The Concerned Airline Operators has condemned the comment attributed to the Director General of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Agency (NCAA), Chris Ona Najomo, that he is serving in both the agency and Arik Air.
The operators asked the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo to restore public confidence in the aviation sector by removing Najomo from the position.
In a statement, a spokesperson of the group, Captain Lawal Musa, said the comment is a breach of Section 5 of the Code of Conduct for Public Officers (CCPO), which states that “A public officer shall not put himself in a position where his personal interests conflict with his duties and responsibilities.”
Najomo was recorded in a viral video saying that while one of his legs is in the NCAA, his other leg is in Arik, a privately owned airline company, which sparked concern within the aviation industry and beyond.
Musa said it was a case of conflict of interest and wrong for the DG of the NCAA, a regulatory body in the aviation sector, to have any form of public allegiance to a private entity within the same industry.
They said the situation is even more concerning given Capain Najomo’s history with Arik Air where he served as a captain from 2008 to 2017 and as chief pilot from 2021 to 2022 before joining the NCAA.
“These roles indicate a long-standing relationship with the airline, raising questions about his impartiality as a regulator,” he said.
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