Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of Air Peace, Allen Onyema, has called on the Federal Government to upwardly review the salaries of staff of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).
Daily Trust reports that there have been concerns in the sector over the shortage of technical staff, especially inspectors in the NCAA.
The Director-General of the NCAA had stated recently that the majority of the technical staff were leaving the authority for other organisations, especially airlines where the pay is higher than what the NCAA is offering.
But Onyema, who is the Vice President of Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), stressed the need for the federal government to urgently increase the salaries and emoluments of the NCAA staff.
Onyema made the call at the 2021 Brazil-Nigeria Aviation and Defence Trade Forum 2021 organised by the Embassy of Brazil in Abuja, a statement from Air Peace said.
Onyema stressed that the salary review is needed for the aviation regulatory body to attract and retain the best talents with the requisite experience and qualifications to discharge their oversight responsibilities creditably.
He stated that the agency is not able to poach top talents in the industry because its salary structure leaves much to be desired, adding that the federal government should remove the NCAA from the civil service salary structure.
He hinted that some of the people working in the agency were due for retirement and tired but still in service because the NCAA cannot afford to hire quality staff to replace them.
“Their salaries should be upwardly reviewed to match the airlines’ salary structure, as nobody wants to go there to work but they (current staff) are doing their best, which is very commendable. This is a patriotic call,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Brazilian Government, represented by the Head of Mission, Embassy of Brazil in Nigeria, Ambassador Ricardo Guerra de Araujo, and the country’s aerospace conglomerate, Embraer, commended the steady growth of Air Peace as the carrier marked its 7th Anniversary on October 24, 2021.
Ambassador Guerra de Araujo, who spoke at the forum, commended the visionary leadership of the Air Peace Chairman and the entire management team for their tremendous efforts in taking the airline to the great heights it has attained within a period of seven years.
“Air Peace has made remarkable achievements, investing in brand new airplanes and should be proud of itself for becoming a leader in Nigeria’s aviation,” the diplomat said.
