NCAA workers seek confirmation of Najomo as substantive DG

The staff of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) have joined forces to call for the confirmation of Capt. Chris Najomo as the substantive Director-General Civil Aviation (DGCA).

The staff, under the aegis of Joint Action Congress (JAC), the umbrella body of four unions in the agency, in its communique issued at the end of its extraordinary leadership meeting, held recently, said that the confirmation of Najomo would bring stability and growth to the agency in particular and the industry in general.

The unions under JAC are Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN); National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE); Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals (ANAP) and National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE).

The communique was signed by Jakada Anthony, Chairman NUATE; Remi Aderinkomi, Chairman ATSSSAN; Ben Godwin, Chairman ANAP and Diepreye Saburugha, Chairman NAAPE at NCAA.

The workers insisted that they had implicit confidence in the leadership of the regulatory body for aviation, as currently led by Najomo who had been in acting capacity since December 13, 2023, when he was appointed alongside five other agencies’ chief executives.

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JAC further reminded the government that aviation was a precision industry with no margin of error worldwide, stressing that the regulatory and oversight demanded firm and professional leadership, which could not be subjected to political whims and caprices.

According to the body, since Najomo’s appointment, a new culture of dignity and value for the workforce had birthed under him, stressing that this totally fits into President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

The body also commended several principal aviation stakeholders in Nigeria and overseas who have deemed it fit to openly acknowledge the good work being done by Najomo to reposition civil aviation in Nigeria since he assumed office in acting capacity almost a year ago.

The communique added: “JAC affirmed that these critical aviation stakeholders, having witnessed firsthand the positive impact of the current responsible and pragmatic leadership brought to bear on the industry by the regulatory body (NCAA), are right to call on the Federal government to confirm the appointment of Capt. Chris Najomo as a substantive DGCA.