BY OLAPEJU OLUBI
Mr. Michael Achimugu, Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), has commended the determined efforts of the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr. Festus Keyamo SAN, and the Acting Director General of Civil Aviation, Captain Chris Najomo, for their roles in Nigeria’s recent performance in the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Universal Security Audit Programme-Continuous Monitoring Approach (USAP-CMA).
Achimugu stated that Nigeria’s 71.04% rating in the ICAO audit was largely due to the leadership and resourcefulness of Keyamo and Najomo. Without their intervention, Nigeria would have likely scored only 30%.
Addressing criticisms that blame Keyamo and Najomo for the country’s ratings, Achimugu explained that both officials had only recently assumed their roles and had immediately begun addressing the deteriorating infrastructure and poor worker conditions they inherited.
He described such criticisms as mischievous and unfounded.
“Six months ago, we inherited a dilapidated industry with significant security and safety issues. These problems did not arise in the last six months.
Without the tireless efforts of the Honourable Minister and the DGCA, our score would not have exceeded 30% in the audit,” Achimugu said.
He further highlighted that the current score is a significant improvement, crediting the rapid changes and improvements to Keyamo and Najomo’s leadership.
Achimugu dismissed negative narratives as part of a strategy to undermine the current administration, driven by individuals with vested interests in previous corrupt practices.
“The ICAO auditors praised our performance, noting how quickly we addressed infrastructure gaps.
If the ICAO experts were pleased, who are these so-called experts to deceive the people?” he added.
Achimugu also alleged that a media campaign is being orchestrated to discredit Keyamo, aiming to remove him from office.
He emphasized that the NCAA will resist attempts to mislead the public and reaffirmed their commitment to reforming Nigeria’s aviation sector.
“Keyamo has been unbundling systemic rot since his appointment. Despite the depth of the issues, he remains dedicated to sanitizing the aviation industry,” Achimugu concluded.
“It is ironic that the writer blames the ‘failure’ of the security audit on the Honourable Minister (meaning that the Minister should have intervened and done whatever was necessary to score higher), but also blames the Minister for “intervening” in security and safety issues. He needs to decide if he wants the Minister to be involved or not.” Mr Achimugu said.
