Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has announced revised penalties for recent cases of passenger misconduct at airports, balancing disciplinary action with corrective measures.
Following consultations with aviation stakeholders, Keyamo stated on Wednesday that both travelers and airline staff shared blame in the incidents.
“Clear wrongs were committed by passengers and airline personnel,” he said, noting that resolutions were influenced by remorse and public appeals.
For Comfort Emmanson, the Ibom Air passenger, detained over an August 10 disturbance, will be freed after the airline withdraws its complaint.
A lifetime flight ban by the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) will also be lifted.
Also, the musician Wasiu Ayinde Marshal’s flight prohibition was cut to one month, and he will collaborate with the Federal Airports Authority (FAAN) as a conduct ambassador.
Similarly, two ValueJet crew members suspended over the KWAM 1 incident will regain their licenses after retraining.
Keyamo mandated immediate retraining for aviation security to improve conflict handling, alongside reviews of airline staff behavior.
“Safety remains non-negotiable,” he warned, signaling tougher enforcement if disruptions persist.
Dele Fashomi, seasoned journalist and communication teacher, is a holder of Master of Arts degree in Communication and Language Arts from the University of Ibadan in 1992/93.
Earlier, he had bagged a Bachelor degree from the same university in 1984, after which he proceeded to the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Lagos, in 1990, for a postgraduate diploma in Journalism.
He had done many courses in communication, including the EU-BBC Editing Course in 2002.
Mr. Fashomi combines effectively the practice, research and teaching of communication. And to date, he has published two academic works in communication: Issues in Communication Technology and Policy (2010) and Economic and Social Issues in Advertising and PR (2013).
He had his first break in the Nigerian media in Concord Newspapers in 1990 and today, he has over two and half decades experience earned in several newspapers.
He has been part of many start-ups, such as The Republic (1987), The Comet (1999), The Anchor 2001 – 2002; Sun Newspapers (2003); Westerner newsmagazine (2005 – 2010) as Editor; National Life (2011) as Sunday Editor, and Newswatch Newspapers (2012- 2016) as Daily Editor.
Dele Fashomi is now the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of Newstide247.com newspaper online, which he started in July 2015. He is also into biography writing, with many books in his trail, some of which he wrote alone and one he co- authored with his mentor, Mr Dare Babarinsa, entitled: Olabiyi Durojaiye – DARE TO BE DiFFERENT. He also guided and collaborated with Pa Olatunji Odusanya in writing his autobiography – AGAINST ALL ODDS. There are many other books in the works under his pen.
