Captain Fola Akinkuotu, director general of Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority [NCAA], has urged pilots and other technical personnel in the nation’s aviation sector to stay focused, promising that very soon, plans would be unfolded aimed at reducing indigenous pilots’ unemployment.
According to him, this could be possible through the introduction of new regulations that would make it mandatory for airlines to make local pilots their first choice in the employment of not only pilots, but also other technical personnel in the industry.
Captain Akinkuotu made the remarks on Tuesday when the executive members of the Nigerian Professional Pilots led by Captain Nogie Meggison, its president paid a courtesy visit to him in Ikeja, Lagos.
He sympathized with the members of the group with the state of unemployment of many of their members adding that the issue of pilots’ unemployment was of global concern of which Nigeria was not an exception.
He however pointed out to them that having qualified as pilots was not a license for immediate employment and that they should continuously strive to improve themselves by gathering experience from other fields until they were able to be employed.
He noted with dissatisfaction that in the year 2009, there were so many foreign pilots, especially from Europe flying in Nigeria than local pilots.
The director general said,:” As a matter of fact, this was the topic of discussion in one of the meetings I had and I keep telling people that law is dynamic, the fact that the law is not there today to checkmate this type of absurdity, does not mean that we cannot propagate it in the law. Laws are meant to be reviewed. We will put something new very soon. Don’t think you are the only people carrying the cross, other professionals are and we are addressing the issue”.
Over two hundred indigenous Pilots are roaming the streets without job in the face of increasing expatriates quota abuse by domestic airlines.
According to Captain Meggison,: ” We have private and government sponsored individuals coming from around the world. We are quite a number and amongst us are those that are out of school for two to three years and have not been flying”.
While explaining that they were at the Aviation House to congratulate the new Director General on his appointment, Captain Meggison explained that his members were faced with numerous challenges which he would not be able to enumerate presently because the visit was only meant to felicitate with the Director General on his appointment.