Skip to content
Abel News NG

Abel News NG

Latest news

Primary Menu
  • LATEST NEWS
  • Aviation
  • Airlines
  • Business
  • News
  • Hospitality
  • Politics
  • ABOUT US
  • Home
  • 2016
  • February
  • 21
  • NATCA Backs FG Corruption War, Restructuring Of Aviation Agencies
  • Aviation

NATCA Backs FG Corruption War, Restructuring Of Aviation Agencies

admin February 21, 2016 4 min read

…Alleges TRACON Has No Back Up
…No Navigational Equipment Is Working Optimally
…Asks EFCC To Extend Probe Total VHF Coverage Of Nigeria
The Nigerian Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) has thrown its weight behind efforts by the Federal Government to sanitise the aviation industry of impunity and corrupt practices bedeviling the industry for some years now.
NATCA’s support is coming in a statement jointly signed by the National President Victor Eyaru and the General Secretary Olawode Banji and made available to journalists in Lagos.
The duo in the statement stated that the recent revelation from the Economic and Financial Crime Commission’s (EFCCs) visit to the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) was shocking and that it was an attestation to the endemic nature of the unfortunate practice.
They added that sadly, NATCAs have continuously discharge their all -important and safety critical duties with epileptic equipment of which communication at the two Area Control Centres in Kano and Lagos were mostly affected.
They further said that the nations radar equipment; Total Radar Coverage of Nigeria(TRACON), after close to 10 years of its installation, has no backup to cater for period of failure, adding that the existing radar equipment has almost outlived its designed lifespan and requires replacement.
According to them, “No navigational equipment is at its best as well. Efforts of NATCA and its members to see to fixing of these problems over the years only earned the Air Traffic Controllers various attacks and name calling. Unfortunately, a lot of fund may have been allocated to fixing the unresolved challenges.”
They pointed out that worthy of mention was the deliberate depriving of ATCs mandatory training since 2012 by continually arrogating such to lack of fund or approval and that this has reduced the capacity of the available ATCs to effectively provide various services such as the newly introduced 24-hour Area Radar Service and Performance Based Navigation (PBN).
NATCA stated that another area of fraud urgently deserving the attention of government is in the duplication of department, directorates and creation of irrelevant departments/offices across the agencies, adding that appointment of non-qualified persons to man sensitive positions has also encouraged fraud and reduced productivity.
According to NATCA, “Most of the agencies have over-bloated staff strength skewed towards the less productive departments. An example is that of NAMA having seven directorates with eight directors as against the original three directorates. The same agency, with Air Traffic Control service as its core function, has only about 11 per cent of its employees being Air Traffic Controllers as against between 45 and 70 per cent for other similar Air Navigation Service Providers(ANSP) globally.”
NATCA stated that due to the sensitivity and peculiarity of NAMA as an Air Navigation Service Provider, pending the conclusion of the ongoing investigations or appointment of a substantive Managing Director, the Federal government should immediately appoint, in acting capacity, a competent person equally qualified to be appointed as Managing Director in accordance with the provision of NAMA Establishment Act No.48 Part IV section 8 subsection 2(d) of 1999,which states that a person who possesses relevant and adequate professional qualifications in a senior management cadre and shall have been so qualified for a period of not less than fifteen years.
This, the association stated would stem the ongoing leadership crisis due to appointment of two persons as Acting Managing Director within a week and in the interest of air safety, adding that NAMA is a very strategic agency that should not be headed by anyone without both technical knowledge and proven administrative expertise in ANSP under whatever circumstance to avoid any costly decision that could compromise air safety and spell disaster for the whole country.
The EFCC, NATCA said should ensure that all the siphoned monies by those involved and their cronies are recovered and returned to the coffers of NAMA and that thereafter, the guilty should be punished according to the law so as to serve as deterrent to others.
They also called on the EFCC to extend such probe/investigation to some failed projects in NAMA such as the Total VHF coverage of Nigeria as well as other aviation agencies, rationalise all the agencies directorates, departments/units and staff strength to reflect the original intention of government for creating them and to reposition them for efficiency and approve employment of more hands in the technical areas where there are shortages.
The group stated that ATCs were worst hit in this area with only about half of the needed manpower available within NAMA, an agency with over-bloated staff strength.
They also called for urgent approval for the replacement of the available TRACON before its expiration period and provision of reliable Pilot-Controller and Controller-Controller communication facilities at all the Air Traffic Control Units to enhance air safety.

