By Chinelo Obogo
There is unease among members of staff of Arik Air as the airline’s management (In Receivership) has commenced the process of redeploying workers to NG Eagle, which was founded by the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) and sold to a Nigerian businessman.
In a letter signed by the Accounting Manager/ Managing Director of NG Eagle, Captain A. E Dare with number: NGE/HQ/AAL/2023/001, dated October 9, 2023, addressed to the Chief Executive Officer, Arik Air Limited (in Receivership) and titled: Request for the Secondment of 12 Arik Flight Operations Department Personnel to NG Eagle, it stated: “Further to our discussion regarding the above subject matter, we hereby request the secondment of the following personnel to NG Eagle for an initial period (of) one year.
“Our request is necessitated by the exigencies of the release of our AOC by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and our desire to enter into commercial air service by the beginning of November 2023. NG Eagle will bear the costs of these employees while on secondment to our company. If this meets with your approval, please direct your Arik HR nominee to work with us to document the secondment of these personnel.”
NG Eagle expects the following personnel, Captain Jude Aduba, Captain Benjamin Omibare, Captain Peter Afiwajoye, First Officer Umar Farouk, First Officer Ibrahim Olufemi and First Officer Suleman Ishaq. Others are Umoru Simon Enemali (Senior Crew, Scheduling Officer), Priye George (Senior Flight Dispatcher), Ogodo Ejiroghene Ayodele (OCC Manager), Peter Nwereonye (OCC Officer) and Chidera Onwujekwu (OCC Officer).
An insider who spoke to Daily Sun confirmed the move by Air Air management (In receivership) but said that even though everything is being done very discretely many members of staff of Arik Air are aware of the plans and are not happy about it.
Another source disclosed that the workers named in the letter have kicked against the secondment, because of the controversy surrounding the emergence of the new airline.
The founder of Arik Air, Sir Joseph Arumemi-Ikhide and the airline’s shareholders have been engaged in a running battle over the current state of the airline years after it was taken over by AMCON.
Arik shareholders accused the managing director of AMCON, Ahmed Kuru, of making false and misleading statements over the state of affairs of the airline and have challenged him to provide proof and records of inherited indebtedness.
At a press briefing in Lagos recently, Kuru said the airline which has been under AMCON’s receivership was heavily in debt before it was taken over and that according to security reports, the firm would not have lasted for longer than two weeks if the Federal Government had not intervened. He however said that AMCON is ready to negotiate with Sir Arumemi-Ikide, on returning the airline to him. Kuru also admitted that AMCON had to set up NG Eagle as a way to salvage the cost incurred in trying to save Arik Air.
But in a statement, the shareholders said that contrary to Kuru’s claims, the airline was not in default of any of its financial lease and operating loan obligations to any bank.
Also, industry observers expressed reservations that NCAA renewed the Air Operators Certificate (AOC) despite the fact that it has not operated any scheduled flight and the demonstrated flight.
“NG Eagle used Arik staff for initial approval; yet it couldn’t take off, now it is back to leasing Arik staff; so, it means it has no staff and is not eligible for license,” one of the industry observers said.