Air of uncertainty has enveloped the country’s aviation sector as indications emerged over the probability that President Ahmed Tinubu may restructure the agencies of government which may affect the last minute employments and appointments carried out by the administration.
The government of former President Muhammad’s Buhari until the eve of its departure from office still engaged in employment and appointments just like the ministers that served under him.
The immediate past minister of aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika was among such ministers whose tenure was almost winding down yet filled the different agencies with new employments and engagements.
The last minute employment and appointments elicited strong condemnation across the sector with key players calling on the government of President Tinubu to upturn them for the sake of justice and fairplay.
Following the latest news about the plans of the government to review such employments and appointments, stakeholders have expressed their support for the decision.
Reacting to the development, the Managing Director of Centurion Security, Group Captain John Ojikutu, retired, defended the plan to upturn the appointments and employments according to power bestowed on the president.
He said: “The president has the power to appoint certain agencies Executives but cannot remove some others whose appointments are statutorily bound like the Director General of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NISB) Commissioner.
“For the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and the Directors yes. These would need political interferences from the political kingmakers in the country.”
Also commenting on the development, a renowned labour leader in the sector, Comrade Olayinka Abioye said no law compels a new president to accept all the policies of the previous government hook, line and sinker.
According to Abioye: “President Tinubu, for all intent and purposes, cannot and should not be made to accept ipso facto all appointments made by his predecessor. This being so, the Federal Government is good to go should it plan to restructure its administrative apparatus by changing former appointees and giving opportunities for others to serve.
“Don’t forget that in our own type of politics, compensation follows victories. There are thousands of suitably qualified professionals and others who supported and campaigned for the success of the government and they have to enjoy the benefits of democracy through these appointments. Those the government can retain shall be retained while others have to go such as the recent announcement of recall of ambassadors and non career officers.”
Besides the support for the upturn of the last minute exercise by the previous government, the key players equally backed the announcement to suspend some projects embarked on with many calling for the total cancellation of such projects.
One of such projects is the controversial national carrier project, the Nigeria Air which caused the country billions of naira without success.
Commenting on the issue, Group Captain Ojikutu, retired declared: “Am not in support of any National Carrier but Flag Carriers. Government has no business in commercial aviation and its withdrawal is in order and the airline can become whatever it wants to be.
“Government has no business being a shareholder of 5% in an airline where a foreign government has more than 40 percent. Secondly, not many countries today are in the projects of National Carrier but Flag Carriers. How many countries in the 60s/90s with National Carriers are today operating them? Most including UK and US have discarded National Carriers for Flag Carriers. Any attempt to continue with the National Carrier project is to end it up as Government Carrier with Institutional Corruption as done with the Nigeria Airways.”
