President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday sacked Heads of key agencies in the Ministry of Aviation about 12 hours after they had presented and defended their agencies’ budgets to the National Assembly.
The affected agencies are, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority ( NCAA) and the Nigeria Meteorological Agency ( NiMET).
The President also appointed new heads for the affected agencies.
In a statement issued by Presidential Spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale, the sack of the former heads of the aviation agencies was carried out in other “to bring world class standards to Nigerian Civil Aviation in consumer protection and the promotion of the wellbeing of Nigerian passengers and other sectoral stakeholders.”
Briefing the joint Committee of the National Assembly on Aviation on Tuesday, the Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo noted that some of the agencies were not living up to expectation.
The statement detailing the sack and appointment of the new heads reads:
In line with his determination to bring world class standards to Nigerian Civil Aviation in consumer protection and the promotion of the wellbeing of Nigerian passengers and other sectoral stakeholders, President Bola Tinubu has approved the suspension, removal, and replacement of the following Chief Executive Officers under the Federal Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development:
(1) Managing Director of Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Mr. Kabir Yusuf Mohammed has been removed from office and replaced with Mrs. Olubunmi Oluwaseun Kuku as the substantive Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria.
(2) Managing Director of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Mr. Tayib Adetunji Odunowo has been removed from office and replaced with Engr. Umar Ahmed Farouk as the substantive Managing Director of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency
) Director-General of the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB), Engr. Akinola Olateru has been removed from office and replaced with Mr. Alex Badeh Jr. as the substantive Director-General of the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau.
(4) Director-General of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET), Prof. Mansur Bako Matazu has been removed from office and replaced with Prof. Charles Anosike as the substantive Director-General of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency.
(5) Rector of the Nigeria College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Capt. Alkali Mahmud Modibbo has been removed from office and replaced with Mr. Joseph Shaka Imalighwe as the Acting Rector of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), pending the appointment of a substantive Rector, in accordance with Section 13(2) of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology Act, 2022
6) Director-General of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Capt. Musa Shuaibu Nuhu has been suspended from office to enable the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to conduct an unfettered investigation into the activities of the suspended Director-General and other senior officials in the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority. Capt. Chris Najomo assumes office as the Acting Director-General of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority immediately.
Furthermore, President Bola Tinubu approves the commencement of a diligent process to be conducted by the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development to recruit a substantive Vice-Chancellor and other principal officers of the African Aviation and Aerospace University (AAAU)
The President anticipates that the new leadership across this critical sector will uphold the safety, convenience, and comfort of the Nigerian people as primary and sacrosanct in all of their administrative activities. Due to the high cost of underperformance in the sector, the President demands the immediate establishment of world-class policy design, implementation, and regulatory frameworks to reposition the sector in alignment with his Renewed Hope Agenda.
All of the above-mentioned directives of the President take immediate effect.