From Sola Ojo, Abuja
The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has assured that with its enhanced safety surveillance, the Nigerian airspace is now safer.
The acting Director General of the authority, Capt. Chris Najomo, who stated this during the annual New Year prayers held at the NCAA’s corporate headquarters in Abuja on Thursday, also reassured staff of NCAA’s continued commitment to safety and progress.
The prayer session, a cherished tradition held every January 2nd, serves as a time for reflection, unity and spiritual renewal.
This year’s event was particularly special, as it also marked the beginning of a series of activities leading up to the NCAA’s 25th anniversary celebration, highlighting the significant milestones achieved by the Authority over the years.
Speaking on the sidelines of the event, Capt. Najomo highlighted that the Authority has significantly strengthened its safety surveillance measures in response to growing safety concerns.
“And let me be honest with you, what Mr. President has done has ensured that our minister, with his five key points agenda, has, of course, given us the opportunity to perform more.
“We are going to continue performing more. Anything that will make sure that every airline complies, we will do. You can see recently we had to sanction some airlines and they accepted their sanctions.
“We sanctioned five airlines because they refused to pay refund tickets and they have agreed that they will pay on time”, he said.
He also pledged to remain focused on fulfilling his core responsibilities and achieving his performance targets, stating, “I’m not distracted by sponsored fabricated fake stories to attack me.
“The attacks are not affecting my work. There are no distractions because I’m resolute in doing what I’m supposed to do.
“My confirmation is in the hands of Mr. President and I hope he will do the needful at the appropriate time. For now, it’s not distracting me. I’m doing my job” he stated.
On staff work conditions, he said his management was motivating staff in the best ways possible in addition to improved work space.
“We will be fully digitalised. We also have the flight data center that is there. We have the CPD portal. We have the DATR portal to make it easier doing business and seamless too”, he added.