By James Abang
Unions in the aviation industry and hundreds of workers from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) on Tuesday staged a peaceful protest against the recent appointment of two new directors for the agency.
Unions in the aviation industry and hundreds of workers from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) on Tuesday staged a peaceful protest against the recent appointment of two new directors for the agency.
According their claims, they alleged that two out of the five directors
appointed by the federal government do not possess the prerequisite
qualifications to hold the offices they were assigned.
In disregard to such purported claims, read statement below as shared ....
RE: PROTEST AGAINST ENGINEER ITA AWAK’S
APPOINTMENT
I read with trepidation news on social media
about so called Aviation Workers Union protesting against Engr Ita Awak’s
appointment as Director of Airworthiness Standard in NCAA.
According to the news, the General Secretary, Mr.
Olayinka Abioye who addressed newsmen claimed that Ita Awak do not possess the
prerequisite to man the position.
Before making any comment I wish to help Mr.
Abioye and his cohorts who have become so blinded
with hate for South Southerners to see Mr. Ita Awak’s CV.
Apart from making Grade One in his school
certificate from the prestigious Sarduana Memorial College, Kawo- Kaduna,
Kaduna State in 1977, Engr Ita Awak In 1983, attended Nigeria College of
Aviation Technology, Zaria and graduated as a licensed Aircraft Maintenance
Engineer in 1987.
He was the first and last student of the
Department of Engineering to assume the office of President of the Students’
Union (1984-1985) at the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology.
Ita Awak worked as Line Engineer, Skypower
Express Airways, Kaduna from 1987 to 1988; Helicopter Engineer, Bristow
Helicopters from 1989 to 1992, Senior Engineer, City-Link Airlines, Port
Harcourt from 1992 to 1995 and Deputy Chief Engineer, City Links Airlines from
1995 to 1998.
To deepen his technical and professional
competence, Ita Awak successfully completed some specialized aviation training
courses in Brazil and the United Kingdom. Hence, throughout his career as an Aircraft
Engineer, Ita Awak has maintained a track record of professionalism and
excellence.
That Ita Awak has excelled as Commissioner for
Information and other political callings is a credit to his versatility and
innate ability to multi-function.
It is idiotic for anybody to claim that a man
with this level of qualification and experience is not qualified to function as
a director of airworthiness standard. It only shows that those cajoled to do
the protest either lack understanding of the job of the director of
airworthiness standard or do so in bad faith.
It may also be a sign of the normal style of some
tribes in this country who believe they are the only ones with qualified
persons.
They have taken over ExxonMobil and other oil
companies even though the operational bases are in South South. They control
the multinationals and even banks and are not satisfied. They become jittery
each time someone from either South South or South East is given an opportunity
and come up with all sorts of frivolous claims to bring him down.
I call on all indigenes of South South to stand
up against this tribal intrigues against one of our own. This is not about PDP
or APC. It is about our collective interest in the unity of the country and
equal opportunity for all. Today it is Ita Awak, tomorrow it may be anybody
else.
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