Former Minister Not Behind Sack Of Aviation Chiefs – Spokesman

The spokesman for the
Aviation Parastatals, Mr Yakubu Dati has said that the former Minister of Aviation, Stella Oduah was not behind the removal of the former heads of aviation agencies.
Dati said that the Federal Government in its wisdom decided to effect change sin the top management of the aviation agencies recently in the public interest and for the growth of the industry.
He explained that the erstwhile Managing Directors of FAAN, Mr George Uriesi, the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Mr Nnamdi Udoh, Rector of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT) Chinyere Kalu and the Director General of Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Fola Akinkuotu all had a cordial working relationship with the former minister throughout her tenure.
“They worked under Oduah when she was aviation minister, so if she wanted to remove any of them, she possibly could have done so,” he said.
He said that the former minister left a well articulated master plan for Nigerian aviation industry which would be difficult to reverse.
According to him, most of these critics wish that things remained the way they were before the Oduah era, so that they could continue with their acts of impunity.
“We would like to sound it loud and clear that the Nigerian aviation industry can never go back to those days of mindless impunity,” Dati said.
He noted that the good news is that the revolution of the aviation sector has taken firm root and things would not go back to the old days.
“The truth is that under oduah, the aviation ministry and NCAA drew up new rules that would govern the importation of aircraft into the country with a view to stemming the indiscriminate importation of unregistered and low quality aircraft into the country. The former minister’s achievements in the avaiation industry are there for all to see,” he said.
The spokesman remarked that for the first time, producers of perishable agriculture produce are being directly connected to international markets for greater profits, adding that new routes have been opened to the Middle East with the signing of new bilateral air service agreements with several countries in that region.
On the new appointments for the agencies, he said “they are not charlatans but highly experienced and well known aviation professionals with substantial  experience in the industry.
According to him, Mr Ibrahim Abdulsalam, who took over from Udoh as the managing director of NAMA for instance had worked in the industry since 1994 holding responsible positions before his new appointment while Mr Saleh Dunoma, who replaced Uriesi at FAAN, had held various top positions in FAAN, including the director of engineering services since 1980.
He added that Samuel Caulcrick, who took over from Kalu as rector of the NCAT is a professional commercial pilot with over 25 years experience  while Captain Muhktar Usman, who replaced Akinkuotu as the DG NCAA was until now, in-charge of Accident Investigation and Prevention Bureau (AIPB).

President Goodlock Jonathan (left), being received by Governor Abdulfath Ahmed of Kwara State at the Airport in Ilorin, recently. Photo: NAN