The crucible, otherwise called the school of experience adequately world class leaders. Nelson Mandela was there, and on coming out, his landmark achievements speak till today. Unlike Mandela, Engineer Umar Farouq is not yet a household name. It is possible he becomes one with the spate of restructuring and checks he is putting in place at the moment.

Since his appointment as the chief executive officer of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), he has left no stone unturned to let whoever cares know that a new helmsman is in town.

As a pioneer staff of NAMA since inception in 2002, he has restrained himself from fastening arms akimbo when probity and leadership were required. He is never afraid of “war”.

He it was that punctured the attempt by Stella Oduah’s N150 million bullet proof cars saga during the Obasanjo’s regime. Farouq being the purchasing officer for NAMA, saw through the minister’s request that each agency of the Federal Ministry of Aviation purchase for him, two bullet proof cars, and that the money be paid to an automobile company abroad. He kicked, as he detected that the plot was to fleece the agency through money laundering. He blew the whistle loud enough that saved the agency from paying innocuous N300 million to a fictitious account, and stopped another attempt for fraud by people trusted with government offices.

The recent appointment of the incorrigible aviation management expert as the chief executive of NAMA has rekindled hope in staff and management that the agency can rise again. NAMA had in time past suffered as a victim of consecutive aviation minister’s misrule.

The expose on Oduah led to her removal. She was succeeded by Chidoka, temporally. Captain Hari Sirika, came in and rode the aviation sector like a colossus. His iron fist mantra heaped up frustrations in the sector. Most operators rated him as not only highly opinionated but as a man who destroyed the structure that earned the sector prestige decades earlier. An aviation industry pressure group, Aviation Round Table (ART), early in the year condemned Sirika’s high handedness and lack of understanding of key structures in the aviation sector.

The group in a statement noted that in eight years, Sirika appropriated the required governance structure under his personal control by neglecting to appoint the statutory governing councils required to ease the functions of the agencies and parastatals under him. “The ART is of the opinion that this among other actions taken by the minister regressed rather than grown the organization. The minster’s direct control resulted in transactional rather than functional operations of the agencies, thereby impeding their progress and ratings,” among others.

One of the victims of Sirika’s misrule was Engineer Umar Farouq who was kept away from public glare, where he could follow what was going on. This accounts for why many industry player see his appointment as numero uno in NAMA as not only timely, but proof that there might have been a resurgence of the war on corruption in the sector. As an analyst pointed out, “the leadership of any agency in the aviation industry is only as effective as he earns the respect and support of the people he leads.”

The appointment of Engineer Farouq, after several years of being a one man- anticorruption riot squad in the agency as the chief executive has ignited a festive mood at NAMA, not just because of the season but the fact that good times are about to return to the agency.

The aviation industry for the eight years of Buhari’s administration was basically rudderless. It was a period of “anything goes.” As insiders revealed last week, there was no limit to what government officials could do in the name of the minister. Our patience has almost run out that is why the appointed of Engineer Farouq was a soothing relief, because we trust all the awkward things done to destroy the agency would be restructured. Sirika destroyed many things in the agency, thank God for people like Umar Farouq who confronted him that he should stop running the aviation sector like his personal enterprise. This was when the agency’s headquarters was transferred from Lagos where it has multibillion infrastructure to Lugbe, an Abuja suburb, without any physical infrastructure.

As industry watchers revealed last week, there was no limit to what government officials could not do in the name of the minster when Sirika was there. “At a point, the minister on its own created four additional directors to join the existing four statutory ones without any consideration for financial implications which Farouq resisted vehemently.”

Both staff and management members attested that their patience was almost ran out before the appointment of Farouq as chief executive. We trust all the awkward things done to destroy the agency would be restructured. Our staff demand accountability knowing an advocated of “do it right” is at the helms of affairs.

Many see two factors coherently working for Farouq as he begins the restructuring process: his past records for standing for the truth and his being an old horse. According to them, the fact that he maintained his stand while facing persecution was sufficient demonstration of his commitment to the survival of NAMA, as they say, he is the man the cap fits.

Although Farouq is experienced, the more than a decade rot in the system, the question among aviation expert is: How would NAMA rise again? They need to rally round the new chief executive as he scrutinises the system. They should also support him with correct information for timely interventions.
The courage is there, the know how is there, and coupled with experience, as such, it is anticipated that if Farouq could resist Oduah, and bluntly told Sirika he had no right to usurp the functions of parastatals under him (Sirika), and at some point even stopped some of the minister’s boys roving about for contract, the determination and zeal for success are already there, all that is required for now is for Farouq to work and pray for success.
• Olu Ayela, veteran journalist is based in Lagos