Pecohub The minister of aviation and aerospace development, Festus Keyamo, on Tuesday, December 17, in Abuja, reshuffled critical directors in the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) following rumours of serious corrupt practices by key officers of the aviation regulatory agency.
The reshuffle of the senior officers may not be unconnected with allegations of inefficiency and compromised oversight in the agency’s Directorate of Airworthiness Standards (DAS).
This comes as the Nigeria Safety Investigation Board (NSIB), on December 14 and December 16, respectively, issued reports indicating major aircraft incidents involving unscheduled aircraft.
According to reports, a Hawker 800XP with eight persons on board crash-landed at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano, while a Cessna 172 aircraft also crashed on approach at the Sam Mbakwe International Cargo Airport, Owerri.
However, none of the four persons on board the latter aircraft was hurt.
The minister confirmed awareness of the rumours against the agency and also acknowledged receipt of documents in that regard.
Keyamo vowed to launch an investigation into the allegations and said he would make the findings public.
He expressed concern that despite the documents being in the public space, the relevant authorities had not reacted to the allegations.
He said his ministry was conducting a comprehensive investigation into the matter, insisting that as minister of aviation, he could not allow anything that would threaten air safety under his watch.
Less than seven days later, the reshuffle was effected under the directive of the minister.
The directorate of airworthiness standards in the NCAA is a critical unit through which the agency ensures that civil aircraft are safe and meet international standards.
It oversees aircraft certification, maintenance, and ongoing compliance with International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) regulations; handles aircraft registration; issues certificates of airworthiness; approves maintenance, repair and overhaul activities; develops technical standards; and ensures operational reliability throughout an aircraft’s life cycle.
However, the directorate has been in the eye of the storm, with fingers pointed at it over alleged irregularities.
The allegations gained urgency following a series of aircraft incidents investigated by the NSIB.
