From Suleiman Amagbor, in Lagos
The spokesman and Director, Public Affairs and Consumer Protection of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Mr. Mike Achimugu has hailed the painstaking efforts of the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr. Festus Keyamo, SAN, and the Acting Director General, Civil Aviation, Captain Chris Najomo in Nigeria’s achievement during the recently concluded International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) Universal Security Audit Programme-Continuous Monitoring Approach (USAP-CMA) in the country’s aviation industry.
He said that the duo were instrumental to the ICAO’s 71.04% rating following their leadership skills and dexterity in mobilizing manpower and resources to ensure all open gaps were closed else Nigeria would have scored 30 percent in the final outcome.
The NCAA spokesman described as mischievous comments in some quarters that both the Minister and DG, NCAA were responsible for the allegedly poor ratings the country achieved affirming that both came into office barely months ago and went to work immediately to improve on the deteriorating infrastructure and poor remunerations of workers they met on ground.
Achimugu said “Six months ago, we met a dilapidated industry with poor infrastructure. The security and safety issues did not start in the last six months. Had it not been for the tireless efforts of the Honourable Minister and the DG, what we met on the ground would not have scored 30% in the audit.
“Going by what was on the ground when Keyamo and Najomo assumed office, the current score is a substantially good showing, a miracle if I must say. The narrative being pushed out is just part of the larger strategy to push out Keyamo and Najomo from office. It is the handwork of paid mercenaries who have just one task.”
He said that “The ICAO auditors praised our performance during their final briefing at the NCAA. They even mentioned a scenario where they complained about an absent infrastructure but, to their pleasant surprise, it had been made available the very next day! They said that only Nigeria moves at such a pace in the face of criticism. If the ICAO experts were pleased, who are these puff puff experts trying to deceive the people?”
Speaking further, the Director explained that “We have actual Intel about a media team being commissioned to cause continuous chaos until Keyamo is either removed or moved elsewhere because certain people want to take back ownership of the contracts they were busy allocating themselves and family members while critical infrastructure was growing dilapidated.
“We will resist every attempt to deceive the Nigerian people.
“Keyamo did not become one of the starboys of this administration by doing nothing.
“He spent his first six months unbundling the rot in the system. Sadly, the rot runs so deep that six months are not enough to scratch the surface.
“They know this and it is why they are relentless in their fight. But the Minister and this NCAA will do everything to sanitize aviation.
“We are working and it is evident,” the NCAA spokesman said.
