NCAA May Scrap Consumer Protection Directorate

…I am Not Aware Of This –Adurogboye

The Directorate of Consumer Protection, a department under the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), may be scrapped soonest if feelers reaching AbelNews is anything to go by.
AbelNews gathered that the directorate may be scrapped and merged with the department of Airport Operations if the Federal Government gives its go ahead to the move by NCAA management.
The directorate, which was created during the tenure of the former Director General of NCAA, Dr. Harold Demuren has been carrying out duties to the best of its knowledge and had resolved some land mark issues between passengers and airlines.
The recent is that involving Turkish Airlines that was compelled by the department to compensate its passengers for none delivery of their luggage days after the aircraft landed at the international wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport (NAA), Abuja.
Prior to upgrading the unit to a directorate it was a department in the agency.
A source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, had alleged that the planned to scrap the directorate may not have received the blessings of the President of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), Dr. Olumuyiwa Aliu ,who the source claimed said that the decision would set the sector further backward.
“The scrapping of the department would not augur well for the industry and will greatly affect the passengers who are used to it. FAAN already has department of Airport Operations and bringing it under such department even in NCAA would create crisis for the sector.” The source said
Continuing, the source said, “The scrapping of the department would lead to the rumoured impending loss of jobs in the Nigerian aviation industry. Instead of removing the department, more people should be engaged into the system.”
But reacting, the General Manager, Public Affairs, NCAA, Mr. Sam Adurogboye, said he was not aware of the planned scrapping of the directorate.
He added that NCAA was the first in the continent to create the department, which according to him primarily attends to air passengers’ complaints.
He also stated that there was no plan to merge the Consumer Protection Directorate or scrap it, as being speculated.
Adurogboye explained that those flying this kite may be doing so as a result of the Steve Orosanye Panel, which recommended several reforms to government in its reports.
In his words, “I think it is from the fallout of the Orosanye panel report that people are now making several insinuations. We are not aware of any retrenchment in our agency. We are the first to establish the department in Africa.”
In the same vein, there are also insinuations that the Federal Government with the approval of the Minister of Transportation, Hon. Rotimi Amaechi may commence retrenchment of workers, due to what the government claimed was the presence of over-bloated staff in aviation agencies.
Agency chiefs, a source said would not be spared in the impending shake up.

Source:abel news