AIB relocates headquarters to Abuja

The Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB), an agency in the Ministry of Aviation, on Wednesday announced the relocation of its corporate headquarters from Lagos to Abuja.

Akin Olateru, the Commissioner/Chief Executive Officer, AIB, made this known in a statement in Lagos.

Mr Olateru said the relocation was in adherence to the recent directive of the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, that all aviation agencies’ corporate headquarters be moved to Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Minister of Aviation in a letter dated May 4, had ordered all the agencies under the ministry to relocate their head office to Abuja within 45 days.

Mr Sirika explained that the relocation became necessary considering the current situation and the economic impact worldwide, and the need to reduce the cost of governance and manage the scare resources in a sustainable way.

The minister said: “I am directed to remind you of the Presidential directive issued in 2012 requesting agencies under the ministry to relocate their corporate headquarters to the Abuja, yet, eight years after the directives, the agencies are yet to comply.”

Mr Olateru said, himself and other strategic officers in the Bureau had since been operating from Abuja.

“This is to ensure an efficient and effective coordination, and enhanced service delivery between the Federal Ministry of Aviation and its agencies.

“Further to the directive given by the Federal Ministry of Aviation, the bureau has strictly adhered to this directive by relocating its Head office to its office in Abuja.

“Myself and other essential staff have been reporting for duty at the headquarters Office in Abuja.

“The relocation is an ongoing process, which will take a while for other essential staff to relocate to the Head Office considering the lockdown and funding to aid the relocation,” he said.

READ ALSO: Naira Marley: Aviation company regrets flying ‘bunch of useless people’

Mr Olateru said the bureau had also effected these changes on all its social media platforms and other formal means of communications.

NAN reports that other affected agencies included the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), and Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).

The other two agencies were already outside Lagos; Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMET) has always been in Abuja, while the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), has its head office in Zaria, Kaduna State. (NAN)