Category: Interviews

CHUKS OKOH The  Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), has offered clarifications on the circumstances surrounding last Thursday’s air return involving a  United Airlines aircraft saying the air plane experienced sudden loss of altitude while over Côte d’Ivoire’s airspace. The agency categorically reaffirmed that the incident , which forced the aircraft to return to the Lagos Airport approximately  two  hours and 32 minutes after departure, did not occur within the Nigerian airspace The airspace agency, according to a statement  by its Director in charge of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Abdullahi Musa  said despite having the option to land in Bamako or Abidjan, the pilot, based on his prerogative and assessment of the situation, decided to return to Nigeria. The choice of Nigeria, he said was decided by the pilot  being the origin of the flight and where he probably  considered safer for him to make  a landing rather than Bamako or Cote D’ Ivorie where he encountered the problem. The statement reads : ” This clarification has become necessary owing to some unsubstantiated reports and analyses by certain “aviation experts” whose commentary is borne out of either inadequate information or misinformation. For the avoidance of doubt, the reported incident involving an air return in the Nigerian airspace did not occur within Nigeria’s airspace. Flight UAL 613, a scheduled service from Lagos to Washington fulfilled all departure protocols in accordance with international aviation standards. “Approximately 2 hours and 32 minutes after departure, the aircraft experienced a sudden loss of altitude while over Côte D’Ivoire’s airspace. Despite having the option to land in Bamako or Abidjan, the pilot, based on his prerogative and assessment of the situation, decided to return to Nigeria, being the origin of the flight and where he probably  considered safer for him to make  a landing rather than Bamako or Cote D’ Ivoire where he experienced the loss of altitude.” The NAMA spokesman said upon contact with the flight, ATC activated medical emergency services as requested by the pilot as required by laid down industry procedures. He said all hands were on deck to receive the aircraft on landing. He clarified : ” Lagos Area Control Centre picked the flight 180 nautical miles from Lagos.  It activated a medical emergency stand-by and guided the flight to a safe landing at Murtala Muhammed International Airport. “Upon arrival, emergency protocols were immediately activated by NAMA’s Air Traffic Control (ATC) and ground medical teams, ensuring the safety of all passengers and crew onboard. ” Another aircraft belonging to the airline flew to Lagos from Accra to rescue the passengers having received treatment by the Nigerian medical personnel. Contrary to insinuations this aircraft from Ghana was strictly on a rescue mission and nothing more. “We emphasize that the airline has not violated any airspace regulations and commend the pilot’s professionalism and judgment in prioritizing the safety of everyone onboard. NAMA remains committed to upholding the highest standards of airspace safety and ensuring that all operations adhere to international best practices. “While hoping that this clarification would disabuse the minds of unsuspecting air travelers and reassure them of the safety of the Nigerian airspace, we also implore analysts to obtain authentic information from appropriate quarters before commenting on critical national issues.”

