…NCAA under Najomo has attained lofty heights

ABUJA – Mr Michael Achimugu, Director, Public Affairs/Consumer Protection, Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has described the allegations against Capt. Chris Najomo, the Director General, NCAA as a lame attempt to truncate the confirmation of Najomo as a substantive DG of the authority.

Achimugu, while recounting the achievements of the NCAA in the last one year said that Najomo’s mantra, ‘ease of doing business without compromising standards’ has paid off.

According to the NCAA director, Najomo is a proven industry icon with over four decades of dedicated service, and the recent article signed by some industry elders is a failed attempt to ridicule the character and competence of DG.

“Fondly called “Jolly Papa” by air travellers and admirers, Capt. Najomo has served meritoriously as Ag. DGCA since December 2023.

“Under his leadership, the NCAA has attained glorious heights hitherto thought impossible. But he has had to ensure a turbulent first year in office as shady characters fighting to retain control of the corruption that once pervaded the Authority, have deployed all manners of subterfuge to have Najomo removed at all cost.

“First, they came with allegations that the man had paid two hundred and fifty million naira to purchase an official vehicle without recourse to procurement processes.

“When that plot was blown out of the water, this rabid group resorted to all shades of blackmail, sponsored false narratives, among other tactics just to achieve their selfish aims,” Achimugu said.

Addressing the allegations, Achimugu said: “They claim that Capt. Chris Najomo ‘…May have declared himself as DG-NCAA in a very boastful manner without presidential pronouncement and Senate confirmation.

“This allegation is based on a video where Najomo can be heard introducing himself in a meeting with the following words, ‘My name is Capt. Chris Najomo, Director-General, Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority.’

“There is nothing in the video that mentions his confirmation or otherwise. The DGCA is called Jolly Papa for a reason. He is very charismatic and ebullient. He has always introduced himself the same way in internal meetings. As usual, I will challenge these faceless “elders” to provide evidence of Najomo pronouncing himself as substantive DG NCAA.

“The NCAA official social media handles have said nothing about the topic of the DGCA’s status. Not even the Spokesman of the Authority has spoken to the media about it. I will waste no further energy on this point,” he explained.

Speaking further, Achimugu said that Najomo, who just completed and commissioned the NCAA’s Flight Data Centre, was said to not care about safety in the article by the writers.

“How can the elders who destroyed civil aviation in Nigeria claim to possess the magic wand to fix what they destroyed?

“In any case, who is a child? Is it Capt. Najomo, a man who has had a more storied career than majority of the industry that they refer to as a child? A sixty five year old pilot, airline administrator, two-time director at the NCAA, and Ag. DGCA for a year now, that these guys with nothing more than their Nigeria Airways mentality are calling an infant?

“For all of the talk about safety, not a single commercial plane has crashed under Najomo’s leadership. In fact, it was Najomo who suspended Dana Air for poor financial health which was impeding it’s ability to operate safely. That’s a man who cares about the safety of passengers.

“As for the unfortunate helicopter crash, we will not preempt the NSIB. When their report is released, we will be able to make comments.

“Runway excursions happen globally, and is not a sign of incompetence of any CAA. Nigeria is not in the top fifteen nations when it comes to air mishaps. These so-called elders did not blame the American FAA for the helicopter crash that killed Nigeria’s Hebert Wigwe. They did not blame the FAA for the chopper crash that killed famous basketball star, Kobe Bryant.

“They didn’t even blame Canadian Authorities when, on December 29, 2024, an Air Canada Flight AC2259 suffered suspected landing gear issues, or the Korean Authorities for the fatal crash of Jeju Air’s flight 2216 after a bird strike, a crash that killed almost 200 people.
They only blame the NCAA when it serves their sinister purposes.”

These men, whoever they are, do not mean the industry well.

Is it possible that these elders know better than actual industry operators who recently called for the confirmation of Capt. Chris Najomo as DGCA? Are they more altruistic than the aviation unions who also called for this confirmation? Whose interest do these old men represent? It can only be theirs.

According to NCAA’s Director, the claim that the NCAA has a target of 224 days for resolving customer complaints is a lie from the pit of hades. The longest timeframe for refund of ticket purchases is fourteen days as captured in Part 19 of the NCAA Regulations 2023.

Under Najomo’s leadership, the Consumer Protection Department of the NCAA has achieved the highest volume of passenger refunds and compensations in its entire history.

He said the NCAA currently has the highest number of stakeholder engagements in the history of the Authority.

“Capt. Najomo launched a first-of-its-kind consumer complaints portal for seamless resolution of cases, and to ensure accurate collation, storage, and dissemination of data.

“Is this Why the elders are angry? Why did they not achieve these milestones during their time in charge of the Authority? You cannot resolve 2025 problems with a 1980 mentality. Najomo is too digital for their analogue settings. It is a fact that, what people can’t achieve, they detest.

“The NCAA is now a more visible entity and the level of interactions being had with the general flying public on social and traditional media is unprecedented.

“Among other major achievements, Najomo has ensured that the process of licensing operators is seamless. Processes that used to last an eternity under the elders now takes two to three months to complete. That is why Najomo’s mantra is, “ease of doing business without compromising standards.

“The Airlines Operators of Nigeria, have affirmed that the Authority has fulfilled all of its obligations to the industry.”

According to Achimugu, since Najomo came on board, he has cleared the backlog of allowances owed to the staff. This has created a better working environment and more productive workforce. The man knows how to administer and motivate.

He noted that the confirmation of a DGCA rests only with the Honourable Minister, the President, and the National Assembly. The Ag. DGCA, the management and staff of the NCAA are focused on performing their duties to the industry and Nigeria.

“We will not be distracted by the antics of a few as Najomo is driving President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.”