Michael Achimugu
@mikeachimugu01 • 33,523 subscribers
Director, Public Affairs & Consumer Protection at NCAA/Civil Aviation/Fixer/Comms
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INADMISSIBLE PASSENGER: YOUR VILLAGE PEOPLE MUST NOT HEAR THIS. #WhiteBoardSeries
Michael Achimugu145,893 views • 13 days ago
The big one is coming to Nigeria, finally. This is how the Honourable Minister, Festus Keyamo, SAN, CON, FCIArb (UK) SAN, is making the dreams of aviation businesses come true. So, if you are interested in the civil aviation ecosystem or you want to start, this is where you should be:
Michael Achimugu187,229 views • 6 months ago
Sequel to my last post about Royal Air Maroc, the airline visited the NCAA Headquarters in Abuja, today, to clarify some of the issues, present their plan for the Nigerian route and for Nigeria as a nation. Present in the meeting were the Deputy Head of the Morrocan Mission in Nigeria; the Country Manager of RAM; Abuja representative of the airline; and their lawyers. On the NCAA side were yours truly and staff of the FO&A Unit as well as the SSA to the DGCA, and the GM P&E. Royal Air Maroc, while defending some of their operational decisions, also acknowledged that they need to improve their services, and made a PowerPoint presentation showing their commitment to the Nigerian market. From the NCAA perspective, we have assured the airline that there is no desire to antagonise RAM, as our mandate is to be relentless and professional in protecting the rights of both passengers and airlines. We also urged the airline to do better with resolution timelines in compliance with Part 19 of the NCAA Regulations 2023. RAM not only assured us of doing better, they also unveiled a systemic, workable plan to give Nigerian passengers better travelling experiences going forward. Recall that, in the last couple of years, the airline grew from 5 weekly operations into Nigeria, to 21 weekly flights into the Giant of Africa. We reminded the airline that, Morocco being a gateway country, a hub, RAM would continue to enjoy the patronage of Nigerian passengers, and those passengers deserve the best possible service. The meeting ended on a positive note, with the country manager explaining why he was unable to attend the Authority's summons, and regretted the tone of his speech over the phone, something that was concerning at the time. We will continue to hold all stakeholders accountable while protecting their rights, and we have pledged to support RAM to make their services better. The NCAA was satisfied with the presentation, and will be monitoring the airline's operations for compliance. The relationship between Nigeria and Morocco was made stronger today. Nigeria is a large market with potential for expenential growth. Only a small percentage of Nigerians are flying, and the overall population of the country (roughly 250 million citizens) means that, if managed properly, Nigeria offers new possibilities compared to states that have maxed out their market. Today's meeting between the NCAA and Royal Air Maroc is a major step towards improving the figures. All thanks to the Honourable Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo, SAN, and the DGCA, Capt. Chris Najomo, for approving this meeting.
Michael Achimugu34,758 views • 1 month ago
Yesterday, Air France deboarded an unruly passenger at the Abuja International Airport. His disruptive behaviour in the aircraft was a safety risk for other passengers. Since he did not possess a Nigerian visa, he was not allowed into Abuja. Being a French national, he was visited by staff of the French Embassy and a doctor and then granted accommodation in the hotel within the airport terminal. Later, British Airways deboarded him due to the same unruly behaviour he had put up aboard Air France. Today, he was supposed to depart via Asky but could not present evidence of payment for the e-'ticket' he presented. The airline declined to airlift him. Immigration officials had quite a hectic time handling the erratic passenger who can be seen littering our clean terminal with what seems to be tissue paper and screaming, "My passport, my passport." Apparently, the Immigration officers wanted to ensure that he boarded his flight before handing the passenger his international passport to prevent him from escaping through the exit gate and into the city. NCAA Consumer Protection regional head, Miriam Anosike, understanding the security, safety, and diplomatic ramifications of the case, addressed Air France personnel sternly, reminding them that they brought the passenger to Nigeria and must be responsible for airlifting him out of Nigeria as he is becoming a liability to the country. "If you are afraid to airlift him, why do you expect other airlines to be responsible for him? Get him a ticket and move him tomorrow!" I salute Miriam, whose years of experience as CPO came in handy. Tomorrow night, we will monitor Air France operations to ensure that the passenger is safely airlifted. Kudos to the men of the NIS who also kept their cool all through.
Michael Achimugu352,132 views • 1 year ago
Lies have been told over this matter, over and over. I have addressed this on national TV, major news platforms, and via my X handle. While the NCAA does not regulate airfares, I have invited ALL of the domestic airlines, bar none, and asked them about these taxes they keep talking about on TV. They ALL admitted to NOT paying the volume of taxes being bandied around. I don't understand this 350k and 81k narrative, but I know that, for the kind of support that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu; the aviation minister, Festus Keyamo; and the DGCA, Capt. Chris Najomo have given to domestic carriers, I see no reason why the government keeps getting thrown under the bus via statements like this. It is even ironic that, in the same statement, it is alleged that Nigerians pay the lowest domestic airfares in the world while also justifying the astronomical airfares that came to play in December even though there was no hike in taxes or jet fuel. If my inviting the airlines themselves, speaking with travel agents, and the relevant departments within the Authority did not agree with the narrative being pushed, I don't see how this is sustainable. If high taxes were the reason why airfares were 150k-200k, why did tickets well for as high as 500k for a 45 minute trip when the said taxes did not increase? And this is happening at a time when Festus Keyamo has ensured that domestic carriers now have access to dry lease aircraft; something they have not had in decades. Not a single airline staff I spoke with two weeks ago agreed with the excuses I am reading on social and traditional media.
