Relocation order causes crack among stakeholders

The aviation industry in Nigeria faces another round of turbulence on top of the coronavirus pandemic, which has adversely affected the sector.

This time around, the crux of the crisis is the relocation order on aviation agencies headquarters to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.

This has pitched professionals in the sector against each other. While some have said it is a welcomed development, others view the whole exercise as a waste of scarce resources particularly at a time the industry lie prostrate occasioned by Covid-19 pandemic that has cut aviation revenue by over 80 per cent.

A letter dated May 4, 2020 with reference number: FMA/PMD/7061/T/4 with the head: Relocation of Aviation Agencies’ Headquarters to Abuja, signed by Muhammad D. Shehu, Director, Human Resource Management on behalf of the ministry, gave the agencies 45 days to relocate their headquarters to the FCT.

The letter, which was made available to our correspondent, stated that the directive to move to Abuja had been on since 2012 and ordered the Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of the agencies to comply with immediately.

Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, argued in the letter that the relocation of the agencies’ headquarters out of Lagos would enhance efficiency and service delivery between the ministry and the agencies.

Agencies affected by this relocation order include the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).

Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMET) has always had its headquarters in Abuja, while the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria has its head office in Kaduna State.

This directive is, however, not new. Relocation of the aviation agencies has been a Federal Government policy since 2012.

The attempt to activate the policy was met with subtle protests and blackmail by some of the workers who were used to living in Lagos.

The blackmail allegedly worked leading government to abandon the idea until Sirika felt there was the need for proper coordination of the agencies; hence the directive for their relocation.

Not a few believed that many of the Managing Directors of the agencies like FAAN and NCAA have quietly relocated to Abuja since early 2019. They are hardly seen in Lagos. Many of the seminars and symposium are delegated either to any of their directors or general managers.

Critics of the relocation have cited the huge cost of relocating key personnel out of Lagos, stressing that senior officers in the level of General Manager, may be entitled to between N2 million to N4 million as allowances per official.

President of Sabre West Africa, Dr. Gbenga Olowo, said it was difficult to understand the rationale of relocating the headquarters during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Olowo said, in any case: “The agencies’ physical presence and their heads have always been in Abuja safe for their empty seats in Lagos. The policy statement too has been there for a while. We had thought economic judgment had prevailed on their staying behind in Lagos all this while.”

But a former Airport Commandant, Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, Group Capt. John Ojikutu (rtd) said he had always been in support of relocating agencies to Abuja.

He disclosed that he began to suggest way back in 2006, saying that it was the right thing to do to separate the airports operations’ management from the executives.

His words: “The airports management earns monies but the CEOs spend the monies through contracts. That explains why the airports including the major ones are deficient in critical safety infrastructure and systems and you can’t hold the airports managers responsible when things go wrong in the airports. The movement must relocate them to Abuja airport because after Lagos, Abuja is the next fattest cow cash.

“What happens if the airports are eventually given for concession? Would anyone still bother where the FAAN headquarters is located? Many have forgotten that FAAN head office was burnt few years ago and there was no plan to bring the whole structure down for reconstruction but was put on hold because of the plan for this same movement to Abuja which was planned then.”

Ojikutu insisted there is nothing wrong in the directive, describing it as the practice globally.

He stated that the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the UK CAA and airport authority are headquartered in their countries capitals, so are those of Ghana, South Africa, Egypt, Kenya and Rwanda, describing it as long overdue.

The President of Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN), Illitrus Ahmadu, however, said ATSSSAN was not against the relocation order but the staff welfare should not be taken for granted.

Ahmadu said: “We will not accept a situation where you ask anyone to go without first paying the relocation allowance. And my advice is that you cannot relocate people out of Lagos to Abuja and cripple activities in Lagos.

“You should provide enough capital resources to continue to drive operations in Lagos while you move few people to Abuja.”

“I don’t think the relocation will affect the running of the agencies, but we expect the CEOs to empower the offices at the regions or various formations so that those who are there will be able to perform their duties effectively. We want to see some level of authorities to the people at the regions and formations.”

Wole Shadare