Michael Achimugu
@mikeachimugu01 • 30,388 subscribers
Director, Public Affairs & Consumer Protection at NCAA/Civil Aviation/Fixer/Comms
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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 Achimugu186,770 views • 3 months 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 Achimugu158,752 views • 5 months 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 Achimugu352,006 views • 1 year 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 Achimugu151,408 views • 8 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 Achimugu95,426 views • 6 months ago
What I go through often: A flight is disrupted. Airline staff disappear for fear of violence from passengers. I am alerted and my team and I rush to the airport to stand amidst hundreds of angry passengers. Even though I am not a staff of the airline and I did not cause the disruption, I receive threats of beating😢😢. Still, we must deploy professionalism and firmness to resolve these issues, calm frayed nerves, and protect the rights of all parties. This Saudi Air case tested my patience even more than the United Nigeria case because it involved more passengers (almost 400), and their anger levels were off the roof. It is one of the cases I was very proud to have handled, and till date, some of the passengers still send me texts to appreciate what my team and I did. Working consumer protection has improved one's mental and psychological awareness, manifested one's in-built empathy, and tested the limits of my endurance. As stressful as it is, it is an absolute pleasure and honour to do this. Humans deserve care and respect. The NCAA cares for, and protects the rights of all passengers and operators. PS: Do not ever threaten to beat up an NCAA official. It is unacceptable.
Michael Achimugu14,380 views • 26 days ago
".......mobile phones may NOT be used at ANY TIME aboard this aircraft." Another international flight I was on. Interestingly, one of the P-Square brothers was on this flight, and he did not complain o. Only one Nigerian passenger whispered, "At any time?" But nobody said anything to the hostesses. Perhaps because it was not a Nigerian airline and cabin crew. Dear Royalty E. Uso, here is one of many real life instances I could show you. I was on the flight, so it was not hearsay.
Michael Achimugu79,736 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 Achimugu118,233 views • 1 year ago
Yesterday, I had to make a u-turn while heading to my barber's, on receiving reports of a valid threat of extreme violence from Saudi Airlines' Kano-bound passengers who were stranded in Abuja due bad weather in Kano. Some other airlines had also diverted to Abuja for the same reason. I stood amidst over 200 angry passengers, pacifying, reprimanding, and resolving. This is the most adrenaline-rushing part of my job. It requires tact, firmness, wisdom, and team work. But it is risky. Some passengers are extremely violent. A huge, hulk-like, and highly vexed passenger threatened to beat me up yesterday. I looked at him. Initially, I was angry. But I saw the worry in his eyes and decided to handle him differently. We became best friends and he has invited me to his Lagos residence. I will not go, sha. I must acknowledge the support of our Honourable Minister, Festus Keyamo SAN, who insisted that the rights of the passengers be prioritised. He continued to ask for updates on the welfare of passengers late into the night. I am proud of the efforts put in by my DGCA, Capt. Chris Najomo over this matter. To protect the rights of Nigerian passengers, he made a number of critical decisions that established the dignity of Nigerian passengers. I must also thank Ifueko Abdulmalik for her role in resolving this saga. She kept communications with the Saudi side open. How do you leave 401 passengers stranded and say you'd return to your country without having made alternative arrangements for their movements to final destination? While acknowledging the fact that it was tough for the airline as they have no operational base in Abuja, the entire saga could have been handled more professionally. I met with the Saudi ambassador to Nigeria and made it clear that the airline cannot operate with disregard for the consumer protection regulations. Much later last night, we were able to conclude arrangements with UMZA to fly the stranded passengers to Kano via three successive flights. My team and I waited through it all. I acknowledge also, the stoic efforts put in by the FAAN Regional General-Manager of the airport. He stood with me through the entire ordeal and showed courage in the face of the intimidation. Umza airlifted the passengers thus: The first Umza aircraft departed ABV for Kano with a total of 74+4 passengers on board. The second Umza aircraft also departed ABV for Kano with a total of 73+4 passengers on board. The third and final Umza aircraft departed with 34 passengers on board. In total, 181 + 8 passengers were airlifted to Kano. Saudi has made a commitment to compensate the affected passengers. This brings to an end, a disruption of almost 48 hours that began as force majeure, transitioned to poor passenger handling, and ended with a great display of effective team work from the Minister, to the DGCA, and all the way down to our hardworking CPOs. In closing, I will say this. Passengers have a responsibility to understand the situations that are beyond the control of airlines. We must minimize the resort to violence inside aircraft and airport terminals this year.
