Nigeria's aviation industry was once plagued by safety concerns, earning it a reputation as fragile and accident-prone. The Sosoliso plane crash, which claimed 110 lives, was a devastating example of that era.
Safety concerns in the sector had as at then pushed many people to go the way of the "lesser evil" by preferring to travel on the road as against flying to their various points of destination.
However, after a series of reforms, the industry transformed into a world-class sector.
Apart from the Sosoliso plane crash, many air crashes involving top government officials were equally recorded. But it was not long before the then government introduced an effective reform that transformed the industry into a world class sector.
We should recall that Sosoliso Airlines Flight 1145(SO1145/OSL1145), a scheduled Nigerian domestic passenger flight from Nigeria's capital of Abuja to Port Harcourt crash-landed at the Port Harcourt International Airport, leaving 110 persons onboard the plane dead.
With other air accidents that happened within the time, Nigerians sought alternative to air travels. It was difficult to rebuild trust and confidence in the sector. It was a huge task. It took a lot of sensitisation before Nigerians returned to that means of transportation.
Unfortunately, experts believe that the current state of the industry is reminiscent of the Sosoliso era. Under the watch of the current Director-General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), several incidents have occurred, including an aircraft overshooting the runway and two engine failures after takeoff. These are quite terrifying.
The current situation with the Director General (DG), Chris Ona Najomo, who has served in an acting capacity for over one year, at the helm gives cause for serious concern in terms of the integrity of airline regulations.
Under the applicable Public Service Rules and established governance standards, no Chief Executive Officer (CEO) or equivalent head of a statutory body should remain in an acting capacity beyond a maximum of twelve (12) months. The continued retention of the DG in an acting capacity violates this guideline and undermines the integrity of the regulatory framework within which public institutions must operate.
The civil service rules are designed to prevent indefinite acting. By exceeding the one-year limit, these rules are not being adhered to, and this has consequently created a procedural and legal irregularity.
Corporate governance principles and administrative best practices discourage prolonged "acting" periods. Such extensions often erode accountability, reduce clear performance expectations, and open opportunities for mismanagement. This is not only dangerous to the administrative running of the NCAA but put the safety of the nations airline to question.
If he continues to act without further action, such is capable of facilitating a climate of unchecked authority and proper regulation could suffer at the detriment of airline safety.
In a civilised Nigeria, allowing an acting role to persist beyond the statutory limit undermines the legitimacy of the position and can foster distrust within the organisation, the public, and international partners. It can also set a damaging precedent for similar bodies.
From an expert view, it's completely an act of illegality and a major concern for a DG whose acting tenure has expired to continue signing official memos and issuing directives. I have it on good record that the Acting DG, whose tenure expired on 13 December, still signs official documents, but the question then is "in what capacity?" It's rather unfortunate that official documents are still being signed, in addition to the carrying out of sundry official engagements, after the expiration of tenure, which is in defiance to public service rules (020704) and other extant circulars and procedural manuals.
There is the urgent need to end the flagrant disregard of procedures and processes as it portends grave danger for the aviation ecosystem in Nigeria.
A critical agency such as NCAA, which is the apex regulatory body of all civil aviation matters in the country cannot continue to operate without a substantive DG. The reluctance of the Federal Government to appoint a substantive DG could create a leadership crisis and give room for the ascendance of sharp practices.
This practice is capable of bringing the Nigeria aviation industry into disrepute. The global aviation industry operates on sets of agreed guidelines and conventions. It is important to have a substantive accountable manager who will take full responsibility for all actions as it concerns civil aviation matters in the country. A situation where individuals will continue to take actions and make decisions without the official instrument of office is not only an act of impunity but also an affront to constituted authorities.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
Therefore, in the interest of safety and security of the civil aviation ecosystem, there is the need to put an end to this state of affairs by appointing a substantive chief executive for the agency who will provide leadership, guidance, and direction in order for the country to continue to meet its obligations both locally and internationally.
One wonders why the Minister of Aviation who knows the law is not applying it appropriately. It is expected of him to take action and not to continue to ignore the current situation. He should be reminded of the legal frameworks and standards of public office and ensure the needful is done, or else he will tak the bulk of the blame if the industry continues on this trajectory.
The urgent need to save NCAA and the entire aviation sector should not be overlooked as the survival of the sector depends solely on the ability to correct administrative errors and forge a common front against anything that could frustrate safety and excellent leadership. The world is watching and it's imperative the minister acts urgently.
Femi Johnson, an aviation expert, writes from Canada.
