*Mass resignation of senior personnel hits NCAA

The Federal Government has removed the Managing Director of the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria, (FAAN) Capt. Rabiu Yadudu.

Yadudu was appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari in 2019 and was relieved of his appointment on Friday along with five other directors of the agency.

Meanwhile, Mr. Kabir Yusuf Mohammed has been appointed as the new managing director for the FAAN and he is expected to resume duty next week.

The new FAAN boss was until his appointment, the Regional General Manager, North Central, Airport Manager Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport ,Abuja.

He was appointed as the Chairman, Aviation Roadmap Implementation Committee in January 2022 by the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, a position he effectively combined with his office as the General Manager, Special Duties at FAAN.

Sources say similar exercise will be carried out in the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), National Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB), and other agencies .

Also a gale of resignation of senior personnel has hit the apex civil aviation regulatory : Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).

Reasons for the mass resignation, industry sources hinted, is predicated on underhand moves by the Ministry of Aviation to alter the rules to enable the controversial national carrier – Nigeria Air take – off before May 29, 2023.

The source hinted that the Ministry of Aviation is putting the NCAA under pressure to waive some aspects of regulation to see the controversial carrier airborne before the administration signs out in less than nine days.

Investigations by The Nation revealed that key personnel have thrown in the towel over pressure to be influenced to act in an unprofessional manner to issue approvals that will birth the controversial carrier.

The directorate , experts say, is key to issuing the relevant certificates – Air Operators’ Certificate ( AOC), that will qualify the controversial carrier to take – off.

Sources hinted that other key personnel in the Airworthiness Directorate will announce their resignation by Monday.

Investigations further revealed that these technical personnel of the civil aviation body do not want to be rubbished by staking their reputation for the project that has not met regulatory requirements.

Insider sources at the NCAA said the promoters of Nigeria Air are yet to meet the five-stage processes that would guarantee issuance of AOC for the airline to take off.

Stakeholders in the aviation industry have called on the outgoing Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, to write his name in gold by appointing senior directors to the positions of chief executive officers of the agencies.

The stakeholders under the aegis of ‘Mission to Redeem Aviation’, advised that professionals should be allowed to remain in the sector rather than being posted out of it.

The body’s coordinator, Comrade Fidelis Anazie in a statement urged the minister to try to right the wrongs of the past by making laudable appointments.

Part of the statement reads ‘We have been watching with keen interest the way appointments were being made in our highly rated sector but we are yet to get it right. Since these appointments are long overdue, we advise Senator Sirika to pick from

agencies and appoint them without delay and without looking outside”

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