Sirika: Why 2006 Civil Aviation Act Had Operational Difficulties

• Minister cries for help, says fraudsters have taken over his social media accounts

By Dele Ogbodo in Abuja

The Minister of State for Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, on Friday admitted that the 2006 Civil Aviation Act, whose formulation he contributed to, has some inherent inadequacies and limitations .

As a result, it has become difficult to implement some policies and rules in the sector.

According to him, the Act was not exhaustively scrutinized as it was done in a rush, adding that he knew that it would encounter some operational difficulties.

Meanwhile, the minister while crying for help from the menace of internet scammers, said he no longer operates any email, facebook, twitter or any other social media accounts as fraudsters have taken them over to defraud gullible Nigerians of their monies.

 On the weakness of the 2006 civil aviation Act, he said: “And even at that time I was more than convinced that the 2006 Act was inadequate and was done in rush. I knew also that it had some limitations and I knew that it will have some operational difficulties.”

The minister made the disclosure, while receiving reports from members of the Aviation Security Assessment and the Civil Aviation Acts 2016 Review committees, headed by Air Commodore Hamladi Tukur (rtd) and Ibrahim Idriss, in Abuja.

While lamenting that the first civil aviation Act for the sector was enacted in 1964, adding that it was first amended in 2006.

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