The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has terminated the services of 33 directors under his ministry.
Aviation experts described the move as a “clean sweep and reversal of the last-minute appointments” made by President Muhammadu Buhari’s immediate predecessor, Senator Hadi Sirika, when he was Minister of Aviation.
Sirika appointed 33 directors and a new managing director for the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) on May 23, 2023, a week before the Buhari administration’s expiration.
He also established directorates that did not previously exist in any of the agencies.
However, six months later, all of the appointees were fired in a major shake-up that caught even those who were affected off guard.
This occurred just a few hours after the heads of aviation agencies were relieved of their positions without prior notice.
According to reports, the majority of the CEOs were out of the country when the announcement was made and learned of their dismissal on newspaper pages or social media. Last week, the ministers and heads of the agencies attended two separate events outside of the country.
The 15th International Civil Aviation Negotiation Event was held in Riyadh, Saudi Araba, followed by the ICAO meeting in Canada.
President Tinubu, on Wednesday, December 14, through a statement by the Presidential Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, approved the suspension, removal, and replacement of the chief executive officers of the agencies under the aviation ministry.
FAAN, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), NAMA, the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB), the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET), and the College of Aviation Technology (NCAT) are the organizations.
Kabir Yusuf Mohammed of FAAN was replaced with Mrs. Olubunmi Oluwaseun Kuku; NAMA’s Tayib Adetunji Odunowo was replaced with Engr. Umar Ahmed Farouk; NSIB’s Engr. Akinola Olateru was replaced by Mr. Alex Badeh Jr. as the substantive Director-General; NIMET’s DG, Prof. Mansur Bako Matazu, was replaced with Prof. Charles Anosike; and NCAT Rector, Capt. Alkali Mahmud Modibbo, was replaced by Mr. Joseph Shaka Imalighwe as Acting Rector. The Director-General of the NCAA, Capt. Musa Shuaibu Nuhu, was suspended from office while Capt. Chris Najomo assumed office as the acting DG.
“Nobody saw it coming,” a source in one of the agencies said.
Mr. Festus Keyamo, the Minister of Aviation, attended an International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) conference last week, along with the CEOs of all the agencies.
“None of them had the inkling that their sack would be this soon,” another source said.
The aviation ministry, in a follow-up statement signed by the Head of Press and Public Affairs, Odutayo Oluseyi, asked all directors to hand over to the most senior people in their departments or directorates.
The statement read: “Following the change in the leadership of the Aviation and Aerospace Development Agencies’ CEOs and MDs aimed to reposition the aviation industry and ensure safety and efficient air travel experience by Nigerians in line with the Renewed Hope agenda of Mr. President, I am directed to inform all directors of the following agencies that they have been relieved of their appointments forthwith and should hand over to the most senior officer in their various directorates with immediate effect.
“I am also to inform all the agencies’ board secretaries and legal advisers that they are not affected by this directive.
“All affected directors are to ensure strict compliance, please.”
According to reports, the development is already generating mixed reactions in the industry, with many stakeholders divided over the’reorganization’ carried out by the government.
Alhaji Abubakar Bibi, a former FAAN general manager, praised Keyamo for taking “the bold step of reorganizing the industry.”
He claimed that the dismissal would allow the minister to clear the Augean stable by reversing Sirika’s last-minute appointments.
Despite not being an aviator, Keyamo demonstrated his readiness to work and understanding of the system, according to Bibi. He asked stakeholders to back him up.
Before retiring, Bibi was the manager of Ilorin Airport, Bauchi, Sokoto, and Benue, among other places. She also advocated for the harmonization of departments within the agencies to improve the efficiency of their operations.
Also speaking, Mr. Olumide Ohunayo, General Secretary of the Aviation Roundtable, stated that the government has the authority to hire and fire. He also praised the diversity of the appointments.
He said, “Government is a continuum. If the government says it is time to change, then it is time to change. It didn’t come as a surprise to us in the industry, including those who were removed, considering that the appointments were made on the 29th of May and the new minister would want to work with his team.
“I don’t have any sentiment for any individual. I have a feeling for the system. The problem is if those who are being appointed will be able to deliver, but time will tell.”
Comrade Olayinka Abioye, a union leader and former General Secretary of the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), said the mass layoff is not surprising.
He said, “It is expected since the new sheriff came to town, and this is very interesting to some of us. I am saddened, however, that some directors who had been in the saddle normally and doing well have been swept away by this executive tsunami, which was expected since the immediate aviation minister abused his powers and office to appoint hundreds of people into various positions; some of them were not even fit in the first instance. And this came just a few months after his leaving office as minister.
“This should not have happened if we were disciplined enough as Nigerians. This sack has therefore affected many old and hardworking directors and those 11th-hour directors who were forcefully thrust upon our heads, and it seems like a good riddance to bad rubbish.
“The new minister, having secured the approval of his principal, now has the opportunity to choose diligently suitably qualified personnel as new directors, given the new impetus of the administration to raise the bar of passenger comfortability, ease of doing business, upgrade of infrastructure, and staff wellbeing.
“I do hope that Minister Keyamo will not make the mistake of the past by bringing every Tom, Dick, and Harry into the system as a way of compensating them.”
Comrade Frances Akinjole, Deputy General Secretary of the Air Transport Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSAN), also stated that the dismissal was expected, adding that the unions would investigate the new appointees.
He stated that the unions complained about the previous administration’s last-minute appointments, advising the minister to be fair in replacing the sacked directors.
