ABUJA, Nigeria — Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has ordered the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to place popular Fuji musician Wasiu Ayinde, also known as KWAM 1, on a no-fly list following a safety violation at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.
The directive, announced via Keyamo’s official X (formerly Twitter) account on Thursday, August 7, 2025, also requires the NCAA to notify all domestic and international airlines immediately.
Any carrier allowing Ayinde to fly risks losing its operating licence.
The ban stems from an altercation on Tuesday, 7 August, 2025, involving Ayinde and two pilots from ValueJet Airlines—Captain Oluranti Ogoyi and First Officer Ivan Oloba—whose licences were suspended over the incident.
Video footage showed Ayinde blocking the aircraft’s path on the tarmac, preventing it from taxiing.
Keyamo condemned the actions of both parties, calling the musician’s behaviour “totally unacceptable” and “akin to a hostage situation.”
He stated that the pilots also violated safety protocols by attempting to taxi while Ayinde remained near the aircraft.
In his statement, Keyamo said: “Contrary to what the agents of KWAM 1 have said, he constantly moved his position on the tarmac to actually block the aircraft from taxiing […] This is the reprehensible conduct here.”
He added that the pilots should not have proceeded without security intervention, calling their actions a breach of International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standards.
THE INCIDENT INVOLVING VALUEJET AND KWAM 1:
I have received reports from all the relevant Aviation agencies regarding the altercation between the staff and crew of ValueJet and Kwam 1 at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, on Tuesday, August 5, 2025. I have also… pic.twitter.com/STma3UfKo8
— Festus Keyamo, SAN, CON, FCIArb (UK) (@fkeyamo) August 7, 2025
