STAKEHOLDERS INSIST LOPSIDED APPOINTMENTS IN THE AVIATION TO BE REVERSED

The appointments made by the Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika according to different stakeholders favoured the northern part of the country and relegated other areas and should therefore be reversed immediately.

Stakeholders in the aviation sector have condemned the perceived lopsidedness of the appointments and redeployments of key officials across agencies in the sector.

An analysis of the recent announcement showed that 26 of the 33 officials affected in the new appointments are from the Northern extraction while only nine are from the South including just one from the East.

A northerner was appointed at NAMA and it secretary. Also in FAAN, at AIB, three northern seas also appointed to fill three different key positions.

A northerner was also appointed to head NIMET, AIB and AMS respectively, followed by key positions in the departments without considerations of the federal character policy.

Seven officers from across the aviation agencies were redeployed to the ministry as special assistants to the minister.

These latest appointments and redeployments did not go well with the different key players as they described them as against the spirit of national unity and the federal government quota system policy.

For these reasons, the appointment have been rejected by stakeholders insisting it must portray the very essence of federal character. They insist it must be reversed to portray an encompassing quota system.