General News
Leadership Battle @ NAMA Puts Flight Safety at Risk
A coalition of aviation unions and professional associations have called on the Federal Government to immediately appoint a substantive managing director for Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) to prevent workers from compromising safety and avoid vacuum in the agency.
NAMA among other things provide air traffic services in Nigeria, including air traffic control, visual and non-visual aids, aeronautical telecommunication services and electricity supplies relating thereto, to enable public transport, private, business and military aircraft fly, as far as practicable and as safely as possible.
Johnson Agbede, spokesman, said that the worker may stage a protest tomorrow to express their displeasure over the leadership vacuum that is currently playing out.
The call is coming on the heels of the alleged looting of the agency and arrest of top officials of the agency over alleged N5billion fraud by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
He stated that if urgent steps were not taken, this could adversely compromise safety, as workers do not know whom to take directives from; adding that, leadership tussle in the agency is currently tearing NAMA apart, following the appointment of two officials in acting capacity in less than one week.
It would be recalled that the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, had on February 16, 2016, directed Mr. Emmanuel Anasi, an Acting Director in the agency, to act as the managing director, following the arrest of the substantive Managing Director of the agency, Engr, Ibrahim Abdulsalam, and three others by the EFCC allegedly in connection with the N5 billion fraud.
However, the directors, who were not comfortable with the minister’s appointment, petitioned the Ministry of Aviation that the tradition of allowing the most senior director to act as acting managing director was not applied, and that the agency was progressing in error.
Sequel to this petition, the Ministry on Friday directed Akangson, the current Director of Human Resources, who is the most senior director, to take over as the Acting Managing Director.
Based on the leadership tussle in the agency, the Coalition of Aviation Unions and Professional equally noted that Akangson’s appointment was a total violation of NAMA Act.
They were also piqued that being an in-law to the former Minister of Aviation, Stella Oduah, a thorough probe of the agency may be hindered as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is probing virtually the entire management of the agency for some controversial procurement and other deals done between 2012 and 2015. However, Section 8 of NAMA Act stipulates how Managing Director can be appointed.
According to the Act, “There shall be for the Agency, a Managing Director who shall be appointed by the President on the recommendation of the minister and on such terms and conditions as may be specified in his letter of appointment or as may be determined, from time to time, by the Government of the Federation.”
“The Managing Director shall be the chief executive and accounting officer of the agency; responsible to the Board for the day-to-day administration of the Agency; appointed for a term of five years in the first instance and may be re-appointed for a further term of five years subject to satisfactory performance; a person who possesses relevant and adequate professional qualifications in a senior management cadre and shall have been so qualified for a period of not less than fifteen years.”
They were also piqued that Akangson joined the agency in 2012, after he left his position in one of the commercial Banks.
The groups are worried that the situation may compromise safety, calling on the Minister of Transportation and the Minister of State, Aviation, Hadi Sirika, to as a matter of urgency, intervene by appointing a substantive managing director before the leadership crisis gets out of hand .
“The huge financial scandal involving the management of NAMA is overwhelming for anybody to think he can come back to that office.” The group argued that the organisation requires a substantive managing director, who will immediately re- organise and reposition the agency for the urgently needed service delivery.
The Unions reminded the authorities that last year and in 2014, they complained about poor state of communication equipment and other navigational facilities in the country’s airspace due to “corrupt practices in NAMA”, but that the previous government did not address these issues.
The EFCC last week arrested four top officials of the agency which include: Managing Director, Ibrahim Abdulsalam; Director of Finance and Accounts, Mrs. Clara Aliche; Acting Director of Procurement, Muyiwa Adegoroye; General Manager (Finance) Nurudeen Segun Agbolade and Project Manager, Felicia Agubata for alleged N5 billion fraud.
Federal government recently received a proposed protocol agreement from India that could pave the way for agricultural cooperation between the two countries.
Abishek Singh, India’s high commissioner to Nigeria, announced the proposal recently n Abuja during the India-Nigeria Business Forum on Agriculture and Allied Sectors.
New Delhi’s proposed cooperation would support Nigeria’s food security efforts, with the goal of reducing post-harvest losses by nearly 50% and expanding agricultural processing.
It would also cover technology transfers, mechanization, financing solutions and capacity building.
Abuja has opened similar discussions with China.
Only recently, Mukhtar Muhammed, permanent secretary at the Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology, said Nigeria wanted to deepen scientific and technological cooperation with Beijing in agriculture.
The discussions with China have focused on developing low-cost, solar-powered cold storage facilities and transferring food-processing technologies.
Nigeria, also wants to work with Chinese research institutes to develop infrastructure that can improve the preservation of perishable products.
Nigeria’s outreach to its Asian partners addresses a major problem for the agricultural sector.
The Bank of Agriculture (BoA) estimates that Africa’s most populous country loses 30 million to 40 million tons of food each year before it reaches consumers.
Those losses are worth an average of about N3.5 trillion ($2.5 billion) annually, according to data the institution presented at a workshop in Kaduna in July 2026.
Perishable products are particularly vulnerable, according to local media reports, with fruits and vegetables accounting for an estimated 40% to 50% of total losses.
The government has already launched its own response to the problem.
Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) indicted the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and other ministries over administrative lapses that allowed the fictitious Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC) to operate.
Musa Aliyu, chairman, ICPC, stated that NITDA, alongside the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF), the Budget Office, and other bodies, failed to carry out adequate due diligence and standard operating procedures.
ICPC said however, clarified that the findings pointed to severe internal control weaknesses and administrative negligence rather than active official complicity by NITDA and the other affected agencies.
