Reps gaffe in NCAA, NAMA; beg for inclusion in staff training

SOME members of the House Committee on Aviation, today at the headquarters of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), begged the regulatory body to include them in the agency’s staff training abroad.

The committee which was on an on the spot assessment had visited the agency along with the Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) as well as the airport facilities as part of their oversight functions, but during discussions with the Director-General of NCAA, Capt. Muhtar Usman, a member of the committee said that it would be necessary for the agency to also include them in its training abroad.

The member, Garba Mohammed Gololo from Bauchi made the appeal to Usman on behalf of other committee members, suggesting that their inclusion would enable them to know the in and out of the industry.

Another member, Victor Nwokolo, provided support, saying that at least two members of the committee should be selected in the first phase of the training.

Chairman of the committee, Hon Nkeiruka Onyejeocha also joined suit later at NAMA urging the management of the agency to incorporate some of its members in training in order to further improve their knowledge of the industry.

She said, “I think it is necessary for some of the committee’s members to be part of the NAMA’s training so that we can get the terminologies in the industry. There are some things you are saying now that we can’t understand.”

Also at the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), another member of the committee, Ayo Huliyat Omidiran representing Osun State, while trying to bamboozle the NAMA management asked what the airspace managers were doing to ensure that airlines were air worthy, a question meant for the NCAA, even when she was reading it in front of her.

During the session with NAMA, after the agency’s acting managing director called for funds for upgrade of facilities a small argument ensued among the representatives as the chairman Hon. Onyejiocha was adamant that the agency used funds saved from using indigenous engineers to fund any upgrade

However, another Representative tried to explain to her albeit futilely that the agency cannot use money saved from their appropriation  to start their upgrade especially as the funds were not in the agencies purse as they would still need the federal government to approve for them.