Director-General, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, Dr. Harold Demuren
The
Federal Government has ordered the removal of the Director-General of
the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, Dr. Harold Demuren.
A terse statement issued on Monday night
by the Special Assistant to the Secretary to the Government of the
Federation (Media), Mr. Sam Nwaobasi, referenced PPR/OSGF/PR/02, said
the decision was approved by President Goodluck Jonathan after “a
careful consideration” of Demuren’s “unsatisfactory response to the
numerous concerns of stakeholders in the aviation sector.”
The government was, however, silent on his successor.
“This is consequent upon a careful
consideration of Dr. Demuren’s unsatisfactory response to the numerous
concerns of stakeholders in the aviation sector. Mr. President wishes
him well in his future endeavours.”
Both the Senate and House of
Representatives had called for the sacking of the NCAA DG following last
year’s crash of a Dana Air plane in Ishaga area of Lagos that claimed
163 lives.
The House of Representatives had on
Wednesday, December 19, 2012, blamed the June 3, 2012 crash on
negligence by the regulatory authorities and recommended the dismissal
and prosecution of Demuren.
The Joint Committee on Aviation of both chambers of the National Assembly had investigated the crash.
The recommendation that Demuren should be sacked followed the consideration and adoption of the report of the committee.
Briefing the House on the findings, the
Chairman, House Committee on Aviation, Mrs. Nkiruka Onyejeocha, had said
several faults were reported on the ill-fated aircraft before the
crash, but alleged that NCAA continued to clear it for flight
operations.
She had said, “The aircraft had five air
returns before the crash; only one was due to bird strike. The others
were caused by faults in the aircraft.
“The NCAA should have grounded the
aircraft, but the agency did not care about the lives of Nigerians. Each
time a fault was detected, the NCAA continued to clear the aircraft for
flying.”
The report noted that there was no
certified engineer for the MD83 aircraft in Nigeria, yet NCAA approved
it for flight operations in the country.
For this alleged regulatory failure, the
committee also recommended the dismissal and prosecution of the NCAA
inspector, Mr. Suleiman Akwuh, who inspected and cleared the plane for
flying.
The report read in part, “The DG
(Demuren), who approved and deployed the officer, should also be
dismissed from service and prosecuted for criminal negligence.
“The NCAA, under the current DG, Dr.
Harold Demuren, brought in the MD83 to operate in Nigeria even when
there is no licensed engineer rated on the aircraft.
“For the period under review, Dana
operated 14 air returns caused by system failure, which is a sufficient
indication of imminent danger.
“Up to the time of this report, NCAA is
still without any licensed engineer type-rated on MD83, yet it is going
ahead with technical audit on Dana operations with a view to restoring
its licence. This constitutes negligence.
“The tenure of the current DG of the NCAA had expired three months before the Dana crash occurred on June 3, 2012.”
The House directed that NCAA should be
allowed to function as an autonomous agency without interference from
the Ministry of Aviation.
“The staff strength of the NCAA should
be totally overhauled with a view to injecting technically and
professionally qualified personnel to enhance its regulatory role in
accordance with international best practices,” the report added.
In January this year, the Senate also recommended the sacking of Demuren for negligence over the Dana Air crash.
It also approved a recommendation for
the revocation of the Air Operating Certificate of Dana Airlines,
saying, “It was not issued in full compliance with the Nigerian Civil
Aviation Regulations 2009.”
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