Stakeholders under the auspices of Aviation Elders (AL), have raised the alarm over the controversy surrounding the appointment of a substantial Director General (DG) of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).

Controversy emerged over the appointment of a substantive DG for the agency as supporters of the acting DG, Captain Chris Najomo intensified campaign for his continued stay in office amid call for a new DG by many industry experts.

There were reports President Tinubu had confirmed the Acting DG.

The reports however did not state how he was confirmed.

There were also no indications that a letter was sent to the National Assembly for confirmation, leaving stakeholders in the aviation industry to worry about the source of the news and what it tends to achieve.

The presidency and the Senate have however remained mum over the development.

But the Aviation Elders, in a statement by Kolade Hassan and Sy Mohammed, wading into the matter.

They said: ?The Acting DG NCAA may have declared himself as DG-NCAA in a very boastful manner without presidential pronouncement and Senate confirmation.?

They cited a video where he boastfully reconfirmed the news of his purported confirmation.

According to them, ?whatever position you hold in government today, it?s transient as you cannot remain there forever. In the industry today, if we the elders cannot stand up for the truth, then nobody can. The whole world is watching what is happening in the industry. And the whole world is aware of the dangerous politics being played at the agency.

?Are those engaged in announcing the substantive DG ahead of the presidency and the National Assembly aware that we have lost out on American Category One Certification, and today Nigerian commercial airlines are banned from flying into America? Are they aware that very soon, other countries will ban Nigeria?

?Are these people aware that two aircraft engines failed in some local airlines last month, with a cargo airline overshooting the runway? This to us is a clear evidence of lack of safety regulatory compliance by the operators and the NCAA. The report will be released by AIB soon, yet some people want Najomo confirmed at the expense of the sector.

?Weeks ago, a helicopter crashed, killing 2 crew and 6 NNPC staff. The IOC, such as Shell, Total, Chevron, and NNPC are not even sure if the NCAA can guarantee the safety of their oil workers going forward. United Airlines had three major air returns, almost killing over 200 people, yet no action from NCAA as to what?s happening. In fact, the Nigerian Safety and Investigation Bureau, NSIB, had earlier indicted NCAA with regards to the Sikorsky SK76c helicopter which crashed on October 24, 2024. This is among other infractions noticed in their operation

?Is this what Nigeria has become? We elders in Aviation are worried and have reached out to the powers that be. Something has to happen to save Nigeria from this international embarrassment.

?How on earth will a DG be confirmed to be substantive in the media, ignoring even the presidency and the National Assembly? This shows desperation on the part of the sponsors. The desperation to keep running NCAA as though it?s a personal business must end now, as what elders see sitting down cannot be seen by a child even if he climbs to the tallest tree.

?For us to achieve the aviation that meets the global standard, it?s always key we discard personal interests and put Nigeria first. The safety of our people should be prioritized and should be the primary objective of all administrators as against politicization of positions.

?We are optimistic that President Bola Tinubu and his team will not allow this desperation to overwhelm them and succumb to the desires of those desperate to keep the industry in their pockets,? they added.

Few days ago, the Federal Government criticised the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development and its agencies over submission of incomplete information during a performance assessment.

NCAA received the most blame with the Special Adviser to the President on Policy and Coordination. Hadiza Usman recommending that the Ministry NCAA revisit the draft policy on sanctions for airlines.

According to her, this was critical given the increasing number of flight delays and cancellations and the impact on affected passengers.

She also faulted the current target of 224 days for resolving customer complaints while describing it as unrealistic and in need of urgent recalibration to align with global best practices.

Usman made these conclusions when the Central Results Delivery Coordination Unit (CRDCU) visited the ministry. (Vanguard)

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