…..urge Sirika to constitute Board
Aviation unions have rejected the recently approved Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) organogram by the office of the minister of state aviation.
Aviation unions, comprising National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN), Association of Nigerian Aviation Professionals (ANAP), and National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE).
According to the unions, the newly approved organogram for the NCAA was completely at variance with what was submitted by the NCAA for approval and result of the consultation held with the Ministerial Team that came to Lagos to discuss the expanded organogram.
While pointing out that the current NCAA organogram has been in existence since year 2000 without any review, the unions noted that NCAA had grown significantly in staff strength and size of operation over the years, such that outside the operational headquarters in Lagos, it operates four regional offices in Abuja, Kano, Kaduna and Port Harcourt.
In an official letter addressed to the Minister of State, Aviation, Hadi Sirika dated 29th April, 2019 and jointly signed by Secretary Generals of the four unions, stated that NCAA’s expanded operations with attendant staff expansion created a situation during the promotion exercise of 2017 whereby eligible staff who sat for and passed the examinations could not be promoted because there was no vacancies.
The unions therefore urged the Minister to suspend the implementation of the organogram until all issues raised were resolved.
The aviation unions also demanded, that the Minister constitute another committee to immediately review the recently approved NCAA organogram as the document certainly does not represent the outcome of the consultation and agreement reached between the Ministerial Committee and all stakeholders in the meeting that held last year in the NCAA boardroom in Lagos.
The unions further stated that all offices of General Manager, Deputy General Managers and Assistant General Managers currently existing and manned in NCAA must be recognised in the reviewed organogram.
Advising that the Cabin Safety and Ground Operations Inspectors be allowed to rise within the system to GL16 as agreed during a previous meeting, the unions also urged the Minister to immediately constitute the Governing Board for the NCAA and do away with this kind of meddlesomeness on the part of the Ministry, particularly in view of the serious infractions committed against Sections 5 and 6, 7 (a) and 28 (1)-(3) of the Civil Aviation Act.
The unions however, informed that they have met with the DG of NCAA, Capt. Usman Muhtar and have communicated their strong and unreserved objection to the implementation of the new organogram based on the reasons they have highlighted.
According to the union, “we cannot but refer to a very interesting and disturbing case of Cabin Crew and Ground Operations Inspectors whose case moved the Ministerial Team into questioning the reason why they could not rise to GGL 17 since most of them are graduates. On this case the consensus was that they be allowed to enjoy promotion up to GL 16 from their current bar at GL 14”.
“Again, the issue of the ability of the NCAA to fund the expanded organogram was also discussed extensively and the Authority made presentation on how it planned to fund the implementation from its Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) upon approval”
“Hon Minister, we must state that the approved organogram is in clear violation of Section 30 (7) (a) of the Civil Aviation Act 2006 which clearly lists the structure of the NCAA for purposes of administration and performance of its functions. We are convinced that the National Assembly intended it to be so when they listed the directorates under the referenced section of the Act”.
“The second issue with the approved document has to do with its deviation from the core reason for which the exercise was conducted. Rather, than address the grievances and the vacancy issues that arose from the 20017 promotion exercise, the approved organogram further compounded the situation by constricting and eliminating already existing and manned positions across the various directorates in NCAA. We are at loss how anyone would contemplate such anomaly”, the unions’ letter read.
