FEW days ago, the Federal Government through the ministry of transportation announced the appointment of a new Managing Director, Captain Rabiu Hamisu Yadudu for the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).
The new appointment brought to an end the tenure of Alhaji Saleh Dunoma who managed the Federal Government’s 22 airports across the country under FAAN for over five years.
The removal or whatever of Alhaji Saleh did not come as a surprise to many in view of some reasons including age and government’s policy regarding CEO’s tenure in their positions.
Besides, while the government has the right to appoint and remove depending on reasons, Saleh would not be the first to be removed and will never be the last but the most important fact is that while on the seat, he did his best and will therefore, be remembered for his humility.
However, since the removal of the immediate past FAAN Managing Director, there have been continuous reactions from the sector with majority saying that the latest action was long overdue since the removal of Saleh came after he had been on the position for sometime based on contract having earlier exhausted his tenure as a substantive Managing Director which made him before the removal the last man standing amongst his peers.
While government has the prerogative to make changes as it likes, such changes can, however fall short of expectations when such have little or no effect on the yearnings of stakeholders as regards challenges bedeviling the entire sector.
According to investigations carried out, while the wind of change blowing may likely touch on other aviation agencies, in carrying out this changes, government should tread softly by ensuring that it does not throw away one or two other Chief Executives who have added value to the system.
While carrying out the changes, government through the Minister of State for Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, who coincidentally is part and parcel of the sector should view the present status of the sector particularly in the area of civil aviation regulations vis a vis the implementation of the aviation rules in Nigeria and ask itself if it is satisfied with what is on ground.
The need to take cognisance of this fact has become pertinent because the success and vibrancy of any country’s aviation sector shall depend on the competency and proactiveness of the aviation regulatory body, which is the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).
Prior to this critical period, the regulatory body had received negative knocks and criticisms from key players in the sector regarding the lukewarm position it has taken for some time now while safety issues are being compromised with reckless abandon.
To say the truth without minding who will bear the conequencies, let the government carry out the subsequent changes it wants to pursue without sentiment but for the general interest of the sector with focus on the regulatory agency.
In all honesty, owing to the feelers flying about, the wind of change blowing should be done with focus on how the aviation regulations of the country has faired in the recent past.
With due respect, there is a big lacuna existing which has gone to question the competency of the regulatory agency as regards safety which was further exposed with the report of the final reports of past six crashes released by the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB).
The most controversial of the reports was the one involving the Cessna 208B aircraft personally flown by the late Taraba State governor, Danbaba Suntai that exposed the lackadaisical attitude displayed by the regulatory agency that would have resulted to a national calamity but for sheer luck.
It is based on these obvious facts that the Crucial Moment is urging the minister of state for aviation to consider the status of the sector and the roles of the various aviation agencies before effecting changes. One thing obvious is that the sector through the relevant agencies requires a serious revival.