admin

See author's posts

Continue Reading

Previous: Stakeholders Call On FG To Appoint Substantive MD For NAMA
Next: Review Of 2006 Accidents, Incidents Regulations Will Enhance AIB’s Investigation—-Sirika

Related Stories

Kila Calls For Public Inquiry Into Nigeria Air
2 min read
  • Aviation

Kila Calls For Public Inquiry Into Nigeria Air

May 30, 2023
 Flight Dispatcher Plays Critical Role In Flight Safety–Aviatrix CEO
2 min read
  • Aviation

 Flight Dispatcher Plays Critical Role In Flight Safety–Aviatrix CEO

May 29, 2023
CISLAC Calls  For Reversal Of Abuja, Kano Airports’ Concession In Nigerians Interest
2 min read
  • Aviation

CISLAC Calls  For Reversal Of Abuja, Kano Airports’ Concession In Nigerians Interest

May 25, 2023

Recent Posts

  • Runsewe Advocates Establisment  Of Study Centre For African  Arts, Culture In Dutch University
  • Dana Air Gets Recognition  For Outstanding Service, Collaborations 
  • Ibom Air Celebrates 4Th Anniversary Of Existence
  • Obaseki Constitutes 18-Man Committee To  Implement Anti-Grazing Law In Edo 
  • House Of Reps Declares Last Minutes Launch Of Controversial Nigeria Air  Fraudulent

Recent Comments

  1. israelnightclub.com on Nigeria Immigration Service  A Major Investment Driver Of The Country  By James Sunday
  2. Abel Orukpe on FAAN To Constitute Task Force To Curb Activities Of Miscreants At MMIA
  3. Shinaba Abiodun on FAAN To Constitute Task Force To Curb Activities Of Miscreants At MMIA
  4. Nanji Tyem on FG Grants Tax Reliefs To TStv Africa
  5. Margaret on Disaster Looms In Aguda As Developer Begins Sand Filling Of Major Canal

Archives

  • June 2023
  • May 2023
  • April 2023
  • March 2023
  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • January 2015
  • July 2012
  • July 2011
  • February 2011
  • July 2010
  • February 2009

Categories

  • Agriculture
  • Airlines
  • Android
  • Appointment
  • Aviation
  • Award
  • BlackBerry
  • Business
  • Community News
  • Contact us
  • Crime
  • Culture
  • Design
  • Editorial
  • Education
  • Entertainment
  • Event
  • Feature
  • Health
  • Health
  • Healthe
  • Hospitality
  • International News
  • Interviews
  • iPhone
  • Judiciary
  • LATEST NEWS
  • Letter
  • Migration
  • News
  • News In Picture
  • Opinion
  • Politics
  • Presentation
  • Religion
  • Security
  • Slider
  • Speech
  • Sports
  • Technology
  • Tourism
  • Transport
  • Travelogue
  • Uncategorized
  • Videos
  • World

You may have missed

Runsewe Advocates Establisment  Of Study Centre For African  Arts, Culture In Dutch University
2 min read
  • LATEST NEWS

Runsewe Advocates Establisment  Of Study Centre For African  Arts, Culture In Dutch University

June 7, 2023
Dana Air Gets Recognition  For Outstanding Service, Collaborations 
1 min read
  • Airlines

Dana Air Gets Recognition  For Outstanding Service, Collaborations 

June 7, 2023
Ibom Air Celebrates 4Th Anniversary Of Existence
2 min read
  • Airlines

Ibom Air Celebrates 4Th Anniversary Of Existence

June 7, 2023
Obaseki Constitutes 18-Man Committee To  Implement Anti-Grazing Law In Edo 
2 min read
  • LATEST NEWS

Obaseki Constitutes 18-Man Committee To  Implement Anti-Grazing Law In Edo 

June 6, 2023
Copyright © All rights reserved. | MoreNews by AF themes.