Former Deputy Secretary General, Airline Operators of Nigeria, AON, Alhaji Mohammed Tukur says the call for the audit of Dana air send a bad signal in the system and create unnecessary panic among the travelling public.
In a chat with reporters in Lagos, Tukur said when an airline was singled out for audit especially when such call was not coming from the professionals, fear was created on the minds of the public especially the airline passengers.
“It is important to draw the attention of the Federal government that the aviation industry should not be politicized”.
He noted that incidences and accidents were associated with aviation business but what was needed to be done to minimize and avert such occurrences, was for the regulatory agency to be on its toes in its oversight responsibilities.
According to Tukur, before going out to give such directive for an audit, “without proper consultations, the result of such order maybe counter-productive. The only way to avoid such situations is to allow the relevant government agency, saddled with this responsibility to do its job, that way, panic will not be created in the system as we have it today”.
He noted that all a daily basis, airlines record incidence and therefore all airlines must be subject to full scale audit to avert any danger that might be lurking around.
“Politicians should not tell us when and how to audit the airlines. The call for Dana audit has not only sent bad signal in the system but has equally posited us as a people who are not really in tone with the dynamism in the aviation industry given the fact that the industry does not have local content”.
The AON deputy scribe urged the Director General, Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, to engage more safety inspectors and release funds to effectively carryout their duties.
According to him, the NCAA must also ensure strict enforcement of safety standards and financial regulation of airlines.
He observed that airlines must train and retrain it’s personnel to be abreast of current safety, adding that “the audit of an airline Should not be celebrated on the pages of newspaper rather we should be applauded in safety compliance of an airline, that way the industry grows”.
