Civil Society Group, ART Want New NCAA Boss to Resume

The federal government has been called upon to mandate Engr Benedict Adeyelika, acting director general of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to handover to the substantive DG, Capt. Usman Muhtar without further delay.

Speaking to aviation journalists in Lagos, a civil societies representative in the federal government medium term strategy MTSS Alhaji Abdulrasaq Saidu wonder why it will take six months for a substantive head to takeover office weeks after confirmation by the national assembly.

Saidu warned against politicising the regulatory body NCAA as its autonomy was questionable with all that has happened in the last six months.

"It’s unfortunate but not surprising that aviation has been bastardized unnecessary political intervention, we should have learnt our lesson in aviation and work to sustain the autonomy of NCAA," he said.

He lamented that the office of the director general of NCAA  has been politicised instead of bringing in professionalism saying that professional know how and legal frame work of the organisation was not allowed to take its cause.

"If it is not act of tribal and political sentiments, why should someone be appointed and cleared and confirmed  by the national assembly couple with letter from the presidency to the ministry  in the person of Capt Muhtar former AIB boss and somebody somewhere is foot dragging to allow him to resume."

"The civil society group in the aviation sector is highly worried and unhappy with such uneasy calm and bickering in the aviation sector particularly NCAA"

Saidu called on the government to allow the substantial DG to assume office without further delay as the aviation ministry will be held responsible for any misdeed adding that gone were the days when airplanes were fallen down from the sky.

On his part, Capt Dele Ore, president of Aviation Round Table (ART) said what was happening in NCAA was strange in the eyes of International Civil Aviation Organisation as acting director general should be in office for at least two weeks.

Capt Ore declared "When the  President and Commander in Chief makes an appointment of DG in line with the civil aviation act of 2006 its subject to the Senate confirmation after a hearing. However the day he is appointed or the next day will see the DG that is appointed resume immediately. We have seen DGs in finance and communication resuming immediately"

Capt Ore warned against compromising safety adding that the ministry was getting it wrong this time saying that it was an embarrassment especially with a Nigerian as the ICAO president.

"We should be doing what is acceptable to the world and not what we think and i believe that the system is wrong and all these things have safety implications and when things happen they start shedding crocodile tears"