Analysts, Keyamo, in robust debate over minister’s Dana Air suspension

Analysts: Decision hasty, usurps agency duties

Keyamo: My first kpi is ensure safety of airspace

ONOME AMUGE IN LAGOS, NIGERIA

The Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos was on Tuesday, April 23, rocked by a runway excursion incident involving an aircraft belonging to Dana Air, which caused a temporary closure of the affected runway. As if the incident wasn’t harrowing enough, the incident triggered a knee-jerk reaction from Festus Keyamo, the minister of aviation and aerospace development, who swiftly directed Chris Najomo, the acting director general of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to suspend Dana Airline’s operations pending a comprehensive audit.

In a letter dated April 24, 2024, titled “Immediate Suspension Of Dana Airlines Pending Safety And Financial Health Audit”, Emmanuel Meribole, permanent secretary in the ministry of aviation and aerospace development, conveyed the minister’s decision to suspend the airline’s operations. 

The letter pointed to recent incidents involving Dana Airlines that had raised serious safety concerns and cast doubts over its financial viability.

Keyamo, through the letter, stated that Dana Airlines would be put under intense scrutiny, subject to a full-scale audit that would examine all facets of their operations, from safety protocols and maintenance procedures down to their financial standing. 

The minister’s move, while perhaps well-intentioned, has been met with fierce criticism from analysts who see it as an overreaction that undermines established safety protocols, and also threatens the delicate balance of Nigeria’s burgeoning air aviation industry. 

With so much at stake in an industry where safety is paramount, these analysts worry that the minister’s action sets a dangerous precedent that could have far-reaching and unintended consequences.

Voicing their disapproval, aviation stakeholders accused the aviation minister of overstepping his bounds by assuming the responsibilities of the  Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority and the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB).

Anthony Kila, a professor of strategy and development at the Commonwealth Institute of Advanced and Professional Studies (CIAPS), voiced his opposition to Minister Keyamo’s decision to ground Dana Air, calling it “unimpressive” and “unfortunate.” 

“They are not putting text into context. Suspension of a company should be like a nuclear button, the very last option that no one should be eager to press. Clearly, jobs and possible increase in prices due to decrease in supply of flights do not seem to be on the minister’s mind,” he stated.

Kila maintained that a thorough investigation and increased vigilance would have been a more measured and appropriate response to the Dana Airlines incident, one that would not have crippled the airline’s operations.

He further argued that the Nigerian aviation industry was at a critical juncture where growth and expansion were of paramount importance, and that any decision that curtails movement and business activity runs the risk of jeopardising the sector’s long-term viability. 

The director, Centre for International Advanced and Professional Studies, urged the ministry of aviation and aerospace development to strike a delicate balance between safety concerns and the need to keep Nigeria’s aviation sector functional and dynamic. 

In his view, the ministry should refrain from hasty, unilateral decisions and instead allow related agencies to handle safety investigations and interventions. 

Moreover, Kila advocated for increased checks and inspections of each aircraft prior to departure, a measure that would safeguard safety standards without disrupting flight schedules or hindering business activities.

Olumide Ohunayo, the general secretary of Aviation Safety Round Table Initiative (ASRTI), also criticised the minister’s action as a gross interference in the intricate safety procedures that are meant to govern the aviation sector.

Ohunayo argued that the minister had overstepped his bounds by prematurely suspending Dana Airline’s operations before the NSIB had even released the results of its investigation into the incident. He also questioned the selective application of the suspension, calling for consistency and transparency in the minister’s decision-making.

He stated: “I see the minister’s intervention as gross interference in safety processes and procedures. The minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has no power to order the DG NCAA to suspend the airline because the NCAA DG is the leader of the industry on safety related issues.

“It’s a very wrong move, wrong decision. Like the Airbus marketing, this is another mistake from the minister. It’s another wrong step because if Dana Airline has any safety related issues, the nation should be told by the NCAA and the first thing the minister should do is to contact the NCAA because they certify all airlines for operations in Nigeria. The NCAA will examine their books again before coming up with a position of either grounding them or not. You cannot just ground them through a minister’s directive, that is wrong.” 

Speaking further, Ohunayo argued  that runway excursion shouldn’t be a reason for grounding Dana airline, noting that in the early part of the year, one of Delta Airline Boeing 757 aircraft had its wheel nose pulled out and the airline wasn’t grounded.

“There are other airlines that have excursions this year. Were they grounded? Why go for Dana? Why not look at the runway as well and remove debris from the runway instead of issuing a suspension letter?” he said.

Replying to the criticisms that trailed the suspension of Dana Air, Keyamo maintained that Dana Airline had been flying with an unhealthy status for a while now.

Keyamo, during a recent interview on Channels Television’s “POLITICS TODAY,” hosted by Seun Okinbaloye, which was monitored by Business a.m., disclosed that a previous audit report conducted under his predecessor confirmed Dana Air’s unhealthy status.

Keyamo, during the interview, asserted that the internal reports, compiled some two years ago, painted a damning picture of Dana Air’s fitness to continue operating. The minister maintained that the mounting evidence, not only from these reports, but also from the consistent incident experienced by the airline, had left him with no other choice but to suspend Dana Air’s operations.

“The last thing I want to happen to me as minister of aviation is to have blood on my hands (blood of innocent Nigerians) as a result of either the negligence, deep complicity or corruption of those who are supposed to be regulators of the aviation industry.

He explained further: “As minister, my job is to supervise them and to ensure that they carry out their duties. My duty is not to regulate. So, those who quote the law (who have been quoting the law), should know that  I know the law more than they do.  

“My duty is to supervise those who are supposed to carry out their legal duties and to tell them when they are not doing their duties to tell them to do their duties. My first kpi is to ensure the safety of our airspace and to ensure that the regulators also do their job,” he stressed.

In an effort to further justify the controversial decision to suspend Dana Air, Keyamo made it clear that he had not directly communicated with the airline, but had, in fact, only directed the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority to do its job.

He added: “My own point is that whilst we argue back and forth about who has the power or who does not have the power. The point is that the flying public is at risk and if any tragic incident happens, it is the minister they will call for his resignation. Nigerians will not spare the minister.

“So, if that is the case, what is my role as supervisor?  Am I a lame duck minister? And in any case, I am sure you saw the release by the NCAA, the NCAA took that decision. I threw my weight behind them but I also gave them a directive to do their job. I did not write to the airline. (That is taking over the powers of the NCAA). I did not write. I told the people who are supposed to do their job, “Do your job!” which is my job. My job is to tell you to do your job.”

Keyamo denounced the rampant falsification of reports, training records, and maintenance checks that had become endemic in the Nigerian aviation sector.

According to the minister, these instances of corruption and negligence were nothing short of shocking, constituting one of the most corrupt sectors he had encountered.

The minister’s allegations made it clear that the problem was not limited to Dana Air alone, but was symptomatic of a wider, systemic issue in the sector, noting that perpetrators would be brought to book.