Michael Achimugu44,002 views • 4 months ago
"I fly internationally. Nowhere else in the world are you asked to switch off your phone on a flight. Nigeria is so backwards." 1. I made this video myself on an international flight today. This flight was not heading from or to Nigeria. The instruction was clear: SWITCH OFF YOUR PHONE. In fact, it insists that before switching off your device, you must place it on flight mode and turn off connectivity. For ALL devices. The funny thing was that I met some Nigerians on this flight. Neither they nor the other international passengers complained about this instruction. EVERYBODY COMPLIED WITH THE INSTRUCTIONS, and nobody thought that it was backwards. 2. The boarding process experienced a hitch, and ALL passengers, regardless of the class of ticket, were forced to take a long trek and use an emergency staircase to access the avio bridge. While it was not ideal, nobody resorted to violence. The Asian in front of me muttered under his breath to his young son, "I will file a complaint when we arrive. Such inconvenience." I keenly observed every detail of this flight, not because anything was new to me, but because I had to ensure to document this for the sake of those who come here to spread misinformation. 3. Before I forget, my initial flight out of Nigeria a few days ago, the pilot said these words, "Switch off all mobile devices and your phones are not to be used for the duration of this flight." It was an almost 6-hour flight filled with Nigerians. I did not hear a word of protest. We flew 6 hours without using our phones. An international airline, one of those said to be more advanced while we label ourselves "backwards." Sure, the goal is to be among the world's best, not the worst. The message, however , to be patient with our own and comply with instructions when given, so long as they are in line with the regulations. Never allow people to gaslight you. We must get better, and we will.
Michael Achimugu58,329 views • 9 months ago
WHY WE STORMED THE OPERATIONS OF THREE DOEMSTIC AIRLINES Yesterday, Monday, my team and I stormed the Abuja operations of three domestic airlines; Xejet, Rano Air, and United Nigeria Airline. While we understand the unique challenges of December per flight disruptions, airlines MUST provide the necessary care for passengers at a time like this. We have observed that most airlines do not provide timely, honest information, and that they try to evade the provision of light refreshments two hours into a delay, as stipulated by Part 19 of the NCAA Regulations 2023. The NCAA finds this unacceptable as has given an ultimatum to the airlines (not limited to these 3). We are watching, and action will be taken where necessary.
Michael Achimugu27,153 views • 5 months ago
Since my appointment two years ago, I have never been on leave/vacation. I have worked nights, weekends, and public holidays. I have had no work/life balance. My children have suffered the most. To help me take care of my kids, my health, and to refresh for the new year, I will stop attending to complaints on X for a week, starting tomorrow morning. All complaints may be sent via the official channels: (Frame 4 teaches you how to navigate the portal). Emails: [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] IMPORTANT NOTE: If you have any issues at the airport, look put for NCAA Consumer Protection Officers wearing any of the uniforms in the pictures below. They are equipped to resolve your complaints quickly. Except in extreme circumstances, I would not be able to respond here. Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. May God be with us all.
Michael Achimugu24,389 views • 5 months ago
If you filed a refund complaint to the NCAA against an airline and it has not been resolved, kindly send me a screenshot of your email to the NCAA and let me escalate. For new complaints, kindly file via or send an email to [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]
Michael Achimugu23,682 views • 9 months ago