TheCable

The Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) in the ministry of aviation says it has relocated its corporate headquarters from Lagos to Abuja.

Akin Olateru (pictured), AIB chief executive officer, said the relocation was in adherence to the recent directive by Hadi Sirika, the minister of aviation, that all aviation agencies’ corporate headquarters be moved to Abuja.

In a May 4 letter, Sirika ordered all the agencies under the ministry to relocate their head office to Abuja within 45 days.

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

“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,” Sirika had said.

Olateru said he had been operating from Abuja alongside other strategic officers in the bureau.

“This is to ensure efficient and effective coordination and enhanced service delivery between the federal ministry of aviation and its agencies,” he said.

“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.”

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

The agencies affected by the directive are the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) and the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB).