Minister of State, Aviation
… Ask disgruntled staff to resign
Stakeholders in aviation industry have commended the Minister of State, Aviation over the recent reorganization in the aviation industry resulting in the redeployment of some top management staff from federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to other agencies in the industry, saying it is a normal practice in civil service.
The stakeholders who reacted to an alleged resistance of the former Director of Human Resources , Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Hajia Salamatu Umar Elumah over her redeployment to Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) by the Minister of State, Aviation, advised any affected who was not satisfied with his or her redeployment to resign their appointments from the industry.
There have been claims in some quarters that Elumah who was posted to the AIB as part of the reorganisation in the industry has resisted the posting and petitioned the Presidency and rather than move to her new office chose to go on leave without pay.
Some of the industry stakeholders who spoke to newsmen over the issue expressed their disappointment that Mrs. Elumah could question and resist a normal deployment in the civil service and defied the Minister’s directive, employing all kinds of tactics to rubbish her deployment.
Reliable sources claimed that Elumah had in a petition to the Presidency, kicked against the deployment and alleging that she was being victimized by the Minister who allegedly singled her out for denigration.
However, industry observers and labour union officials have contrary view about Mrs. Elumah’s protest.
An official of Air Transport Service Senior Staff Association (ATSSSAN) said the association was disappointed with Mrs. Elumah’s protest against her deployment, saying that it was normal process.and if not satisfied with the civil service rules, should turn in her resignation letter.
“She should follow the civil service rules or resign. This is not the first time that people were deployed. Even in the past she played roles in the sack and deployment of some staff and heaven did not fall.
“Mrs. Elumah has thrown her weight so much and she needs to be cut to size. If she is allowed to have her way now a bad precedence will be laid which in future will be deterrent to the industry,” said ATSSSAN official.
Speaking in the same voice, some industry officials noted that similar reorganisation has just taken place in the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and nobody is questioning government’s decision.
“So, despite her connections and powers, she should simply obey civil service rules because she cannot rewrite a system that has been there over the years, which she also benefited from,” a FAAN official said.
However, the General Secretary of Aviation Round Table (ART) and former Commandant of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos Air Force, Group Captain John Ojikutu (Retired) said he was disturbed by the controversy going on over trivial issues about deployment and promotion in the industry, which he claimed, is a normal process in civil service system.
“Why can’t we discuss issues about the airport certification and the NCAA reclassification? Why can’t we be discussing about airlines travails and the incursions of foreign airlines into our domestic routes? Why can’t we be discussing about the recurring debts of our airlines? Why can’t we situate the NCAA reported tickets scales earnings with the IATA revelation that air transport contributes over $8.2bn or N4.5trn to our GDP? These are issues for me and you and not the deployment or sacking of some individuals,” Ojikutu said.
Sources from the office of the Minister of State, Aviation, observed that for the very first time in the industry the unions did not kick against the recent reorganisation in the industry because the Minister did the right thing by promoting those who needed to be promoted and who had put in years working for the agencies, “So it is round pegs that were put in the round holes.
According to the sources, the Minster had decided not to comment on the controversy surrounding the deployment of Mrs. Elumah, “but he might talk when the right time comes.”
