Keyamo, Air Chief agree on civil-military aviation safety collaboration after deadly NAF crash
Festus Keyamo
Abdullateef Fowewe
Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, and Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, have agreed to deepen collaboration between civil and military aviation authorities following the fatal crash of a Nigerian Air Force aircraft.
The agreement emerged during a condolence visit by Keyamo to the Air Force headquarters in Abuja on Wednesday, days after the October 5 crash of NAF 931, an ATR-42 aircraft, near Igbokoda in Ondo State.
According to a statement shared by Gbenga Saka, Special Assistant on Digital Media to the minister, the visit “quickly moved beyond condolences.”
As Chairman of the Banjul Accord Group Council of Ministers, Keyamo proposed stronger cooperation in safety, training and capacity development.
“In less than 20 minutes, both sides found common ground,” the statement noted.
The Air Chief thanked the minister, saying closer collaboration was something the military had long hoped to achieve.
Keyamo’s message, according to the statement, was straightforward, “When an aviation accident occurs, there are no civilian or military victims — there are Nigerians. We serve the same government, the same people and the same nation.”
In related remarks after the meeting, Keyamo described the incident as a national tragedy and stressed the need to close gaps between the two sectors.
“It is one country, one people. When disaster happens, it affects everybody,” he said, noting that civilians were among those killed in the military aircraft crash and that military personnel can also be involved in civil aviation accidents.
The aircraft, registered NGR 931 / NAF 931, was on a routine flight from Benin to Lagos when it crashed into a swampy area opposite the Naval Base in Igbokoda on the morning of October 5.
The Nigerian Air Force later confirmed that all 25 people on board — five crew members and 20 passengers died.
Search-and-rescue operations found no survivours. An investigation has been ordered.
