FG cuts, merges NCAA directorates, sack directors

The Federal Government has cut the number of directorates in the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to six from nine.

 This is coming as three directors have been relieved of their duties in what the aviation regulatory body termed restructuring.

 The Director-General of NCAA, Capt. Musa Nuhu in a statement disclosed that the directorates which are the major organs of the authority had been reduced from nine to six.

 Nuhu listed the new and retained directorates as Airworthiness Standards (DAWS), Operations, Licensing and Training (DOLT), Air Transport Regulations (DATR, Aerodrome and Airspace Standards (DAAS), Finance and Accounts (DFA) and the Directorate of Human Resources and Administration (DHR&A):

 The directorates of Consumer Protection and General Aviation have been phased out. While the former is merged with DATR, the latter is subsumed under the Directorate of Airworthiness Standards;

Similarly, two new directors have been appointed by the Federal Government to take charge of the Directorates of Airworthiness Standards (DAWS) and Operations, Licensing and Training (DOLT).

The newly appointed directors who are aviation professions with several decades of industry experience in their areas of expertise in the Aviation Industry are Engineer Kayode Ajiboye for DAWS and Captain Elisha Bahago for DOLT

His words, “The approved restructuring is aimed at repositioning the NCAA for effective and efficient service delivery and also to entrench a robust Safety Oversight System in line with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Standards and Recommended Practices, while enabling the regulatory body resolve current and emerging challenges facing the industry”.

The Federal Government had carried out restructuring of virtually all the agencies in aviation since 2016.

The restructuring started with the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) with the demotion of some directors and 10 General Managers of the agency.

Few months after that the restructuring in FAAN, the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) followed suit by removing two Directors. The two were former Director of Administration Ibrahim Saleh and Human Resources Director, Uwem Akangson.

Hajia Mira Ibrahim Bashir, a lawyer replaced Saleh as Director, Human Resources Management and Administration. She was a former General Manager, SERVICOM, NAMA.

Aviation Minister, Hadi Sirika, had few months ago complained about the huge number of general managers and over bloating of many of the agencies with the creation of more directorates and departments; thus leading to duplication of duties.

The restructuring would return FAAN, NAMA and NCAA back to the status quo of fewer directorates they had some six years ago.

 It would be recalled that a former minister of aviation some years ago expanded the directorates in FAAN from six to 10. The same is applicable in all the aviation agencies.

Wole Shadare