit such operations if the airport lacked the necessary safety benchmarks.
While reaffirming its support for a free press, the Ogun State Government urged media outlets to verify technical details before publication to avoid misleading the public on sensitive matters of national infrastructure and international relations.
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