COVID-19: Jet Company Brands Naira Marley ‘Useless’, Says It Mistook Singer For Babatunde Fashola

Executive Jets Services Ltd that airlifted Naira Marley from Lagos to Abuja for a concert, said the controversial singer was mistaken for Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola.

AllNews reports that Marley had flown to Abuja for a drive-in concert organized by Play Network Africa, Traffic Bar, El'Carnival and sponsored by Glenfiddich.

The ‘drive-in’ concert was reportedly under control until fun-seekers flooded the venue in groups, thereby defying the social distancing rules to contain the spread of COVID-19.

This led to controversies on social media street, leading the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) to shut down Jabi Lake Mall where the concert held against the COVID-19 order. The airline was also suspended by the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika.

However, in a letter directed to Sirika, the Executive Jet’s Chief Executive Officer, Sam Iwuajoku apologized on the claims that the singer whose biological name is Azeez Fashola, entered his real name as “Babatunde Fashola” rather than his stage name in the Passenger manifest sent to him before the flight took off.

Describing Marley as a ‘useless person’ Iwuajoku said the flight was initially meant to convey a judge to Abuja.

 “Please the flight was to carry a Judge to Abuja on Sunday 14th, 2020 as requested and permit was granted based on the application, but unfortunately when I called the Judge on Saturday morning to inform him that we have the permit, he then said that he has reached Abuja already with a different flight that someone gave him a lift to Abuja.

“So on Saturday morning 13th June, 2020 my staff called me that they have a charter flight to Abuja and that the passengers are already in the lounge as a rule passenger manifest is always sent to me before any departure, when I went through the manifest and I saw FASHOLA BABATUNDE I thought it was the Honorable Minister of Works going to Abuja with his men, so we decided to do the flight since (he) is a serving minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, I didn’t know that it was a bunch of useless people.

“We are very sorry for this mistake and we promise that this would not happen again.”