The Man, Capt. Muhtar Usman, Departed Former NCAA DG

 

  • Minister, Aviation Professionals, Others Mourn

The aviation industry in Nigeria today woke up to the shock of the departure of the immediate Director-General of Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Capt. Muhtar Usman.

Since his sudden departure early hours of today, grief enveloped the entire aviation industry with many professionals, aviators and colleagues extolling the virtue of the aircraft pilots who meant so many things to so many people.

To underscore the huge vacuum his departure would create, the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika described the death of Usman as a ‘monumental loss to the aviation industry’.

Reacting to the death which occurred early Wednesday morning,  Sirika said that although death is a journey on which everyone must embark at his own appointed time, Usman’s own, he stated came at a time the industry needed all capable hands to be on deck to reposition it, considering the depth to which it had descended as a result of the global pandemic.

Usman, the Minister said, would be remembered for his contributions to the sector as a  pilot, air accident investigator, industry  regulator spanning his time at the defunct Nigeria Airways,  Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) and most recently, at the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).

He commiserated with the aviation family on the loss of a thoroughbred professional whom he said, distinguished himself in his chosen field, the family he has left behind and prayed for the repose of his soul.

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Usman, through the dint of hard work rose to the pinnacle of his carrier as a pilot and as an administrator of international repute.

His rise to ‘stardom’ was as intriguing as his early life depicted. He grew up embracing the technical world of aviation.

Coincidentally, NCAT, which was established in the late 1960s is located in the historical city of Zaria. However; little or no information is available on what informed the choice of the city at that time.

On the other hand, a remarkable story came out from a church in Wusasa, one of the adjoining towns to Zaria. On whether the story led to many young men and women from Zaria and its environs to choose aviation as a career is debatable.

 

 

At the church, scores of little children were advised to present to the church whatever they deemed fit in their hearts. The presentation commenced and children were filing out with their gifts to God. One boy sauntered forward with a smile. He placed on the Altar a handmade caricature of an aircraft.

The congregation went into silence. Consternation took over. Prayers were offered.

Similarly, in this same Zaria, one little boy on his way to school every morning was always filled with excitement. His journey was always punctuated with the sound of aircraft in the sky.

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He gradually developed so much love for the aeroplane that he decided he will pursue a career in aviation. To chase this dream he made it a duty to collect and read notes from students of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT) in same town.

That ‘boy’ was Capt. Usman who drew strength from going into his shell whenever he was confronted with challenge with a view to coming up with solutions that some would agree with while others would criticize. He had a strong convinction in whatever hedid and the reason for taking such actions.

He was born on  December 5th 1956, in the famous city of Zaria, in Kaduna State. He started his elementary education at Government Secondary Technical School, Soba and finished in 1972.In 1973, he proceeded to Government Technical College where he passed out in 1975 after obtaining Federal Craft Training Certificate.

This is where the allure of aviation kept beckoning. The young Usman got admission to Nigerian College of Aviation Technology, (NCAT), Zaria, in 1975 to pursue a course in Aero Electronics and Telecommunication where he obtained a Diploma certificate.

The determination to get to the pinnacle of his chosen career drove him to acquire many other professional education which are as follows – City and Guilds,Radio,TV,Electronics (1977),Commercial Pilot,Multi – Engine and Instrument ratings, Burnside – Ott Aviation Training Centre, Miami USA,(1977), B – 727 Flight Engineers’ rating,Miami,USA, (1980),Flying Instructors’ rating, Oxford Air Training School,UK,1982 and Airline Transport Pilot License, New York,USA,1992.

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Others are Aircraft Accident Investigation,USA,(2006),Safety Oversight Inspectors’ course, Singapore,(2007),International Society of Air Safety Investigators’ Seminar, Singapore,(2007),Helicopter Accident Investigation,USC,USA,(2007),ICAO Organised Accident Investigation Seminar,Nairobi,Kenya,(2008)Communication,Navigation,Surveillance/Air Traffic Management Course (CNS/ATM),PAN AM Academy,Miami,USA,(2008) and Aircraft Accident Investigation Course,Cranfield University (2009).

In addition, the Director General attended Airport Operations Course, Singapore (2009), ICAO Course on ECCAIRES database and exchange (2010) and Safety Management System Course, SCSI, USA, (2010).

Against this background, it shows that Capt. Usman is a versatile aviator and a complete professional whose experience has spanned three decades.

During his career, he worked as a Flying Instructor at the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology, (NCAT), Zaria from 1981 – 1985.He proceeded to the Nigeria Airways Ltd, Lagos between 1985 – 2004 where among other assignments he flew the B 737 Aircraft. As a Fleet Captain’s Assistant, he assisted in fleet technical and operational administration.

 

Wole Shadare