Mr. Festus Keyamo, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, lacks the power to direct the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to suspend Dana Air, aviation experts said on Wednesday.
This is as a strong source close to Dana Air confided in Daily Independent that the airline as at the time of filing this report was yet to receive any suspension letter from the NCAA.
Some of the experts that spoke to Daily Independent said that the directive of the minister to the NCAA was an indictment on the autonomy of NCAA and a signal to the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) that the country’s apex regulatory body was not in charge in Nigeria.
The professionals stated that Keyamo should have allowed the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) to come out with its investigation and issue its safety recommendations before taking any action or directive on the serious incident, which occurred at the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA), Lagos on Tuesday.
Grp. Capt. John Ojikutu, aviation analyst, queried the basis in which Dana Air was suspended by the minister.
Ojikutu explained that the letter signed by Dr. Emmanuel Meribole, Permanent Secretary on behalf of Keyamo was not explicit enough, as the reason for the suspension of the airline was not stated.
Ojikutu declared that Keyamo as the supervising minister of aviation lacked the authority to order for a suspension of any airline.
He insisted that by that letter, Keyamo was unnecessarily exposing Nigeria to ICAO and warned that it may have a negative impact on the image and rating of the country.
He said: “The suspension of Dana Air is on what basis? If he is calling for the suspension of Dana Air, the reasons for the suspension must be there, but in any case, the minister has no such power. He is exposing this country to ICAO. This simply means that the NCAA is not in authority.
“He is gradually making himself the chief executive of the NCAA. He doesn’t have that power. We have already written to the ICAO and recommended the NCAA as the civil aviation authority and as the authority that is why when they come, they don’t go to the minister, they talk to the NCAA and go back.
“Keyamo has no such authority. He should have waited for the report of NCAA and NSIB to come out and its recommendations because NSIB must make recommendations, depending on their findings. Why are you suspending the airline? What are you talking about the runway? Somebody just said that the runway acquires water and that is the truth. The same thing with Port Harcourt airport. I am ashamed to see some of the things that were done and the whole thing is being messed up by this minister.”
Besides, Mr. Olumide Ohunayo, Director, Research, Zenith Travels Ltd, described the directive as a gross interference of safety processes and procedures.
Ohunayo, like Ojikutu, expressed that the ministry had no business with the airlines, maintaining that he also lacked the power to order the director-general on safety related issues.
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