President Bola Tinubu yesterday approved the suspension, removal, and replacement of the chief executive officers in the agencies under the federal ministry of aviation and aerospace development.
At the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, the president sent its managing director, Mr Kabir Mohammed packing and replaced him with Mrs. Olubunmi Kuku.
This is about the first time a woman would head the agency.
The managing director of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Mr. Tayib Odunowo was removed and replaced with Mr. Umar Farouk as the substantive chief executive officer.
Mr Akinola Olateru who hitherto held sway at the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) as the first director general was removed from office and replaced with Mr. Alex Badeh Jr. as the new director general.
At the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), its director general, Prof. Mansur Bako Matazu lost his seat to Prof. Charles Anosike as the substantive director general.
Also swept away by Tinubu’s hurricane was the rector of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Capt. Alkali Modibbo whose seat was taken by Mr. Joseph Imalighwe in an acting capacity “pending the appointment of a substantive Rector, in accordance with Section 13(2) of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology Act, 2022.”
However, the case of the director general of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Capt. Musa Nuhu was somewhat different as he was “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 NCAA.”
Meanwhile, Capt. Chris Najomo was “immediately” appointed as the chief executive of the aviation regulatory body in acting capacity.
Spokesman for the president, Mr Ajuri Ngelale, said in a statement that the changes “which take immediate effect” were done in line with Tinubu’s “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.”
Ngelale also announced that Tinubu approved 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,” the statement added.
