Relocate Aviation Agencies, Reverse Nigeria Air Project, Expert Tells Tinubu

The former general manager of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Alhaji Abubakar Bibi, has condemned the relocation of all aviation agencies headquarters from Lagos to Abuja in 2022 by the former Minister of Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika.

Bibi, who described the decision as a misnomer that must be changed immediately also described the recent launch of Nigeria Air on the last working day of the former administration as a scam, which must not be allowed to stand.

Bibi further stated that aviation agencies had no business in Abuja as Lagos remains the hub of aviation business in Nigeria.

Bibi who before his retirement from service a few years ago, was the Ilorin International Airport Terminal Manager, charged President Bola Tinubu to reverse the policy and some other decisions taken by the erstwhile minister in the twilight of the past administration, saying that most of the actions of the past minister setback the industry.

According to him, in a bid to move the industry forward, it was necessary for Tinubu to appoint a competent person as a minister for the sector.

He insisted that Tinubu had the knack for spotting talents, hoping that such would be replicated in the sector.

He insisted that the sector required a holistic repositioning from the porous performance of the past, lamenting that the minister supervised the industry for eight years without a management board, which by law was supposed to be responsible for several policy decisions, especially the employment of required personnel for the sector.

He said: “The former minister has succeeded in destroying the aviation industry. How can you make appointments of board members the day you were leaving office after spending eight years without boards? Imagine the appointments were announced on the day of the inauguration of a new government.

“From my own personal opinion, I don’t think FAAN has any business to do in Abuja as headquarters because Lagos is where a chunk of the revenues come from. Why will you relocate them to Abuja? What for?

“So, the new administration has to overhaul the entire system. Most of the appointments made were to cover up from certain issues.”

Recall that Sirika had in May 2020, issued a 45-day ultimatum to the agency’s heads to relocate to Abuja.

The letter was dated May 4, 2020, with the reference number: FMA/PMD/7061/T/4 with the head: ‘Relocation of Aviation Agencies’ Headquarters to Abuja,’ signed by Muhammad Shehu, Director, Human Resource Management on behalf of the ministry.

Sirika argued that the directive was due to the need to reduce the cost of governance and manage scarce resources.

The affected aviation agencies were the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Nigerian Investigation Safety Bureau (NSIB) and the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA).

The letter stated that the directive to move to Abuja had been on since 2012.

Besides, Bibi described the recent launch of Nigeria Air on the last working day of the former administration as a scam, which must not be allowed to stand.

According to him, the scam involved in the entire arrangement with Ethiopian Airlines led the carrier’s Chairman to resign his position.

However, Bibi emphasized that it was necessary for the incoming Minister of Aviation to sit down with airline operators and other players in designing any policy that would encourage and support investments in the industry.

“If the government wants to revive the aviation industry, it has to carry the operators along because most of the decisions taken by the former administration didn’t consult the air operators.

“The entire aviation industry must be restructured. What happened under the last administration was nothing to write home about. What the President should do again is look at the people who can handle that industry properly.

“If he appoints a minister, the minister should just sit down and say, ‘Fine, let everybody bring his inputs’. I am sure by doing this, things would improve. But, aviation now in Nigeria is a total mess. Mr President should also investigate what happened with Nigeria Air.”