Nigeria has banned Boeing 737 Max 8 and 9 aircraft from entering the Nation’s airspace. Nigeria deemed the feat, joining the league of other countries including the United Kingdom, Australia and South Africa .

The Minister for Aviation Hadi Sirika, said the decision to ban the aircraft followed the fatal crash of an Ethiopian Boeing 737 Max 8, on Sunday that killed 157 passengers on board.

Though the minister said there are no aviation operators in Nigeria that currently operate the fleet, he however said that the plane will not be allowed to fly over the nation’s airspace or land in any of the nation’s airports.

He said “Regarding Boeing 737 Max 8 and Max 9, that has been in the news recently, there is no cause for alarm as there is no operator in Nigeria that is using that type of airplane.

Speaking on the Air Peace and Arik orders of the Max planes, the minister said “whether those orders were confirmed or intent, it is to our knowledge in the ministry that they won’t be in the country until the next two years or so. And this is enough period to sort out whatever problem it is with that plane”.

“The world of aviation will not be sleeping just as we in Nigeria will not be sleeping. And it is normal standard practice that once a particular aircraft type is involved in accident back to back, it is withdrawn from the market and see if there is something they are doing wrong. And if it is confirmed that a particular problem say for instance, landing gear, they will issue an instruction to ground such plane worldwide until the problem is fix,” he further stated.

While praying for the repose of the souls of the departed in the ill fated plane, Sirika said “the industry will continue to be safe and secure. We promise you that we are alive to our own responsibility which is to secure lives and property as a government,”

The crash which is the second of the Max 8 plane in five months triggered the spate of banning and suspension of the plane from the skies of key countries across the world.