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MARCH 19, 2007 VOL. 20. NO 23

Last Minute Rush

**Fani-Kayode**

In an apparent last minute rush, parastatal heads in the nation’s aviation sector make haste to rip the sector of millions of naira
By George Umunnakwe
The nation’s aviation industry is hanging on a precipice. Efforts to revive the sector by past and present administrations have notedly yielded little or no results. Interestingly, parastatal heads foisted on the sector by ministers of aviation have all somehow turned around to contribute to the nose-dive of the reforms in the sector.
While paying lip service to the reforms, investigations by The Source reveal that the parastatal heads who surround themselves with consultants, spend millions of naira in what insiders term as “expert fees” paid to such consultants who are expected to pull through the reforms to a logical conclusion. But often, because such parastatal heads were brought from outside the sector to oversee the running of the respective parastatals, their primary allegiance, The Source’s findings indicate, is offen not for the outfits which they superintend. This, however, is to the detriment of workers in the parastatals as their allowances are withheld or delayed.
Indeed, from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, to the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, (NAMA), down to the Nigerian Metrological Services, (NIMET), the story is the same- enriching cabals at the expense of the workers.
While withholding the allowances of the workers including children education allowance, basic travel allowance, christmas bonus, furniture grant and leave allowances, the Director-General of NCAA, Harold Demurin, was said to have recently told his staffers that the agency was broke.
The Source infact gathered that Demurin enjoined the already agitated workers to wait for the release of the intervention fund which was approved by former minister of Aviation, Professor Babalola Borishade.
In order to fast-tract reforms in the sector, Professor Borishade had sought and got the approval for the release of a N19.7billion Aviation Intervention Fund. This, according to the minister, will be used to make the nation’s aviation sector safe for airline passengers. Instructively, the money was to be shared among all the parastatals in the sector, including the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN). To access the fund, the then Minister of Finance, Dr. (Mrs) Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, directed that parastatals must right- size before they could gain access to the fund. This led to massive sacking in the sector as carried out by both NAMA and FAAN which together sacked more than 2,000 of their personnel, while some others were sent on compulsory retirement.
However, NCAA, the sectors’s regulatory agency, was soon locked in a battle with its workers over those to be shown the way out. The workers argued that the workforce in the agency is too minimal to warrant the laying off of staffers. They warned the management of dire consequences if such action is carried out. They rather requested the management to concentrate on getting the much needed autonomy for the regulatory agency. This, the management swallowed hook-line-and sinker, as the alleged laying off was suspended. But in its place, the Demurin- led management decided to engage the services of consultants to help in seeing to the day-to-day running of the agency and to assist in getting the much- needed autonomy. This was not all, as the NCAA management, The Source gathered,told the workers that the 14 consultants employed will also assist in preparing the agency for the visit of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).
The ICAO team visited the country last year to categorise the nation’s aviation sector into a category one status as demanded by the United States Federal Aviation Authority, (FAA).
Notedly, the local consultants The Source further gathered, are drawn from members of the Aviation Round Table (ART)led by captain Dele Ore while their foreign counterpart is led by an International Air Transport Association, (IATA) recognised consultant. “When Demurin came in, he reasoned that this was the only group (ART) that will give him problem. Besides that, most of them are his contemporaries. And so in order to bring them into the system, he decided to employ them as consultants, to assist him in running the affairs of NCAA,” a source said.
Indeed, in order to gain the confidence of the workers and indeed the workforce of NCAA, Demurin, The Source was told, promised the workers that after the certification of the nation’s airports by the ICAO auditors, the consultants will be disengaged.
But at a private meeting with the 14 consultants, the NCAA boss who was appointed in December 2005 following the avalanche of air mishaps pleaded with them to assist in moving the industry forward. In return, they (the consultants) were promised mouth-watering package and allowances.
Investigations by The Source further reveal that in appreciation for a successful ICAO audit, the consultants were each given a Dwell laptop computer. Though some workers were given the same set of laptop computer, they question the rationale behind giving each of the 14 consultants computers after paying them about N400,000 each.
“Now, tell me the rationale behind the gift after coughing out about N5.6million as payment to them. Apart from this, Engineer Obadufin’s cheque was unilaterally vetoed and signed by the DG in a board meeting, while the Finance Director was verbally queried for not fast tracking the payment,” an insider disclosed.
Apart from the largesse given to the consultants, The Source gathered that Toyota Avenis and Toyota Corrolla cars were brought in to be given to some directors.
Meanwhile, the allowances of the agency’s regular staffers has remained unpaid. Sources explained that the Director-General of NCAA promised to off-set the bills running into millions of naira only when the much- awaited intervention fund is released to the agency
Interestingly, the agency which was recently granted autonomy, its management said, could not access the fund because it has not carried out the down-sizing of its workforce, as directed by the Finance Ministry. “Unless this is done, we will still remain where we are. The agency is broke, we borrowed money from FAAN to offset some bills and the cars bought were on lease. I don’t see the reason behind their (the worker’s) agitation,” a top management staff said.
Speaking with The Source, however, a staffer who would rather not have her names in print, explained that though their child education and Christmas allowances have been paid, the NCAA management, she said, has remained adamant to the yearnings of its workers.
Speaking with The Source, Sam Adurugboye, Media Assistant to the Director General of NCAA, confirmed the payments to the local and foreign consultants. Contending that the money given to them was in line with the Federal Government's guideline, Adurugboye said, "This people were paid since December last year."
On the Dwell laptop computers, Adurugboye posited that they were given as a thank-you gift to the committee members who helped in ensuring for the categorising of the nation's airports by ICAO. "Both the honorable Minister and the DG approved of this," he told The Source.
He, however, denied that Toyota Avensis cars were given to some directors. Rather, he explained that once in a while the agency buys operational vehicles for its staffers.
The media asistant to the director-general averred that allowances paid to workers is not a right, but a motivational input which is paid anytime there is money.
Interestingly, while staffers of the NCAA are spoiling for a war with their management, their counterpart in NAMA are requesting that the 20 external workers recently employed be shown the way out of the agency.
This is not the only problem giving the Captain Sanusi Ojo-led management heartache, as he is said to be finding it difficult recovering the car gifts that Rowland Iyayi, former managing director of the agency, gave to some general managers and cronies.
Also, latest discoveries by the management indicate that the cars bought on lease by the Iyayi management, were allegedly refurbished ones. A source close to the management pointed to the rubbers on some of the cars, which are already peeling off. Efforts to get the United Bank for Africa (UBA) branch situated along Oba Akran Road, Ikeja speak on the cars proved abortive as they opted not to talk on the issue.
Meanwhile, as the management is grappling to recover the cars bought by the former managing director of the agency, Captain Ojo who replaced Iyayi as managing director, is said to have taken delivery of four new Camry L.E, 2007 model cars.
The Source gathered that the cars which were delivered at the agency’s headquarter are for the general managers and Ojo himself.
Efforts to get the Head, Public Affairs Department of NAMA, Supo Atobatele, to speak on the issue proved abortive as he was said to be out of the office for offiical duty when The Source called. Calls to his GSM line could not go through as it was switched-off.