CHUKS OKOH The acting director general of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Capt. Chris Najomo, is successfully driving the renewed hope agenda of President Bola Tinubu in the maritime sector. In a statement by the director, Consumer Protection, NCAA, Michael Achimugu, said the NCAA’s ag DG attained glorious heights hitherto thought impossible. According to Achimugu, the NCAA boss since the appointment of Najomo, not a single commercial plane has crashed under Najomo’s leadership Achimugu stated that under Capt. Najomo’s leadership, the Consumer Protection Department of the NCAA has achieved the highest volume of passenger refunds and compensations in its entire history. The Statement Read In Full: My attention has just been drawn to a lame, desperate and obviously sponsored last-ditch attempt by the famed “puff-puff experts” (apologies to Honourable Minister Festus Keyamo SAN) to truncate the confirmation of Capt. Chris Najomo as substantive DG, Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA. The poorly written article purportedly signed by one Kolade Hassan and Sy Mohammed, attempts to ridicule the person, character, and competence of Capt. Chris Najomo, an industry icon who has put in over four decades of premium service to the industry as one of Nigeria’s best pilots. Fondly called “Jolly Papa” by air travellers and admirers, Capt. Najomo has served meritoriously as Ag. DGCA since December 2023. Under his leadership, the NCAA has attained glorious heights hitherto thought impossible. But he has had to ensure a turbulent first year in office as shady characters fighting to retain control of the corruption that once pervaded the Authority, have deployed all manners of subterfuge to have Najomo removed at all cost. First, they came with allegations that the man had paid two hundred and fifty million naira to purchase an official vehicle without recourse to procurement processes. When that plot was blown out of the water, this rabid group resorted to all shades of blackmail, sponsored false narratives, among other tactics just to achieve their selfish aims. Let me address their shallow allegations. 1. They claim that Capt. Chris Najomo “….May have declared himself as DG-NCAA in a very boastful manner without presidential pronouncement and Senate confirmation.” This allegation is based on a video where Najomo can be heard introducing himself in a meeting with the following words, “My name is Capt. Chris Najomo, Director-General, Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority.” There is nothing in the video that mentions his confirmation or otherwise. The DGCA is called Jolly Papa for a reason. He is very charismatic and ebullient. He has always introduced himself the same way in internal meetings. As usual, I will challenge these faceless “elders” to provide evidence of Najomo pronouncing himself as substantive DG NCAA. The NCAA official social media handles have said nothing about the topic of the DGCA’s status. Not even the Spokesman of the Authority has spoken to the media about it. I will waste no further energy on this point. 2. SAFETY: How can anyone claim that a Capt. Chris Najomo who just completed the NCAA’s Flight Data Centre – commissioned by the Honourable Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development – does not care about safety? They wrote, “….what elders see sitting down cannot be seen by a child even if he climbs the tallest tree”. How can the elders who destroyed civil aviation in Nigeria claim to possess the magic wand to fix what they destroyed? In any case, who is a child? Is it Capt. Najomo, a man who has had a more storied career than majority of the industry that they refer to as a child? A sixty five year old pilot, airline administrator, two-time director at the NCAA, and Ag. DGCA for a year now, that these guys with nothing more than their Nigeria Airways mentality are calling an infant? For all of the talk about safety, not a single commercial plane has crashed under Najomo’s leadership. In fact, it was Najomo who suspended Dana Air for poor financial health which was impeding it’s ability to operate safely. That’s a man who cares about the safety of passengers. As for the unfortunate helicopter crash, we will not preempt the NSIB. When their report is released, we will be able to make comments. Runway excursions happen globally, and is not a sign of incompetence of any CAA. Nigeria is not in the top fifteen nations when it comes to air mishaps. These so-called elders did not blame the American FAA for the helicopter crash that killed Nigeria’s Hebert Wigwe. They did not blame the FAA for the chopper crash that killed famous basketball star, Kobe Bryant. They didn’t even blame Canadian Authorities when, on December 29, 2024, an Air Canada Flight AC2259 suffered suspected landing gear issues, or the Korean Authorities for the fatal crash of Jeju Air’s flight 2216 after a bird strike, a crash that killed almost 200 people. They only blame the NCAA when it serves their sinister purposes. These men, whoever they are, do not mean the industry well. Is it possible that these elders know better than actual industry operators who recently called for the confirmation of Capt. Chris Najomo as DGCA? Are they more altruistic than the aviation unions who also called for this confirmation? Whose interest do these old men represent? It can only be theirs. 3. The claim that the NCAA has a target of 224 days for resolving customer complaints is a lie from the pit of hades. The longest timeframe for refund of ticket purchases is fourteen days as captured in Part 19 of the NCAA Regulations 2023. Under Najomo’s leadership, the Consumer Protection Department of the NCAA has achieved the highest volume of passenger refunds and compensations in its entire history. It also had the highest numer of stakeholder engagements in the history of the Authority. Capt. Najomo launched a first-of-its-kind consumer complaints portal for seamless resolution of cases, and to ensure accurate collation, storage, and dissemination of data. Is this why the elders are angry? Why did they not achieve these

CHUKS OKOH The Acting Director General of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority Nigeria (NCAA) Capt Chris Najomo is on his way to becoming the substantive Director General of the agency. This followed the transmitting of Najomo’s name to the Senate for confirmation by the Upper chamber next week. Najomo has been on acting capacity for over one year following the suspension of the former DG, Capt Nuhu Musa If confirmed, it will end months of speculation and advocacy by stakeholders in the aviation industry who had been clamoring for his appointment. NCAA workers have praised the leadership style of Captain Najomo and his performance as acting DG, a role he has held for over a year. Industry professionals, unions, and workers frequently praised his achievements, particularly in enhancing domestic airline operations and ensuring seamless flight services for passengers.