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FG dares aviation unions on agencies’ merger

By on August 12, 2014

The Federal Government is bent on implementing the Steve Oronsaye committee report, which proposed the merger of some aviation agencies.

This information was contained in a letter from the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation,with reference number: SGF/12/S.II/C.9/42, dated July 14, 2014.

The letter, which was addressed to the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Aviation, and made available to our correspondent on Sunday, ordered the affected agencies to send a progress report on the proposed merger to the government on or before July 21, 2014.

The Federal Government had in May this year accepted the recommendation of the Steve Oronsaye committee, which proposed that the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, and the Nigerian Meteorological Agency be merged into a new body to be known as the Federal Civil Aviation Authority, while their respective enabling laws should to be amended accordingly to reflect the merger.

The letter, which was signed by the Permanent Secretary, Mohammed Abubakar, on behalf of the Secretary of the Government of the Federation, stated that the submission of the report became necessary in order for the government to eventually go ahead with the planned merger of the agencies.

It emphasised that upon the receipt of the committee’s report; the government had directed each ministry to set up ministerial technical committees for the implementation of the decisions of the White Paper on the restructuring and rationalisation of Federal Government agencies, parastatals and commissions, and ordered it to forward to the government the day-to-day report of the committees.

It stated, “As specified in the circular, each technical committee is to undertake the detailed day-to-day implementation of the decisions in the White Paper, as may be applicable to the agencies being supervised by your ministry/office. It is therefore, expected that your technical committee has proceeded with the implementation of the decisions of the White Paper as they affect the agencies under your ministry.

“Accordingly, I am to inform you that the Secretary to the Government if the Federation/Chairman of the implementation committee of the White Paper on restructuring and rationalisation of Federal Government agencies, parastatals and commissions has directed that each ministerial technical committees should submit a progress report on its assignment to the undersigned on or before Monday 21st July, 2014.”

Another letter from the Federal Ministry of Aviation, dated July 17, 2014 on the subject matter, with the reference number: CAO12/003/772/II, and signed by the Director, Human Resource Management, A. A. Tsafe, on behalf of the Minister of Aviation, also ordered the chief executive officers of the affected agencies to send their progress report through email to before the close of work on July 18, 2014.

The letter stated that this was necessary in a bid to enable the ministry to collate and send the same to the office of the SGOF on or before July 21, 2014 as directed.

However, as of the time of filing this report, it was not clear if the chief executive officers of the affected agencies had responded to the letter, but there seemed to be uneasy calm in the parastatals.

A source at the Ministry of Aviation told our correspondent that the Federal Government might implement the merger of the agencies before the end of the month.

 

[Punch]