Governor Udom Emmanuel failed on Monday to make Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, inspect the Ibom Air fleet during his visit to the state for Thank You Visit and Town Hall meeting in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital.
We gathered that the governor had initially briefed the presidency on the aircraft, claiming that the three aircraft are owned by the state government.
Sources at the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority disclosed that upon application for registration, it was discovered that the three aircraft are owned by a private airliner in Canada.
It was also discovered that the aircraft are on lease for a period of four years.
While the federal government initially commended Udom Emmanuel for the feat, sources reportedly briefed the presidency on the true ownership status of the aircraft.
Efforts by him to convince the Vice President to inspect the fleet was rebuffed by Osinbajo, who was reportedly incensed by his (Udom) insincerity on the issue.
As the vice president landed, the governor attempted to lead him to where the aircraft were parked, but was blocked the VP's security orderlies, since the activity was yanked off the VP's itinerary before his arrival.
Udom exchanged pleasantries with chieftains of the All Progressives Congress (APC) from Akwa Ibom before zooming off in his motorcade.
Checks show that nonregistration of the aircraft boils down to failure to meet the requirement of safety standards and operational experience in Nigeria.
Meanwhile, recruitment by management of Ibom Air has stalled because of the registration hiccups.
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