FG Sacks 10 NCAA Directors
The Federal Government through the Ministry of Transport, yesterday approved the sack of all the directors in the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) with immediate effect.
With the new development, 10 directors were shown the exit by the Minister of State for Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika after the approval from the Federal Government.
The directors affected by the purge are: Alhaji Salawu Ozigi (Director of Finance and Accounts), Dr. Joyce Nkemakolam (Director of Aerodrome and Airspace Standards), Barr. Aba Ejembi (Director of Administration) and Mr. Emmanuel Ogunbami (Director of Licensing).
Others are Engr. Benedict Adeyileka (Director of Airworthiness), Mr. Justus Wariya (Director of Air Transport Regulation), Alhaji Adamu Abdullahi (Director of Consumer Protection), Capt. Ayodele Sasegbon (Director of General Aviation and Mr. Austin-Amadi Ifeanyi (Director of Human Resources).
The affected directors were immediately ordered to handover to the next in command in their various directorates who will in the interim take charge of activities in their directorates.
The General Manager, Public Affairs, NCAA, Mr. Sam Adurogboye in a telephone chat, confirmed the development, but declined to give more information.
According to Adurogboye, he was aware of the sack of the directors, adding that they were all political appointees.
“It is true that all the directors have been disengaged, but I don’t have details of their disengagement,” he said.
It was gathered that the Director-General of NCAA, Capt. Muhtar Usman had earlier disclosed to affected directors of their disengagements at a meeting he convened Friday afternoon at Aviation House at the Murtala Muhamemd Airport (MMA), Lagos, which came as a rude shock to many of them.
With the sack of the directors, it is only the DG, Capt. Muhtar Uman that remains in the saddle.
Meanwhile, there has been a lot of restructuring in the aviation sector for some time. The wave of sack, demotion and right placement of staff which kicked off from the some of the agencies has increased tremendously.
Consequently, some directors and general managers, among others, allegedly employed in breach of due process have been given the boot in some of the agencies.
A committee on the restructuring of aviation sector agencies, however, recommended the measures. Indeed, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) and Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) were said to be parading more general managers than the agencies have space for.
Reports credited to Senator Sirika had pointed out that the restructuring of agencies under the Ministry of Aviation would continue with the jettisoning or redeployment of more workers in the outfits.
Since then, the government has been redeploying, re-assigning, demoting and even terminating appointments of workers which experts say is good for the growth of the industry. .
