By Chuks Okoh
The Federal Government Tuesday sacked over 187 staff from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority ( NCAA) .
Our correspondent reports that the sack of the 187 staff is the fall out of on going investigations into irregularities concerning their appointment during the tenure of the former acting director general of the regulatory authority , Engineer Benedict Adeyileka .
It has also emerged that the sack has been endorsed by the minster of aviation, Chief Osita Chidoka who ordered the suspension of over 350 officials of the NCAA, including the former acting director general and the director of human resources .
The suspension of the duo was to pave way for investigations into their involvement in the employment of over 700 employees without recourse to government regulations .
Affected employees were said to be candidates of National Assembly members as well as persons close to the Presidency .
A source close to the NCAA hinted that most of the 187 staff affected by the sack are administrative personnel .
In a letter dated December 3, 2014, signed by A,M Yamsikit, who is general manager , human resources on behalf of the director general , Captain Mukhtar Usman , the affected staff were directed to hand over all NCAA property , including their staff identity card to their heads of department .
The letter with reference number NCAA/DG / GEN /Vol.11/2014 reads :” Suspension of your appointment .I refer to your appointment and subsequent resumption of duty and to inform you that the Ministry of Aviation directed that your appointment be suspended with immediate effect , pending the completion of an investigation being conducted by the ministry .
“In the meantime, you are directed to hand over all NCAA property including your identity card to your head of department while further developments on the matter will be communicated to you in due course, please,”
Last week , minister of aviation said there would be overhaul of personnel in aviation agencies to pave way for more technical and professional personnel as opposed to the over bearing administrative staff.
He said staff would be encouraged to switch to technical and professional areas to reflect the yawning gap in the sector .Most of those affected by the sack our correspondent gathered were those employed between August and late October, 2014.
The management argued that the engagement of the employees did not follow due process and received approval from higher authorities.
The salaries of the affected workers it was gathered had since been suspended by the management.
The source also alleged that the affected employees were hurriedly brought into the system recently.
It was also gathered that no fewer than 700 employees had been engaged in NCAA in the past two years with most of them coming through the presidency, National Assembly and ministers.
