Aviation: Nigerian lawmaker claims some pilots smoke Indian hemp before flying aircraft

Abia North Senator, Orji Kalu, on Wednesday, alleged that some pilots flying aircraft in Nigeria smoke Indian hemp and get ‘high’ before operating flights.

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He said this was one of the major reasons many planes run off the runway while landing.

Mr Kalu, who once owned the now-defunct SLOK Airlines, made the claim during plenary as senators debated a motion on the need to strengthen aviation safety in Nigeria.

The motion was sponsored by the Oyo North senator, Buhari Abdulfatai.

Mr Kalu, a former Abia State governor, criticised aviation regulatory agencies for allegedly failing to properly monitor pilots, claiming that poor oversight had led to unsafe practices.

“I feel that the authorities guiding these pilots, some of them are very lousy. I’ve on many occasions stopped to fly because of the inadequacy of the pilots’ preparation. Some of the pilots are not prepared. Some of them use Indian hemp. Yes, it’s true. Some of them smoke Indian hemp, and some of them are not properly audited by the authorities.

“I am telling you what I know, because the NCAA and the NAMA and other authorities are not looking after these pilots and checking them for drugs, on the sport assessment. They’re not doing it because it is dangerous, and you see them walking into the airplane, nobody checks their blood pressure, nobody checks anything, nothing, nothing,” he said.

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Mr Kalu said modern aircraft, such as Boeing 737-500, are largely automated and should rarely encounter landing problems. He attributed incidents to pilot negligence and drug use.

“Note that aircraft, most of them, 737-500, have an automatic landing gear system. It doesn’t need a pilot to land the plane. What is needed to land the plane is a computer and, autopilot. Because some of them are high, they are not going to do this thing. Because any aircraft that is of a new generation doesn’t need a pilot. They don’t need a pilot to fly. Landing and take-off are purely automatic.

“So most of these pilots are so careless. I have witnessed, I have seen by myself, I have come to fly, I told my pilots, I said, No, no, no, I don’t think you’re normal today. You have to go back home. So all these agencies must come back home to look after these pilots, and what do you call them, and the cabin staff, because some of them take this Indian hemp like cigarettes. They won’t tell you. If you go close to them, you will smell it. ”

The senator also urged the Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo, to ensure that airport runways are regularly maintained, noting that some are in poor condition.

“So, the NCAA must come back to its duty. Because, again, the Minister of Aviation must be forced to do a quarterly (review) of the runway. Some of the runways are not in good shape. Nigeria must preserve to service the runways, he added.

Frightening situation

In his contribution, Gombe Central Senator, Danjuma Goje, described the state of Nigeria’s aviation sector as “frightening,” warning that revealing the full extent of the problems could discourage air travellers.

“Like the previous speaker, I’m not going into details of the problems of the allies because I think it’s also not good to discuss these kinds of problems in detail, because some of these things will discourage people. It’s very frightening and it will discourage people from flying the Nigerian aircraft,” he said.

Mr Goje, also a former governor of Gombe State, urged the Senate Committee on Aviation to intensify oversight of regulatory agencies such as the NCAA and NAMA to ensure compliance and accountability..

“So I think the important thing is for the committee to seriously do an oversight as requested if the NCAA, the NAMA, are not doing that. Their job of the committee is to go and find out and report back, and then we take necessary action. We don’t play with aviation because it’s a matter of life and death. Any small mistake will lead to loss of lives,” he said.

The motion

While presenting his motion earlier, Mr Abdulfatai referenced a report by the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) on the runway overrun involving an Air Peace Boeing 737-500 at Port Harcourt International Airport on 22 June.

He said the report revealed significant lapses in safety standards, infrastructure management, and operational compliance across the sector.

The senator expressed concern that runway-related incidents, near misses, and other safety issues were becoming increasingly common and could erode public confidence if not urgently addressed.

He therefore urged the Senate to direct its Committee on Aviation to engage relevant stakeholders, including the NSIB, NCAA, FAAN, NAMA, and airline operators, to ensure the full implementation of safety recommendations and report back within six weeks.

Additional prayer

Kebbi North Senator, Yahaya Abdullahi, however, proposed an additional prayer to the motion mandating the committee to conduct a thorough investigation into Mr Kalu’s allegations and other related issues in the aviation industry.

The prayer received overwhelming support and was approved by the Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin, who presided over the session.

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“We should not handle it with levity. If we do that, then we’ll be injuring our economy, injuring the lives of our people. Very, very important. And I commend the Senate for the prayer being adopted that a thorough investigation should be made to unravel what is happening within that sector.

“I know it’s (committee) headed by someone who is very, very diligent and reliable, a consummate legislator with experience who studied from the House of Reps to the Senate. I know he’s going to do a good job with the members of the committee. Please do a wonderful job and submit your report within four weeks,” Mr Jibrin said.