The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency NAMA said equipment upgrades across the country’s airports and staff welfare will be given adequate attention despite the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the industry.
President of Nigerian Association of Aeronautical Engineers (NAAE), NAMA chapter Ishaya Dung, reiterated the commitment of the managing Director of NAMA, Capt Fola Akinkuotu just as he said the MD performed very well considering the challenges he inherited as well as those introduced by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Dung disclosed that prior to the pandemic the agency has systematically tried to cut down leakages resulting from frivolous Duty Tour Allowances, improved training (both local and foreign), improved the monthly allocation to NAMA outstations, improved on equipment performance and achieved a better welfare package through the harmonisation of staff salaries.
He said the NAMA boss was at the verge of bringing home the new staff Conditions of Service and the NHIS when the pandemic struck.
According to him, with the resumption of commercial flights and the significant improvement in revenue generation, Capt Akinkuotu has equally assured that he will fulfill all obligations to staff within the shortest possible time. He has demonstrated this with the payment of productivity allowance.
“From the forgoing the agency can be said to be living up to expectations in terms of airspace management especially with new installations that have improved navigation during low visibility periods and also enhanced communications in the airspace with more redundancies among others”, Dung said.
A former Secretary General of the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), Mr. Olayinka Abioye, commended the covid-19 recovery strategy, NAMA was buoyantly addressing infrastructural deficits and staff welfare issues to the admiration of stakeholders.
Abioye lamented the devastating effects of the pandemic vis-à-vis the closure of the Nigerian airports and partial closure of the Airspace which dealt a big blow to operations and the financial fortunes of NAMA and all other agencies/bodies.
