The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Keyamo and the acting Director General of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Captain Chris Najomo, made significant contributions to earn Nigeria a pass mark of 71.04 per cent in the audit exercise conducted by the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s (ICAO) Universal Security Audit Programme-Continuous Monitoring Approach (USAP-CMA) in the country’s aviation industry.
This was disclosed by the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, NCAA, Michael Achimugu.
Achimugu said that the industry was able to achieve that success because of leadership skills and dexterity in mobilizing manpower and resources to ensure all open gaps were closed else; Nigeria would have failed in the final outcome.
The NCAA spokesman described as mischievous comments by commentators that both the Minister and DG, CAA were responsible for the allegedly poor ratings the country achieved insisting that both came into office barely months ago and went to work immediately to improve on the deteriorating airport 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 D, NCAA, what we met on the ground would not have scored up to 30 per cent 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 noted that the ICAO auditors praised the authority’s performance during their final briefing at the NCAA, adding that they even mentioned a scenario where they complained about absence of certain facilities but, to their surprise, it was made available the following day.
