President Muhammadu Buhari, in the final hours of his administration, has, through the Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, constituted the boards of aviation agencies.
POLITICS NIGERIA reports that this comes after nearly a decade of operating the agencies without proper boards.
Despite the legal obligation for boards outlined in their respective Acts, the Federal Government had refused to inaugurate boards for six key agencies in the aviation industry.
The agencies affected include the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), and the recently established Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB).
Critics have consistently voiced concerns over the former Aviation Minister’s failure to adhere to the Acts by governing these agencies without the necessary boards.
Although the boards were initially constituted during President Buhari’s first term, their inauguration was halted due to non-compliance with the Acts governing the agencies. However, they were never replaced since then.
In a statement released by the Ministry of Aviation on Sunday, it was announced that President Buhari has approved the composition of the boards.
According to the statement, Mr. Lai Are will chair the NCAA board, with two institutional members representing the Ministries of Aviation and Defence.
Capt. Fola Akinkuotu will chair the FAAN board, accompanied by five institutional members representing the Ministries of Aviation, Defence, Justice, Tourism, and NCAT. Capt. Mukhtar Aminu and Mr. Chris Aligbe will serve as members.
Capt. Bashir Sodangi will chair the NAMA board, with four institutional members representing the Ministries of Aviation, Communications and Digital Economy, Transportation, and the Nigerian Air Force. Two additional members, Mr. Richard Aisuegbon and Suleiman Balarabe Ismail, will represent the public interest.
Engr. Ezekiel Danboyi Zang will chair the NSIB board, along with six other members, including Engr. Suraj Abdulwahab, Engr. Ita Awak, Mall. Nasiru Anas, Alhaji Sani Maida, Engr. Pantani Esugo, and Lawrence Fubara Anga, SAN.
Dr. Imoro Kubor will chair the NiMet board, supported by four institutional members representing the Ministries of Aviation, Agriculture and Natural Resources, Environment, and Transportation. Dr. Adebayo Yinka and Prof. Aliyu Umar Tambuwal will serve as members.
Lastly, Capt. Jonathan Ibrahim will chair the NCAT board, with institutional members including the Ministry of Aviation, NCAA, Nigeria’s ICAO representative, a representative from the aviation sector (Engr. Bashir Saad), Hajia Binta Aminu Iya representing the community, a representative elected from the congregation who should be a non-teaching staff, and the college registrar.
The statement also emphasised that the composition of the boards aligns with the newly enacted Acts of the agencies, primarily consisting of institutional representations.
