By ’WALE SADEEQ and DAVID ADEOYE

Minister of Power, Mr Adebayo Adelabu, on Saturday broke his silence on Friday’s incident near the Ladoke Akintola Airport in Ibadan, Oyo State, allaying fears about his safety.

A source close to the Minister told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ibadan that Adelabu was in good spirits and not perturbed by the incident.

NAN reports that the private aircraft which had the minister and some of his aides had crash-landed near the airport late Friday evening.

“The Minister feels the incident is not something to worry about. It was actually a minor thing, and that is how he has taken it,” an aide of the Minister, who asked to stay anonymous, said.

He told NAN further that the Minister was particularly not worried by the incident because it did not involve any of the passengers leaving with any injury.

“Everyone on board the aircraft when the incident happened actually alighted without any problem, and we have no cause to worry,” the aide said.

The aircraft had departed Abuja with Ibadan as its destination, but it landed about 50 metres short of the threshold and skidded into a ditch close to the runway.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB), in a statement issued on Saturday, said it had commenced investigation into the cause of the incident.

“On the accident involving an aircraft operated by Flint Aero which occurred at the Samuel Ladoke Akintola Airport Ibadan, please be informed that the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) has commenced investigation into the cause.”

Our investigators are on site and further information will be provided as soon as possible,” NSIB said in the statement issued by its Director, Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Dr James Odaudu. (Adapted from a NAN report)

Update news