Sacks, intrigues may destroy Nigeria’s aviation

Posted on by Wole Shadare

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The recent sack and redeployment in the aviation has raised a lot of dust that may unsettle the entire aviation system for a while.
 
While some are piqued with intrigues that culminated in the redeployment and manoeuvring that led to two Directors in the Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) and the redeployment of over 55 General Managers, Deputy General Managers and redeployment from agency to the other, others felt the exercise was long overdue and in conformity with civil service rule.
 
Some stakeholders who spoke to Woleshadare.net on condition of anonymity said the high turnover of personnel without commensurate utilisation has done incalculable damage to the agencies.
 
They reasoned that some appointments were not properly done, with some tilting towards certain directions which they stated is almost following same known patterns deployed by successive Aviation Ministers.
 
Investigation by our correspondent shows that the average years spent by Chief Executive Officers, directors of the agencies are at the whim and caprices of a serving Minister, thereby jettisoning a succession plan if ever there is any.

Some of the longest serving chief executive were former Director General of Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Dr. Harold Olusegun Demuren and former Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Mr. Richard Aisuebeogun.
Demuren’s time as NCAA DG experts said brought stability and huge success to the agency while Aisuebogun’s tenure saw to great success in FAAN.
Successive managing directors, Directors General and directors had had short lifespan beginning with the appointment of the incumbent Managing Director of NAMA, Capt. Fola Akinkuotu who spent less than seven months as DG of NCAA before he was unceremoniously removed by Stella Oduah.
All the Acting DG of NCAA that came after Akinkuotu spent less than one year in office, almost destroying the system in the agency.
FAAN and NAMA also had their fair share of instability after their former chief executives; Nnamdi Udoh and George Uriesi were removed in less than two years they presided as bosses in their respective agencies.
Udoh’s successor, Ibrahim Abdulsalam who was General Manager before his elevation spent a little over  a year as NAMA MD before he was removed over his alleged complicity in N4.8 billion fraud. He and some of his directors and GM are standing trial for the alleged crime.
More pathetic, according to stakeholders is saddling people with little or no experience with positions that make them a square peg in a round hole. Many of them looked lost in the dispatch of their duties.
Meanwhile, industry experts have waded into the controversy surrounding the deployment of the Director of Human Resources in the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Hajia Salamatu Umar Elumah to the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) by the Minister of State, Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika in the recent reorganisation in the aviation industry.
 
Elumah who was posted to the Bureau as part of the reorganisation in the industry was said to have reportedly frowned at the posting and petitioned the Presidency over the decision.
 
However, according to a source, Elumah had in a petition to the Presidency, kicked against the deployment and alleged that she was being victimized by the Minister who allegedly singled her out for denigration.
 
But industry observers and labour union officials have contrary view about Mrs. Elumah’s protest.
An official of Air Transport Service Senior Staff Association (ATSSSAN) said the association was disappointed with Elumah’s protest against her deployment, saying that it was normal process.
 
Wole Shadare