jirginsama
19th Dec 2005, 07:01
"Director General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Engineer Fidelis Onyeyiri, and Managing Director, Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Mr Emperor Oladunjoye Onasanya, have become the first casualties of the restructuring exercise at the aviation sector.
Onyeyiri and Onasanya were appointed about two years ago, under the immediate past Aviation Minister, Mallam Isa Yuguda.
Impeccable sources from both the Presidency and the Aviation Ministry confirmed the removal of the two aviation chiefs, adding that their fates were sealed Friday, when their removals were endorsed by the President.
Aviation Minister, Babalola Borishade, who has been under intense pressure lately from President Olusegun Obasanjo, to carry out an immediate reforms in the aviation industry, was said to have worked till late Friday, with other officials, to submit the list of those to be sacked to the President, to which he wasted no time in appending his signature.
Onasanya is replaced by Captain Roland Iyayi, while that of Onyeyiri is yet to be named.
THISDAY gathered that the 16-member "Task Force on Verification of Airworthiness Status of Aircraft and Operational Competencies of Commercial Aircraft Operators in Nigeria,” led by Engineer Folasade Odutola, which was set up by Borishade shortly after the Bellview crash October 22, has been directed to source for a suitable replacement for Onyeyiri.
Although the NAMA and NCAA chief executives are the ones affected in the first batch of the sweeping restructuring, THISDAY learnt that Acting Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Engineer Olufemi Olayinka ****tu, may also be replaced before the end of the week.
The restructuring in NCAA, our sources hinted, is most likely to consume directors in charge of the Directorate of Airworthiness Standards (DAWS), Directorate of Airspace and Aerodrome Standards (DAAS) and Directorate of Licensing and Training (DOLT).
Onyeyiri’s sack may not be unexpected, particularly following Obasanjo's outburst in Abuja Tuesday, at the stakeholders' meeting, where he shouted down on him when he was asked to make a presentation at the forum.
Onasanya's tenure as NAMA chief executive has been adjudged one of the best in the history of a better airspace management by both local and international agencies and operators.
On the other hand, Onyeyiri, who is believed to be competent, is being haunted by the deeds of some of his directors and managers who are known to have allegedly compromised on safety standards.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), has disagreed with speculations that bad weather may have been responsible for the December 10, 2005 Sosoliso plane crash at the Port Harcourt Airport which claimed over 100 lives.
The Port Harcourt Airspace Manager, Mr. A. A. Olagiri told members of the Senate Committee on Aviation, which visited the scene of the crash that the weather visibility was not below the minimum.
According to the airspace manager, who was responding to questions from the Senate Committee, the runway was certified free and other facilities signalling the aircraft to land; insisting that the weather visibility was about 3,000 metres which was alright and not below the minimum.
He said in situations where the weather visibility was poor and below 800 meters, his agency usually cautioned pilot of the bad weather and the possible danger, saying it was the position of pilots to adhere to the warning by either going back or hovering around the sky till visibility improved.
Olagiri hinted that what the regulation permits at that point is to log the pilot down and set the vacation reports explaining the circumstance, which, according to him, will inform the management of the violations of the particular section of air navigation regulation, stressing that in the case of Sosoliso, the weather was not below minimum.
On what might have been the possible factor that caused the crash, Olagiri said he could not categorically say, explaining that it was on this strength accident investigators were invited to unravel the cause.
He said the recovering of black box and Cockpit Voice Recorder was important, as the black box will indicate what happened to the aircraft, including the performance of the engine and other things.
The airspace manager told the Senate Committee that the cockpit recorder would record all the conversations and what the pilot did before the crash.
“The black box does not only record voices, but all the parameters of the air craft, whether it was in a good condition, temperature of the engine, the flight data, the oil flow and the attitude of the aircraft”, he emphasised. "
Onyeyiri and Onasanya were appointed about two years ago, under the immediate past Aviation Minister, Mallam Isa Yuguda.
Impeccable sources from both the Presidency and the Aviation Ministry confirmed the removal of the two aviation chiefs, adding that their fates were sealed Friday, when their removals were endorsed by the President.
Aviation Minister, Babalola Borishade, who has been under intense pressure lately from President Olusegun Obasanjo, to carry out an immediate reforms in the aviation industry, was said to have worked till late Friday, with other officials, to submit the list of those to be sacked to the President, to which he wasted no time in appending his signature.
Onasanya is replaced by Captain Roland Iyayi, while that of Onyeyiri is yet to be named.
THISDAY gathered that the 16-member "Task Force on Verification of Airworthiness Status of Aircraft and Operational Competencies of Commercial Aircraft Operators in Nigeria,” led by Engineer Folasade Odutola, which was set up by Borishade shortly after the Bellview crash October 22, has been directed to source for a suitable replacement for Onyeyiri.
Although the NAMA and NCAA chief executives are the ones affected in the first batch of the sweeping restructuring, THISDAY learnt that Acting Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Engineer Olufemi Olayinka ****tu, may also be replaced before the end of the week.
The restructuring in NCAA, our sources hinted, is most likely to consume directors in charge of the Directorate of Airworthiness Standards (DAWS), Directorate of Airspace and Aerodrome Standards (DAAS) and Directorate of Licensing and Training (DOLT).
Onyeyiri’s sack may not be unexpected, particularly following Obasanjo's outburst in Abuja Tuesday, at the stakeholders' meeting, where he shouted down on him when he was asked to make a presentation at the forum.
Onasanya's tenure as NAMA chief executive has been adjudged one of the best in the history of a better airspace management by both local and international agencies and operators.
On the other hand, Onyeyiri, who is believed to be competent, is being haunted by the deeds of some of his directors and managers who are known to have allegedly compromised on safety standards.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), has disagreed with speculations that bad weather may have been responsible for the December 10, 2005 Sosoliso plane crash at the Port Harcourt Airport which claimed over 100 lives.
The Port Harcourt Airspace Manager, Mr. A. A. Olagiri told members of the Senate Committee on Aviation, which visited the scene of the crash that the weather visibility was not below the minimum.
According to the airspace manager, who was responding to questions from the Senate Committee, the runway was certified free and other facilities signalling the aircraft to land; insisting that the weather visibility was about 3,000 metres which was alright and not below the minimum.
He said in situations where the weather visibility was poor and below 800 meters, his agency usually cautioned pilot of the bad weather and the possible danger, saying it was the position of pilots to adhere to the warning by either going back or hovering around the sky till visibility improved.
Olagiri hinted that what the regulation permits at that point is to log the pilot down and set the vacation reports explaining the circumstance, which, according to him, will inform the management of the violations of the particular section of air navigation regulation, stressing that in the case of Sosoliso, the weather was not below minimum.
On what might have been the possible factor that caused the crash, Olagiri said he could not categorically say, explaining that it was on this strength accident investigators were invited to unravel the cause.
He said the recovering of black box and Cockpit Voice Recorder was important, as the black box will indicate what happened to the aircraft, including the performance of the engine and other things.
The airspace manager told the Senate Committee that the cockpit recorder would record all the conversations and what the pilot did before the crash.
“The black box does not only record voices, but all the parameters of the air craft, whether it was in a good condition, temperature of the engine, the flight data, the oil flow and the attitude of the aircraft”, he emphasised. "