IT was a day of reward for performances for deserving individuals and organizations that bagged various Air Transport Quarterly Magazine’s 2021 Industry Awards in Lagos.
Among the beneficiaries was the Managing Director of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Captain Fola Akinkuotu who went home with the ‘Aviation Man of the Year’ award following his outstanding performance in repositioning the pivotal agency for efficient service delivery in air navigation.
Also, the Director-General, Nigerian Civil Aviation Agency (NCAA), Captain Musa Nuhu bagged the ‘Best CEO in Crisis Management — post-Covid-19’ award for his leadership role in actualising a hitch-free flight restart, just as the regulatory agency equally honoured with ‘Safety Sustainability Award’.
The Commissioner and CEO, Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB)-Nigeria, Mr Akin Olateru was honoured as the ‘CEO of the Year’ for his managerial acumen that has made the Bureau a reference brand today in the global arena. This status robbed off on the bureau as it also clinched the ‘Most Transformed Aviation Agency of the Year award.
The event which took place at NCAA Annex Conference Hall under the Chairmanship of Mr Chris Aligbe, Belujane Consult, saw Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMET) clinch the ‘Most Impactful Agency of the Year’ Award for becoming more relevant in timely weather forecast reaching out to the public through multimedia channels under its incumbent Director-General, Prof. Mansur Bako Matazu.
Nigeria’s premier Aviation College, NCAT, under the leadership of Captain Alkali Madibbo expectedly clinched the award of ‘Aviation College of the Year’ for its pronounced contribution to manpower development for the aviation industry in Nigeria and Africa over the years.
NAMA’s Director, Engineering Services, Mr Farouk Ahmed Umar won the first ‘ATQ Star Leadership Award’ for his commitment and teamwork in making a difference in the installation and maintenance of air navigation equipment at the nation’s airports.
For industry operators, Ibom Air won the award of the ‘Airline of the Year’ for its prompt service delivery and impactful influence in the competitive market while Air Peace remained the market leader as it bagged the award for the ‘Domestic Market Leader’ following its consistent high market load factor arising from the dense network and high fleet.
Arik Air received the award as ‘Most Resilient Airline’ for maintaining operations despite the daunting economic challenges that caused momentary distractions and further compounded by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Other Award recipients include Zenith Bank, ‘SMEs Bank of the Year’, Nigerian Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC), ‘Most Viable Financial Institution’ and Access Bank, ‘Most Outstanding Bank in Corporate Social Responsibility’, among others.
In his remarks, MD/Editor-in-Chief, Air Transport Quarterly, Mr Supo Atobatele welcomed all to what he called a groundbreaking event.
His words: “Your presence is awesome as it signposts the bright future that is continually knocking at the doors of this industry which has great potentials to oil the wheels of our economy”.
He commended the Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika for what he called his purposeful leadership of the industry which has ensured the repositioning of the business for greater efficiency in consonance with global recommended best practices.
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