Why Planes Hover When VIPs Land: Understanding Nigeria’s Aviation Protocols and the Need for Reform

Why Planes Hover When VIPs Land: Understanding Nigeria’s Aviation Protocols and the Need for Reform

By Citizen Bolaji O. Akinyemi

When Protocol Grounded Purpose — and Eight Senators Were Held Up in the Air: The Jos Example

Eight Senators of the Federal Republic of Nigeria were en route to Jos to attend the rites of passage for the late Mama Nana Lydia Toma Yilwatda, mother of Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda — the man I often describe as a good man. The Scriptures remind us that “all things work together for good,” and I pray the goodness of the Lord crowns Prof. Yilwatda’s assignment at the APC National Secretariat.

My personal struggle to make that same trip began on Wednesday, October 1st. It left me pitying the ordinary Nigerian — like myself — who often shares the same route as our political class, regardless of party. Oppression, sadly, is usually the conclusion of the matter.

I couldn’t get a seat on the flight to Jos due to unavailability. By Thursday, it was due to unaffordability — fares had tripled. A friend, seeing the need for me to be there, sent an additional ₦500,000, but by then, no seats were left. I considered flying to Abuja and connecting to Jos, but Abuja flights hovered around ₦300,000, and the Abuja–Jos leg was over ₦200,000. When hotel costs in Jos were added, humility demanded that I respect my class in this dollar-graded but naira-floating economy — an economy where the “floating naira” continues to sink the needs and drown the desires of ordinary citizens.

Then, on Saturday, October 4th, 2025, something happened in the skies above Jos that should concern every air traveller in Nigeria.

Eight Senators —

1. Senator Francis Adenigba Fadahunsi (Osun East)

2. Senator Muhammad Adamu Aliero (Kebbi Central)

3. Senator Ali Ndume (Borno South)

4. Senator Adams Oshiomhole (Edo North)

5. Senator Karimi Sunday Steve (Kogi West)

6. Senator Tartenger Titus Zam (Benue North-West)

7. Senator Munir Chinedu Nwoko (Delta North)

8. Senator Suleiman Abubakar Sadiq (Kwara North)

— found themselves circling in the air for about two hours, unable to land. They had come to honour the late Mama Nentawe at a service scheduled for 10:00 a.m., but while they hovered anxiously, the President’s aircraft had not yet arrived. The Senate President, expected to land before the President for ceremonial protocol, had probably not even taken off from Abuja.

That day, our VIPs received a taste of the punishment ordinary Nigerians often endure. Protocol kept their aircraft circling, awaiting the Senate President’s arrival, who landed minutes before the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. By the time the airport reception ended, God and His saints — along with the mourners and dignitaries — had been kept waiting for nearly four hours. The President entered the church at 2:03 p.m. for a service scheduled for 10:00 a.m.

In aviation terms, the Jos airspace had been “closed” for VIP movement — meaning no aircraft, even those already airborne, could land or take off until the Presidential flight sequence was completed. What should have been a moment of solemn reflection became a case study in how bureaucracy and outdated procedure can endanger lives and waste national resources.

Why Airspace Is Closed for VIP Flights

When a President or Head of State flies, security agencies typically control the airspace for safety reasons — to prevent any aircraft from getting too close to the VIP’s route or runway. This practice exists worldwide — from the United States to France, the UK, India, and South Africa.

The difference lies in how long and how precisely these restrictions are managed.

Global Best Practices: How the World Does It

In advanced aviation systems, the arrival or departure of a President is treated as a short, controlled event — not an all-day disruption.

1. Short airspace restriction:

The airspace is closed only a few minutes before the VIP lands and reopens shortly after — typically a 5–15 minute window.

2. Advance coordination:

Airport management, Air Traffic Control (ATC), and the VIP security team coordinate days in advance so other flights can adjust safely.

3. Precise communication:

Airlines and pilots receive official notices (NOTAMs) indicating when the airspace will be temporarily closed.

4. Alternate planning:

VIP flights always have backup airports and fuel reserves for diversion.

5. Minimal disruption:
While the VIP is prioritized, commercial and official flights experience only brief delays.

6. Safety before ceremony:

If the VIP is not ready, normal operations continue until the aircraft is near arrival.

7. Post-flight accountability:

Aviation authorities review every VIP operation for efficiency and safety.

In short, security and movement coexist — neither is sacrificed.

Nigeria’s Local Practice: When Protocol Becomes Punishment

In Nigeria, however, the story is quite different.

Whenever the President, Vice President — and lately, even the First Lady, the so-called “First Daughter” (nemesis of the Edo electorate as the Iyaloja General), or the occupant of the informal “Office of the First Son” — are scheduled to travel, entire airspaces are sometimes shut down for hours.

Flights already airborne are told to “hold,” while those waiting on the ground are barred from taking off. This “airspace lockdown” can last from 30 minutes to two hours — or longer. Passengers, unaware of the reason, wait helplessly as airlines burn fuel and lose millions.

The irony? Many of these closures are ceremonial, not security-based — ensuring, for instance, that the Senate President lands before the President, or that the convoy on the ground is perfectly aligned before descent.

This is where protocol becomes punishment — a relic of military-era thinking with no place in modern democracy.

The Risks and the Costs

Every extra minute in a holding pattern burns fuel, reduces endurance, and heightens risk. If weather shifts or an emergency occurs, the aircraft may have to divert — or face dangerously thin safety margins.

The economic losses are enormous: airlines lose money, passengers miss connections, cargo is delayed, and productivity is stalled. In aviation and in governance, movement is money — to stall it is to stall progress.

What Should Be the New Standard

Nigeria urgently needs a time-bound, safety-first VIP flight protocol that balances security with citizens’ right to safe, predictable travel.

Ten key reforms:

1. Publish clear rules. NCAA and NAMA should make VIP procedures public.

2. Set short closure windows. 5–10 minutes before and after landing should suffice.

3. Coordinate early. All stakeholders must agree on timing and contingencies.

4. Issue timely NOTAMs. Pilots should never be caught unaware.

5. Enforce fuel and diversion planning. Safety before ceremony.

6. Prioritize civic flights fairly. No Senator, governor, or medical flight should hover indefinitely.

7. Respect pilot authority. Captains must decide when to divert — protocol be damned.

8. Train and equip ATC. Modern tools prevent chaos.

9. Conduct post-operation reviews. Learn and reform after each VIP movement.

10. Be transparent with passengers. Honest communication builds trust.

A Call for Common Sense

No one disputes that the President deserves protection. But security must never become an excuse for inefficiency. When VIP movement paralyzes the skies, it hurts the very people the government is meant to serve.

Nigeria can be both secure and efficient. What we need is not more ceremony, but more coordination — not more protocol, but more purpose.

So the next time your plane hovers endlessly, remember: it’s not always the weather — sometimes, it’s the weather of our systems.

We do not have a High Priest who cannot be touched by the feelings of our infirmities, says the Bible. Those who feel it know it. Our Senators have now felt it — and should, as High Priests of the people, summon the Minister of Aviation for a time review of our VIP protocol to meet global best practice: 5–15 minutes, not hours.

This experience is an opportunity to make things better.

Condolences once again to the Yilwatda family and the good people of Plateau State who hosted the President.

Dr. Bolaji O. Akinyemi is an Apostle and Nation Builder. He’s also President Voice of His Word Ministries and Convener Apostolic Round Table. BoT Chairman, Project Victory Call Initiative, AKA PVC Naija. He is a strategic Communicator and the C.E.O, Masterbuilder Communications.

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