The briefing followed a 30-day investigation ordered by the president on July 7 into allegations surrounding the purported presidential council.
The commission also cleared the presidency and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) of any wrongdoing but blamed institutional lapses in several ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs).
Aliyu said investigators established that Adeniyi Adeyemi, the director-general, was never appointed by the federal government and that the PFIPC had no legal existence.
“As you may recall, on the 7th of July, Mr. President directed the ICPC to conduct an investigation into the fake Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council and submit a report within 30 days,” he said.
“Today, exactly within the stipulated period, we have submitted an interim report based on our interactions with all stakeholders involved.”
According to Aliyu, Tinubu directed the commission to make its findings public in the interest of transparency and accountability.
He said the investigation found that Adeyemi’s purported appointment letter was forged.
“It has been established that Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew was never appointed by the Federal Government or any authority whatsoever,” he said.
“The Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council, which sometimes they called the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, was never established by any law, executive order or any valid instrument of government.
“The appointment letter presented by Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew was completely forged alongside similar documents used to perpetuate the illegal activities of the fake agency.”
Aliyu stated that a purported government gazette used to legitimise the organisation was also fabricated.
“If you recall, there was a gazette which he used to support the fake agency. That gazette is an illegal document that never passed through the processes prescribed by law,” he stated.
“Our investigation found that the office used by the fake agency was the office of the Presidential Economic Advisory Council. The office was broken into and access was gained illegally. That was how he was able to operate from there.”
Aliyu also revealed that investigators uncovered two additional fictitious government agencies allegedly created by the suspect — the FCT Investment Promotion Agency (FIPA) and the Foreign Investment Promotion Agency/Public-Private Partnership (FIPA-PPP).
According to him, fake legislative instruments were used to create the agencies and open bank accounts.
Despite the elaborate scheme, the ICPC chairman said the investigation found no evidence that federal government funds were disbursed to the fake council.
“Our investigation found that no funds of the federal government were approved or disbursed to the fake PFIPC,” he said.
“We also discovered no weaknesses in the systems of the State House or the Central Bank of Nigeria during our investigation. The fake appointment letter did not originate from the presidency.
“Our investigation found that some public officers failed to carry out due diligence and failed to comply with standard operating procedures in their ministries and departments. That gave him the opportunity to carry out these illegal acts.”
Nigeria tax system is build on taxing prosperity not poverty, according to Dr. Zacch Adedeji, executive chairman, Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS).
Dr. Zacch Adedeji, executive chairman, Nigeria Revenue Service
Adedeji, also dismissed the insinuation that the government’s tax reform is aimed at extracting money from Nigerians .
He said the essence of reform is creating an economic environment where individuals and businesses can prosper.
Dr. Adedeji made the clarifications on Sunday night while appearing on Channels Television’s Politics Today, where he defended the administration’s tax reforms and addressed concerns over rising government revenue amid the economic hardship facing Nigerians.
According to him, the government’s objective is to tax the fruits of investment rather than the investment itself.
“For us at Nigeria Tax, we are not there to extract. Our focus is not revenue. I don’t want to tax poverty. I’m to tax the fruit, not the seed, and I’m to tax the return, not investment.”
Adedeji explained that the government would generate more revenue as businesses became more profitable, without necessarily increasing the tax burden on individuals and companies.
He said a company that made N100 in profit could generate N30 in tax revenue for the government, but if its profit increased to N200 or N300, government revenue would rise accordingly.
“So, if I want to make more, I must work for you to make more. And that is why it is in the best interest of us in Nigeria Revenue Service that businesses are doing well, individuals are doing well,” he said.
He said the approach was consistent with President Bola Tinubu’s economic agenda, which seeks to remove barriers to investment and create a more conducive environment for businesses to operate and expand.
Adedeji cited reforms in the electricity sector as part of the government’s efforts to stimulate economic activity.
He noted that the Electricity Act had devolved powers to state governments to generate, transmit and distribute electricity, arguing that improved power supply would boost production and productivity across the economy.
Affordable, Flexible Streaming Platforms May Kill PAYtv – Report
FG Suspends NAICOM’s N680m Insurance Recapitalisation Fees
FG Taps Indian, Chinese Technologies to Tackle $2.5Bn in Food Losses
MTN Nigeria Clocks 25, Connects over 90m People
Subscribers to Seek Legal Redress if Poor Quality of Service Continue in September
EFCC Busts NIS Visa Overstay Racket, Uncovers N700m in an Account
Fact-Check: Elon Musk’s “Tesla Pi Phone” is Internet Rumor
NBC Tasks Broadcasting Stations over 2028 DSO Global Deadline
NBC Scraps Annual Digital Access Fee on DSO
Glo Sponsored African Voices to Feature Netflix’s “The Polygamist” Stars
E-Business2 days agoX Replaces Revenue Sharing wit New Creator Rewards Programme
Telecom2 days agoMTN Alerts Subscribers over Fake 25GB Anniversary MTN Data Giveaway
E-Financial2 days agoInterswitch, Temenos Commit to Advancing Nigeria’s Digital Banking Technology
General News2 days agoFake Agency: ICPC Indicts NITDA, Others over Inadequate Due Diligence
E-Financial2 days agoFG Spent N3.1 Trillion on Domestic Debt Servicing in Q1- DMO
General News2 days agoUNESCO Taps Oguamanam,Nigerian Scholar to Advisory Body on Science, Tech Ethics
General News2 days agoTax Reform Built on Taxing Prosperity, Not Poverty– Adedeji
Broadcasting2 days agoAwba-Ofemili Unveils 2026 Health Campaign, Offers Free Medical Screening