Key Highlights
- The MD of FAAN was removed from office by the Federal Government alongside 5 other directors of the agency.
- Kabir Yusuf Mohammed who is the current Manager of Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja and the Regional General Manager, North Central, will take over from Yadudu as the new MD of FAAN.
- An unconfirmed report suggests that a similar exercise may be carried out in the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), National Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB), and other agencies under the Ministry of Aviation.
The Federal Government has removed the Managing Director of the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria, (FAAN) Capt. Rabiu Yadudu, from office.
This is as the Federal Government has appointed the current Manager of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, Kabir Yusuf Mohammed, as the new Managing Director of FAAN and is expected to resume duty next week.
Although the reason for his removal is still unclear, Yadudu, who was appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari in 2019, was relieved of his appointment on Friday along with 5 other directors of the agency.
The new MD
Meanwhile, Mr. Kabir Yusuf Mohammed, appointed as the new managing director for FAAN, was also the Regional General Manager, North Central, Airport Manager at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
He was appointed as the Chairman, Aviation Roadmap Implementation Committee in January 2022 by the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, a position he effectively combined with his office as the General Manager, Special Duties at FAAN.
Uncertainty in the Aviation sector
According to the Nation, some sources say a similar exercise will be carried out in the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), National Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB), and other agencies under the Ministry of Aviation.
Also, a gale of the resignation of senior personnel has hit the apex civil aviation regulatory: Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), over what sources hinted might not be unconnected to pressure by the Ministry of Aviation to change the rules to enable the controversial national carrier – Nigeria Air take – off before May 29, 2023.
The source hinted that the Ministry of Aviation is putting the NCAA under pressure to waive some aspects of regulation to see the controversial carrier airborne before the administration signs out in less than 9 days.
These insider sources at the NCAA said the promoters of Nigeria Air are yet to meet the five-stage processes that would guarantee the issuance of AOC for the airline to take off.
Stakeholders in the aviation industry have called on the outgoing Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, to write his name in gold by appointing senior directors to the positions of chief executive officers of the agencies, adding that professionals should be allowed to remain in the sector rather than being posted out of it.
What you should know
- In a related development, the Federal Government is currently in a legal battle with aviation unions over airport concessions.
- Nairametrics had earlier reported that the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN), the Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals (ANAP), and the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP-FAAN Branch) – sued Aviation Ministry (1st defendant) and FAAN (2nd defendant), claiming that the entire process was short of transparency.
- The unions said they had agreed with the government that all parties involved in the process, including the unions, would appraise the situation, but regretted that the government failed to call the unions to a meeting to discuss this despite the series of letters to it on the issue.
- Meanwhile, the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, and the ministry have insisted that there would be no job losses as the sector is vital to Nigeria’s economy.
