L-R: Dr Richard Aisuebeogun, Chairman of NIGAV award committee, handed the plaque to Capt Chris Najomo, DGCA, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, at NIGAV Centre, Friday, 11th April 2025
The Director General Civil Aviation, DGCA, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, Capt Chris Najomo, has clinched two of the most prestigious awards from the 14th Nigeria Aviation (NIGAV) Award and Ministerial Dinner for 2024.
Captain Najomo, who was the cynosure of all eyes at the august event over the weekend, received the Aviation Lifetime Achievement Award and the Aviation Leadership Achievement Award- Strategic Leadership Category.
The organizer said the DG put in all his life serving the country’s aviation industry in different capacities and affirmed that it was fitting he now sits at the helm of affairs of the regulatory agency where he is overseeing the rebirth of a new order in regulatory oversight of the industry.
Mr. Fortune Idu, Chairman and Founder of NIGAV Award described the Director General Civil Aviation, DGCA, as a quintessential personality who right from his youthful age decided to serve the aviation sector and worked assiduously in different fields in the industry.
Idu said “these awards are fitting for Najomo because from his youthful age under the tutelage of his father who was a great aviator himself, he carved out the career for himself as a young man. That he has turned around the fortune of the NCAA brand that has earned global accolades was the result of his foresight and experience of many years in the industry. The NCAA has no doubt become one of Nigeria’s iconic brands across the world in just over one year of his outstanding leadership.”
Also speaking, Chairman of NIGAV Award Committee and former Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Mr. Richard Aisuebeogun in an industry performance review affirmed that “the confirmation of Captain Chris Najomo as the substantive Director General of NCAA promises a more stable CAA capable of effectively ensuring the airworthiness and safety of aircraft.”
Mr. Richard said the “Director General has empowered the NCAA’s Consumer Protection Directorate to intensify efforts to address passenger complaints, including high fares, flight delays, and cancellations, as a means to bolster travellers’ confidence in Nigerian airlines.”
Speaking further on the achievement of the regulatory authority under Najomo, the former FAAN MD explained that, “the NCAA began reviewing the various critical procedures in 2024 to enhance its technical and economic oversight of the industry, aiming for better efficiency and reduced bottlenecks in the procedures for procuring licenses. The NCAA initiated a review of the industry master plan with ICAO to rebuild confidence.
For the Director, Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Mr. Micheal Achimugu, he said “My DG deserves much more because he has spent his whole life in this industry and even now as DG CA, he works round the clock to ensure that we get everything right and on time. His leadership skills and management ability are part of the secret that has galvanized the staff to achieve the outstanding results you see at the NCAA”
On her part, Regional Manager, NCAA, Lagos Regional office, Mrs Bukola Aduragbemi Teriba, described the awards as a testament to the revolution that has taken place in the civil aviation agency in the last 16 months.
Teriba said “seeing they say is believing. The industry has seen and is seeing the transformation in the regulatory activities of the industry and the metamorphosis in the way we do business.
She affirmed thus, “that tells you about the astute leadership quality of the DG. The awards are encouragement to us his staff and indicative that we are on the right track and must continue to do better and greater in the years ahead,” Aduragbemi Teriba said.
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