Attempt by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to close gaps in its personnel requirement in the aerodrome fire rescue and safety as well as Aviation Security Units has run into a hitch following raging controversies over the exercise.

The National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE)on Monday condemned the recruitment by FAAN into the Aerodrome Rescue and Fire Fighting Services aviation security departments in the authority.

The union in a petition to the Managing Director of FAAN signed by its Secretary General Comrade Ocheme Abah dated June 28, 2019 raised an alarm over what it called scandalised level of disconnection from the public civil service rules and disregard for technical, safety and security requirements.

NUATE noted that the catchment areas provision in the civil service rule for lower cadre employees has been completely jettisoned while maximum age requirement for recruitment was thrown overboard as well as technical and physical fitness.

NUATE expressed fear that strides achieved over the years in the aviation sector will be rubbished by this unpatriotic and diabolical aims being foisted on by vested interest.

The union called for an immediate halt into the recruitment exercise in FAAN to allow for a review to bring sanity to the system.

Investigation revealed that the recruitment was marred by irregularities as politicians hijacked the exercise by forcing on the agency more than half of people that turned out for the exercise.

Some stakeholders queried the choice of Kaduna for the recruitment exercise.

Other unions in the industry are to meet during the week to decide on their next line of action on the matter.

The Nation learnt that the over 300 hundred persons shortlisted by the authority to close existing gaps are getting curious over alleged attempts by the Ministry of Aviation to supplants names from a section of the country on the alleged orders of officials of the Aviation Ministry.

Sources hinted that some forces loyal to the Ministry have supplanted the names of candidates with their people after the original candidates complete ongoing training in Kaduna to ascertain their fitness for the job.

The Ministry it was learnt had positioned some candidates for the job, in a move suspected to be a usurpation of the responsibilities of FAAN.

Aviation stakeholders and unions, it was learnt are already kicking over the exercise because they alleged it is skewed against the interest of qualified candidates.

They alleged that qualifying for the training in Kaduna was not a criteria for getting the job.

They alleged that the Ministry had pulled many candidates from different organizations, especially people from a section of the country into the training to push for their qualification.

Experts say recruitment into sensitive units in aviation including; aerodrome safety and fire fighting unit, as well as aviation security, should be based on carrying out background checks on the would be candidates rather than filling the list with people from certain parts of the country.

Officials of FAAN declined to comment on the matter.

In a Short Message Service (SMS), the official said: ‘ I cannot comment on this matter.”

Investigations by The Nation revealed that the current management of the airport authority is reluctant to exert its influence, because of the over-reaching influence of people close to the Ministry.

FAAN in 2017 commissioned 107 Aviation Security(AVSEC) and 109 Aerodrome Rescue and Fire Fighting Services (ARFFS).

The personnel recruited were expected to complement security at the airports and beef up the capacity of the fire fighting arm of the agency.

A few years ago, an official of FAAN said the authority needed over 1,000 additional aviation security and aerodrome rescue fire fighting unit to block the gap created with the retirement of ageing workforce. (The Nation)