The lawmaker representing Abia North in the National Assembly, Sen. Orji Uzor Kalu, has accused some Nigerian pilots of alleged drug use before taking to the air.
The former Abia State governor who made the allegations during plenary on Wednesday, stated categorically that some Nigerian pilots smoke Indian Hemp (Igbo) before flying.
Kalu who also accused the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) of not conducting on-the-spot assessments to ascertain the mental state of the pilots anytime they are flying.
“On many occasions, I have stopped to fly because of inadequacy of pilots preparation, some of the pilots are not prepared. Some of them use Indian hemp,” Kalu said.
“Yes, it’s true. Some of them are smoking Indian hemp and some of them are not properly audited by the authorities. I am telling you what I know because the NCAA and other authorities are not looking after this pilot and checking them on drugs, on the spot assessment. They’re not doing it. It is dangerous.
“And you see them walking into the airplane. Nobody check their blood pressure. Nobody checked anything, nothing. Most of these pilots are so careless. I have witnessed it and I have seen it. I don’t think it’s normal.
“Those agencies must come back home to look after these pilots and what do you call them?…because some of them take this India hemp like cigarette. If you go close to them, you will smell it. So NCAA must come back to their duty,” he added.
