Concerned aviation experts have waded into the controversy surrounding the refusal of some of the deployed management staff of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to resume work in their new duty posts.
Daily Sun learnt that at the root of the crisis is the decision of the Director of Human Resources at FAAN, Hajia Salamatu Umar Elumah, to challenge her deployment to the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) by the Minister of State, Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, through a petition to the Presidency. Elumah had in a petition to the Presidency, kicked against the posting from FAAN to AIB, alleging that she was being victimised by the Minister. Some labour officials and experts who spoke to aviation correspondents over the issue said efforts were being made to stem the crisis and restore sanity to the industry so that a bad precedence is not set where persons deployed reject such postings and are subsequently allowed the choices of their preferred positions.
The Secretary of Aviation Round Table (ART) and former Command of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, Group Captain John Ojikutu, said he was “miffed by the controversy going on over trivial issues about deployment and promotion in the aviation industry,” noting that redeployments were normal in the civil service.
“Why can’t we discuss issues about the airport certification and NCAA reclassification? Why can’t we be discussing about airlines’ travails and the incursions of foreign airlines into our domestic routes? Why can’t we be discussing about the recurring debts of our airlines? Why can’t we situate the NCAA reported tickets sales earnings with the IATA revelation that air transport contributes over $8.2 billion or N4.5 trillion to our GDP? These are issues for me and you and not the deployment or sacking of some individuals,” he said.
An official of Air Transport Service Senior Staff Association (ATSSSAN), said the association was disappointed with the protest against recent deployments, saying that it was normal process.
“This is not the first time people are deployed in the industry. If the Mrs. Elumah-led protest is allowed and she has her way, a bad precedence would have been laid, which in future will be detrimental to the industry,” said the ATSSSAN official.
“It is the very first time in the industry that the unions did not kick against the recent reorganisation in the aviation industry because the right thing was done by promoting those who needed to be promoted and who had put in years working for the agencies and moving those who needed to be moved so that we can have round pegs in round holes.”
Also some industry officials noted that similar reorganisation took place last week in the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and the affected staff did not petition nor question is questioning government’s decision.