ICAO Audit: Nigeria would have scored below 30% if not Keyamo, Najomo’s leadership, says NCAA Director

The dogged determination and meticulous efforts of the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr. Festus Keyamo SAN, and the Acting Director-General of Civil Aviation, Captain Chris Najomo, were pivotal in Nigeria’s commendable performance in the recent International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Universal Security Audit Programme-Continuous Monitoring Approach (USAP-CMA). 

This was highlighted by Mr. Michael Achimugu, Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).

Mr. Achimugu credited the leadership and resource mobilization skills of Keyamo and Najomo for Nigeria’s 71.04 per cent rating. He stated that without their intervention, Nigeria would have scored as low as 30 percent. 

“Six months ago, we met a dilapidated industry with poor infrastructure. The security and safety issues did not start in the last six months. Had it not been for the tireless efforts of the Honourable Minister and the DGCA, what we met on the ground would not have scored 30 per cent in the audit,” Achimugu said.

He dismissed criticisms that both officials were responsible for the purportedly poor ratings, noting that they had only been in office for a few months and had immediately set to work improving the infrastructure and worker conditions they inherited.

“Going by what was on the ground when Keyamo and Najomo assumed office, the current score is a substantially good showing, a miracle if I must say,” Achimugu added.

Achimugu also mentioned that ICAO auditors praised Nigeria’s performance during their final briefing. He recounted an instance where a missing infrastructure was installed by the next day, highlighting Nigeria’s rapid response. 

“The ICAO auditors praised our performance during their final briefing at the NCAA. They even mentioned a scenario where they complained about an absent infrastructure but, to their pleasant surprise, it had been made available the very next day! They said that only Nigeria moves at such a pace in the face of criticism,” he said.

Addressing the accusations against Keyamo and Najomo, Achimugu claimed that a media campaign was underway to discredit them and force them out of office. 

“We have actual Intel about a media team being commissioned to cause continuous chaos until Keyamo is either removed or moved elsewhere because certain people want to take back ownership of the contracts they were busy allocating themselves and family members while critical infrastructure was growing dilapidated,” he alleged.

Achimugu emphasised that the NCAA and the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development were committed to improving the aviation sector despite the opposition. 

“Keyamo did not become one of the starboys of this administration by doing nothing. He spent his first six months unbundling the rot in the system. Sadly, the rot runs so deep that six months are not enough to scratch the surface,” he explained.

Achimugu reiterated the NCAA’s commitment to transparency and progress, stating, “We are working and it is evident,” he affirmed, urging critics to recognize the substantial improvements made under Keyamo and Najomo’s leadership.