Director General of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Captain Chris Najomo on Friday night became the cynosure of dignitaries at the 14th Nigeria Aviation (NIGAV) Award and Ministerial Dinner as he received the Aviation Lifetime Achievement Award and the Aviation Leadership Achievement Award (Strategic Leadership Category).
Organisers of the event said the Director General has put in all his life serving the country’s aviation industry in different capacities and affirmed that it was fitting he now sits at the helm of affairs of the regulatory agency where he oversees the rebirth of a new order in regulatory oversight in the industry.
Chairman and Founder of NIGAV Award, Mr. Fortune Idu described the DGCA as a quintessential personality who right from his youthful age decided to serve the aviation sector and worked assiduously in different fields in the industry.
Idu said “these awards are fitting for Najomo because from his youthful age under the tutelage of his father who was a great aviator himself, he carved out his career for himself as a young man. That he has turned around the fortune of the NCAA brand that has earned global accolades was the result of his foresight and experience of many years in the industry.
“The NCAA,” he continued, “has no doubt become one of Nigeria’s iconic brands across the world in just over one year of his outstanding leadership.”
Also speaking, Chairman of NIGAV Award Committee and former Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Mr. Richard Aisuebeogun in an industry performance review affirmed that “the confirmation of Captain Chris Najomo as the substantive Director General of NCAA promises a more stable CAA capable of effectively ensuring the airworthiness and safety of aircraft.”
Richard said the “Director General has empowered the NCAA’s Consumer Protection Directorate to intensify efforts to address passenger complaints, including high fares, flight delays, and cancellations, as a means to bolster travellers’ confidence in Nigerian airlines.”
Speaking further on the achievements of the regulatory authority under Najomo, the former FAAN MD explained that the “The NCAA began reviewing the various critical procedures in 2024 to enhance its technical and economic oversight of the industry, aiming for better efficiency and reduced bottlenecks in licensing process. The NCAA initiated a review of the industry master plan with ICAO to rebuild confidence.
For the Director, Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Mr. Micheal Achimugu, he said “My DG deserves much more because he has spent his whole life in this industry and even now as DG CA, he works round the clock to ensure that we get everything right and on time. His leadership skills and human resources management ability are part of the secret that has galvanized the staff to achieve the outstanding results you see at the NCAA”
On her part, Regional Manager, NCAA, Lagos Regional office, Mr. Bukola Aduragbemi Teriba described the awards as a testament to the revolution that has taken place in the civil aviation agency in the last 16 months saying “seeing, they say is believing. The industry has seen and is seeing the transformation in the regulatory activities of the industry and the metamorphosis in the way we do business. That tells you that astute leadership quality of the DGCA. The awards are encouragement to us, his staff and indicative that we are on the right track and must continue to do better and greater in the years ahead.”
