FG sacks, restructures, downgrades directors in FAAN

Panic As NAMA, NCAA Top Shots Face Same Fate

The Federal Government began the restructuring exercise in the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) with the demotion of some directors and 10 General Managers of the agency even as the Ministry of Transportation insisted that the new positions are the officials’ appropriate grade levels.

Many of the officials were gripped with fear, as there are also indications that many have been slated for retirement and could start receiving their letters immediately.

The Winnifred Oyo-Ita committee on restructuring of the aviation agency had recommended proper placement of personnel in all the aviation agencies.

A member of the committee who spoke under the condition of anonymity confirmed the exercise to WoleshadareNews, saying some of the top officers may have to go after the exercise is completed today.

Some of the general managers are said not to have the requisite qualifications to man some of the sensitive positions they held, as some of them, including deputy general managers, were said to have left universities some five years years ago and could not have qualified for the office they held.

Equally affected are virtually all the directors, but an influential female director and the managing director were spared. An Acting Director of Finance was demoted to Grade Level 10 and redeployed to the department of Information Communication and Technology (ICT).

The affected officers were demoted from Grade Levels 17 and 16 to levels 10 and 12 , indicating the exercise could also be replicated in other agencies such as the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) in the coming days owing to the over-bloating of these agencies.

This is coming as NAMA may get a new managing director before December this year, as the Acting Managing Director of the agency is expected to proceed on terminal leave by December 2016, paving the way for Acting Director, Safety Electronics and Engineering Services (DSEES), Farouk Ahmed, who had been pencilled down to mount the saddle.

Government is said to be worried with the engagement of close to 40 general managers, creation of many directorates that amounted to duplication of duties, thereby raising the overhead of FAAN to over N800 million monthly.

Consequently, government has perfected plans to reduce workers’ strength by way of restructuring to cope with the current economic reality.

It was gathered that some of the downgraded workers in FAAN had been handed their letters, asking them to report to their hitherto junior colleagues who had now as a result of the exercise become their superiors. Also on the card is the plan by government to prune the number of directorates in the aviation agencies in its restructuring exercise.

The reduction in the number of directorates would affect two major aviation agencies – FAAN and NCAA. The exercise could affect NAMA, but not as much as other agencies.

The two other agencies’ directorates (FAAN and NCAA) were expanded four years ago by former Minister of Aviation, Ms. Stella Oduah, to between six and 10.

The implication of the exercise expected to be carried out would lead to job losses. A director in one of the agencies, who confirmed the development to this said workers are already bracing up to the reality of job losses.

The source stated that the creation of these directorates led to inefficiency and huge, adding that reduction in the directorates would guarantee efficiency and productivity.

Aside the directors, many of the general managers it was learnt have resigned in protest.

Under the directorates that were created, many departments also emerged, headed by general managers and deputy general managers.

This could bring the total number of people to be axed to over 1,000, aside people who risk being sacked because of ‘redundancy and inefficiency.’

Four years ago, former Minister of Aviation, Oduah, expanded the directorates in FAAN from six to 10.

The six were Directorates of Administration, Commercial, Finance, Engineering Operations and Security.

After the expansion, Directorate of Legal Service, which was a department under the Managing Director’s Office, emerged alongside Directorates of Cargo, Projects and Human Resources.

The new exercise would see Directorates of Human Resources and Administration come together as it was before; Directorate of Project go back to Engineering Directorate and Cargo Directorate revert to Directorate of Commercial.

At the beginning, the NCAA had Directorate of Airworthiness Standards (DAWS), Directorate of Airports and Aerodrome Standards (DAAS), Directorate of Operations and Training (DOT), Directorate of Finance and Administration (DFA), and Directorate of Air Transport Regulation (DATR).

Almost immediately Oduah assumed power, the DFA was split into three directorates and two departments. The minister had explained that the expansion was done to bring ‘efficiency and creativity’ to the parastatals.

Wole Shadare