Nigeria’s House of Representatives has directed the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Management to halt the issuance of airstrip licenses to private individuals and organizations, including revoking existing approvals in order to tighten national security.

This decision directly affects a Religious Leader and Founder of Living Faith Church, Bishop David Oyedepo, whose ministry recently received approval for an airstrip at Canaanland, Ota, Ogun State.

The House’s resolution followed a motion by Hon. Sulaiman Gumi during Wednesday’s plenary session, where he raised alarm over the potential security risks associated with private airstrips.

Citing an incident from 2014, Gumi reminded the House of a case involving a prominent religious leader’s jet found transporting $9.3 million to South Africa allegedly for arms purchase—a controversy that highlighted how private aircraft could evade scrutiny and enable illegal transactions.

Gumi argued that private airstrips could facilitate the unchecked flow of firearms, ammunition, and illicit drugs, worsening Nigeria’s challenges with insurgency, banditry, and kidnapping.

He noted that these airstrips could undermine efforts to curb the spread of weapons fueling violence across the country, risking lives and destabilizing the economy.

Following Gumi’s motion, the House unanimously resolved to call on the Aviation Ministry, led by Festus Keyamo, to retract airstrip licenses granted to any private entities and ordered its Committees on Aviation and Legislative Compliance to monitor enforcement of this directive.