News
Minister, airline operators clash over composition of NCAA board
The Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika and the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) disagreed at the Senate on Monday over the composition of the board of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).
The AON had demanded the inclusion of its members in the NCAA board at the opening of a three-day public hearing on the six executive bills meant to reorganise and restructure the six agencies in the aviation sector.
The AON representative, Chinasa Unaegburam, had proposed an amendment to Section 5 of the NCAA Act to make provisions for the airline operators on the agency’s board.
She said: “They (AON) are people who are operating the airlines and they can give the perspective of policies.
“If we have a member of AON on the board, we can give a perspective particularly in the instance where the NCAA is going to be the sole regulatory body.
“If there is a member from AON, it is not going to change the policy but it is going to give an insight from the operator view.
READ ALSO: NCAA threatens to stop domestic flight operations over breach of COVID-19 protocols
“We are moving forward so we want to move the sector forward. It is something that we should consider.”
The AON called for amendment of Clause 23 of the NCAA Act, seeking a five percent reduction in contract and service charge.
However, the minister interjected and told the gathering that the AON could not speak at the forum because of a pending court case.
He said members of the AON have been causing problems for the aviation sector because of their indebtedness.
He said: “We have concerns and they are very genuine. NCAA operates on a cost-recovery basis. They (AON) are owing us $6.9million and another N19.3billion. We are here so that we get a very robust civil Aviation Act.”
Join the conversation
Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism
Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.
As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.
If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.
Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.
INVESTIGATION: In Kwara, multimillion-naira milk processing plant is abandoned, converted to a chicken outlet
After the government spent millions of naira to establish a milk processing plant in Kwara State that would provided jobs...
SPECIAL REPORT: For Sokoto communities, promise of healthcare is akin to death sentence
In this story, ABDULRASHEED HAMMAD delves into the dire realities of Primary Health Care services in Sokoto State, shedding light...
ICYMI…SPECIAL REPORT: NNPCL hides behind PIA to frustrate disclosure, accountability
Nigeria’s major oil company, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL), in what appears to be a common practice of disregard...
INVESTIGATION: Multi-million naira Ekiti resort center remains uncompleted a decade after
The multimillion-naira project, expected to comprise recreational buildings, now consists of cassava farmland, a bush used for excretion, and a...
SPECIAL REPORT: Torturous experiences of students with disabilities in Oyo tertiary institutions
For students with disabilities in Oyo state-owned tertiary institutions, learning is a torturous and distressing experience, considering the building structures...