Michael Achimugu158,864 views • 8 months ago
For a whole year, I gave part of my salary to Maleek. I saw value in him that I did not want the NCAA to lose, and so I paid the price until......and he continues to add value. If my DG did not know it and say it, I probably would be silent as I have been about many others. But, we love the NCAA, and we will continue to do our best to leave the regulatory Authority much better than we met it. PS: I did not get a refund 😀😀 But Maleek was a sacrifice with making.
Michael Achimugu31,412 views • 1 month ago
"To confess. When i was sacked from Arik, the next position....the only application I made was the Director of Consumer Protection (NCAA) and when they gave you that position, I felt somehow, but now I know why they chose you. You are the best, so keep going." Hamza Bukar Civil Aviation legend (worked with several airlines across decades). I will always admire the courage of his admission. He has continued to offer advice since this day.
Michael Achimugu30,539 views • 1 month ago
This video offends me greatly. I think that the relevant agencies MUST monitor ALL orphanages consistently, not just when they receive complaints. As a matter of fact, let all orphanage homes go through a sort of reform phase, like banks, and be re-certified only if they meet the standards. I find this highly vexatious. Kudos to the Public Complaints Commission for acting. I hope it is not too late.
Michael Achimugu151,537 views • 11 months ago
The NCAA empathizes with you and all other affected passengers. I am personally at the airport to deal with this issue, and I hope that you are one of the passengers that I addressed minutes ago. We have explained why this disruption occurred, and resolved the reschedule issue.
Michael Achimugu95,457 views • 9 months ago
FINAL UPDATE ON KENYAN AIRWAYS/GLORIA OMISORE/OTHERS The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority is initiating maximum enforcement action against Official Kenya Airways for a large number of consumer protection infractions. Frame 1: Official Kenya Airways Country Manager in Nigeria apologized for the Gloria Omisore incident. Frame 2: The airline admits that they should never have boarded the passenger from Lagos. The airline failed to discover the lack of a France transit visa and flew this passenger to Nairobi where she had a 17-hour layover, only to be told that she would have to endure a further 10-hour wait if she must be flown to the UK. Passenger then asks to be provided care for that 10-hour period as she is bleeding and needs to bathe. The actions of the airline staff following her request were down to poor passenger handling. Gloria Omisore was not an unruly passenger on the first leg of the flight, nor was she rude on the Lagos-Nairobi flight. Frame 3: We put the facts of the matter to the airline and rejected the misleading official statement put out by them. The determination was for the airline to update its initial statement to reflect the facts of the case. There has been no compliance. Rather, the original statement that obfuscated facts, in all of its royal 'misleading-ness', has been allowed to grow wings and fly. Take the blog post by one Charles Onyango-Obbo for instance. The writer still asserts that Gloria Omisore blatantly refused the offer to fly to London. This lie is being told despite the admission of Kenya Airways Country Manager in Nigeria, James Nganga, that the passenger only became frustrated when the 10-hour wait attached to that offer did not come with accommodation. This was a bleeding woman who had already experienced the inconvenience of a 17-hour layover. She needed to clean up, possibly have a bathe. If the airline was not going to provide the care, its staff could have handled the matter professionally. In the viral video, the airline's staff could be heard hurling insults and raising her voice in response to the infuriated passenger. James Nganga admitted in one of the videos below, that the staff's behaviour was against airline policy. The writer also claimed that the meeting between my team and the ailine held in Lagos. Simple research would have told him that the NCAA HQ is in Abuja. This is what happens when people are more interested in narrative-creation rather than facts. They know their audience. Frame 4. "Truth shouldn't be hard to tell." The NCAA gave the airline an opportunity to fix what was wrong. The airline has failed to do so. Earlier yesterday, the airline asked for an extension of one hour, after which they still failed to comply with the determination of the CAA. On Thursday, in a separate issue, the airline failed to send in a compliance report about a scheduled flight that was delayed for 7 hours with no compensation for the passengers. When confronted over a phone call, the Kenya Airways team claimed ignorance of the NCAA Regulations. We are sending them a copy of it. But, how can you operate in a foreign country with no recourse to the relevant regulations? How is this different from those who claimed that Omisore should have known the travel documents she needed for her trip? To this end, we are organising a retreat for ALL airlines operating in Nigeria to learn and relearn Part 19 of the NCAA Regulations 2023. One would expect that knowledge of all necessary regulations is essential. Added to the other long-ignored cases read out to the KQ team that attended the meeting, the CAA is dismayed by the actions of this airline. Cases of refunds not paid, lost baggage not compensated for despite admitting to losing them, and failure to honour commitments. The NCAA is, therefore, initiating stiff enforcement action against Kenya Airways. This action will go through due process. I have put our legal department on notice.
Michael Achimugu118,361 views • 1 year ago