.. We are not indebted to organisers of Akwaaba -NCAA
Nigerianfranknews, NFN has reliably gathered that the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA and the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, NAMA are among the federal government agencies indebted to the organisers of Akwaaba African Travel Market for their participation at the annual travel and tourism fair in Lagos.
NFN investigation at the just concluded Akwaaba Travel expo revealed that the NCAA has not paid for their stand at the fair for two years, while NAMA is owing for one year.
It was learnt that this debt has been pending since 2013 when the two agencies participated at the fair.
The investigation into the debt was prompted by the lackadaisical attitude of Nigerian firms at the fair where other countries are coming in droves to market their travel and tourism potential, while Nigerian agencies, including the apex tourism marketing and promotion agency, the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation, NTDC are no where to be found. Rather the NTDC chose to put up a weak appearance on the second day of the event.
Responding on the debt by NAMA, a reliable source at the agency who spoke on condition of anonymity confirmed that the agency is indebted to the organisers of Akwaaba, but only for one edition of the travel show.
The source observed that the debt is not deliberate.
According to the source, it was due to the bureaucratic bottlenecks involved in getting the payment out of the system that is causing the delay.
The sourced stated that the agency is working towards paying the debt to the organisers of Akwaaba.
In his response also, the general manager public affairs of NCAA, Sam Adurogboye said the NCAA is not owing the organisers of Akwaaba in any way.
He explained that the organisers of Akwaaba this year invited the director general of NCAA to share his thoughts on certain topical issues in the aviation industry, but due to other engagements the DG could not make it to the event.
He said even last year, the DG was also invited to the event but due to other official engagement he did not make it to the event.
Adurogboye queried how this could then amount to owing the organisers of the event
According to him, there is no way NCAA could be owing just for an invitation by the organisers to the DG to speak at an event which he could not attend, this is a cheap blackmail.
