Senator Orji Kalu (Abia North) has claimed that some pilots in Nigeria smoke Indian hemp and get ‘high’ before flying.
He said this was one of the major reasons many planes go off the runway while landing.
Kalu, who once owned the defunct SLOK Airlines, made the claim during plenary as senators debated a motion on the need to strengthen aviation safety in Nigeria.
Oyo North senator, Buhari Abdulfatai, sponsored the motion.
Kalu, a former governor of Abia State, criticised aviation regulatory agencies for allegedly failing to properly monitor pilots, claiming that poor oversight had led to unsafe practices.
“I feel that the authorities controlling these pilots are very lousy. I’ve on many occasions stopped to fly because of the inadequacy of the pilots’ preparation. Some of them use Indian hemp and are not properly audited by the authorities.
“I am telling you what I know, because the NCAA and the NAMA and other authorities are not looking after these pilots and checking them for drugs: on the sport assessment. They’re not doing it because it is dangerous, and you see them walking into the aeroplane; nobody checks their blood pressure… nothing, nothing,” he said.
Kalu said modern aircraft, such as Boeing 737-500, are largely automated and should rarely encounter landing problems. He attributed incidents to pilot negligence and drug use.
“Note that most aircraft, 737-500, have an automatic landing gear system. It doesn’t need a pilot to land the plane. What is required to land the plane is a computer and an autopilot. Because some of them are high, they are not going to do this thing. Because any aircraft of a new generation doesn’t need a pilot, they don’t need a pilot to fly.
Landing and take-off are purely automatic.
“So, most of these pilots are careless. I have witnessed some cases when I wanted to fly. I told my pilots… No, no, no, I don’t think you’re normal today. You have to go back home. So, all these agencies must look after these pilots and the cabin staff, because some of them take this Indian hemp like cigarettes. They won’t tell you. If you go close to them, you will smell it, ” he said.
The senator also urged the minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo, to ensure that airport runways are regularly maintained, noting that some are in poor condition.
In his contribution, Gombe Central Senator, Danjuma Goje, described the state of Nigeria’s aviation sector as “frightening,” warning that revealing the full extent of the problems could discourage air travellers.
“Like the previous speaker, I’m not going into details of the problems of the airlines because I think it’s also not good to discuss these kinds of problems in detail, because it will discourage people from flying the Nigerian aircraft,” he said.
Goje, also a former governor of Gombe State, urged the Senate Committee on Aviation to intensify oversight of regulatory agencies such as the NCAA and NAMA to ensure compliance.
While presenting his motion earlier, Abdulfatai referenced a report by the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) on the runway overrun involving an Air Peace Boeing 737-500 at Port Harcourt International Airport on 22 June.
He said the report revealed significant lapses in safety standards, infrastructure management, and operational compliance across the sector.
Senator Yahaya Abdullahi, (Kebbi North), however, proposed an additional prayer to the motion mandating the committee to conduct a thorough investigation into Kalu’s allegations and other related issues in the aviation industry.
The prayer received overwhelming support and was approved by the deputy Senate president, Barau Jibrin, who presided over the session.
