By Chuks Okoh
Crisis is brewing at the country’s aviation regulatory body, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority NCAA over the failure of the Director General to recall suspended workers of the agency as ordered by the Minister of Aviation, Mr Osita Chidoka.
About 187 workers of the agency who were employed by the then acting director general of NCAA Engr Benedict Adeyelika were suspended by the government as a result non adherence to due process by the DG in engaging the workers.
But it was reliably gathered from a source close NCAA that the then acting director general acted in line with what was on ground to fill various vacancies in the system.
A committee was set up to look into the matter where they invited all the parties involved with a view to ascertaining the truth.
A letter with reference NCAA/DG/GEN/Vol.11/2014 signed by Mr A.M Yamsikit , General Manager, Human Resources, and distributed to the affected staff said “I refer to your appointment and subsequent resumption to duty and to inform you that the Ministry of Aviation directed that your appointments be suspended with immediate effect, pending the completion of an investigation being conducted by the Ministry”
It was learnt that after the submission of its report, the minister of aviation Osita Chidoka ordered the reinstatement of the acting director general to his office as the Director of Air worthiness standards and those affected by the sack.
But it was also gathered that the DG Usman Muhtar has been reluctant and was opposed to the recall of the workers and hence he has been foot dragging on the issue.
One of the sacked workers who pleaded anonymity disclosed said she worked for three months without salaries before her suspension adding that every attempt to see the DG was resisted by him.
She explained that the suspended workers grouped themselves wrote and signed an appeal letter to the minister of aviation Osita Chidoka and the NCAA Director General but only for them to start playing politics with it.
She condemned the high level politics going on in NCAA since the assumption of office by Muhtar as the DG.
It was learnt that while the suspended workers were appealing to be recalled, the agency has started employing new staff into the system in spite of the directive by the Minister to recall the suspended workers.
Several calls by this correspondents to the Director General were not responded to.
The suspended workers, it was gathered have been planning a protest march to the agency for the lifting of their suspension.
Some of the affected workers were said to have resigned their appointments in their previous work place
It was learnt that the employment was done according to the vacancies available in the system which followed due process contrary to the earlier statement of not following due process by the acting DG.
