With Nigerians beginning to raise eyebrows over the recent appointments made by President Muhammadu Buhari, more tongues are set to wag with the recent appointment of Abdulsalam Mohammed as the chairman of the committee saddled with the responsibility of establishing the country’s flag carrier.
According to investigations by The Trent, Mohammed, who is from Epe in Lagos, had previously served as the Managing Director of Discovery Airline, which was barred from operating earlier in the year due to incompetent management.
Discovery Airline was issued its Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC) in June 2014.
Speaking at the inception of the airline, Mohammmed had said that “abysmal planning” in the management of many local airlines led to their collapse, promising that Discovery Airline would put in place an adequate plan concerning funding and the maintenance of their aircraft.
Just seven months down the line, precisely on Tuesday, January 13, 2015, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), announced that it had suspended the airline from operating any flight in the country, seizing the airline’s AOC in the process.
The suspension of the airline, according to Sam Adurogboye, the Deputy General Manager, Public Relation of the NCAA, was as a result of its inability to carry out certain corrective actions.
Adurogboye said: “In pursuit of its oversight responsibilities as stipulated by law, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, has lately carried out a review of the operations of some Domestic Airlines after which letters of warning or suspension of Air Operator’s Certificate, AOC, were served on defaulters”.
The airline was also said to be owing staff salaries.
On Tuesday, April 21, 2015 the NCAA lifted the suspension after the airline “showed commitment” towards offsetting outstanding staff salaries.
