Barring any further change in plan, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) is to resume the Air Operator Certificate (AOC) process of a new airline, Omni Blu Aviation.
Daily Trust reports that the airline is now expected to proceed to stage two of the five-stage AOC process after resolving the alleged issue of conflict of interest with the regulatory authority.
The NCAA had earlier suspended the certification process over a conflict of interest, following the discovery that the current Director General of the Nigeria Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB), Engr Akin Olateru, is a shareholder of the airline.
The letter with reference number NCAA/DOLTS/LRO/OBA/Vol.1/03323 addressed to the Managing Director/Accountable Manager, Omni Blu Aviation Ltd titled, “Outcome of Phase Two” read, “The phase two (2) meeting team met in concluding the outcome of the meeting held on Friday, the 29th September, 2023 in our premises.
“It was noted that the FORM O-OPS002, Item 2 (a) one Mr Akinola Olateru with a major financial interest in Omniblu is also the head of the Nigeria Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB). See attached Corporate Affairs Commission Form, Form O-Ops002, Civil Aviation Act 2022, and the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau Act 2022 on Conflict of Interest.
“The authority will have to suspend this process of variation until this observation is resolved. Do not hesitate to get back to the authority for any further clarification.”
But the Director General of Civil Aviation, Capt. Musa Nuhu, who spoke with newsmen at the weekend on the sidelines of the retirement ceremony and book launch of the former General Manager of Public Relations of the authority, Mr Sam Adurogboye, said documents had confirmed that Olateru had done the needful by resigning from the company.
He explained that it was important to go through the legal process of clearing him to avoid issues in the future.
He said, “It is unfortunate that it was coined that the NCAA has suspended the AOC processes of Omni-Blu Aviation. One of the directors of Omni-Blu who is DG NSIB, Engr Akin Olateru, a very close colleague and a friend of mine, is a shareholder in Omni-Blu and this was something he had before he came to the public service. Just because you came to public service does not mean you should wipe off your previous years.
“There was just a question from NCAA that it appears there was a conflict between this application and the Act of NSIB and NCAA. So, they were asked to respond and they responded. He has provided all the documents, he has shown proof he has resigned and he has declared his interest in those organisations. So, he has provided the appropriate documentation to show that there is no conflict of interest.
“We cannot wipe out our previous lives just because we got to work for government, but there are conditions. In an industry that you are a CEO or a staff, you cannot have an interest, but there are procedures and he has given proof for those procedures; he has showed us that he actually resigned and that letter is actually confirmed by the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC). He showed that he has done all the necessary declarations to show that he has resigned.
“The only thing is that he has given the necessary documents required, but we have to take it through the normal procedures, legal process so that when documentation is done that he has been cleared, somebody tomorrow will not go and challenge it.
“It is important to go through the process of clearing him so that the records are put there. Anybody that comes in the future, can look at the file, see that the issue was raised, but the appropriate information had been provided and individual is cleared.”
