The Joint House Committee on Aviation and Aviation Technology has refuted claims of the alleged relocation of a Simulator and Fire Fighting Simulators from the Nigeria College of Aviation Technology (NCAT) Zaria as unfounded and untrue.
Alhaji Suleiman Richifa, the Chairman of the Joint Committee, announced this during a fact-finding visit to the college on Monday in Zaria.
Richifa stated that the visit followed a resolution made at the joint committee’s investigative hearing on March 26.
The hearing, which was attended by the Minister of Aviation, the Rector of NCAT, and other stakeholders, addressed the rumored planned transfer of the Simulator and Firefighting Equipment from NCAT to an undisclosed location.
It was unanimously agreed at the hearing that a 7-member committee would be formed to conduct a fact-finding mission to NCAT.
“The purpose of the visit was to verify the assertions by both the Honorable Minister of Aviation and the Rector of NCAT that the Simulator and Fire Fighting Machines remain on the premises of NCAT, Zaria.
“We have come here today specifically for this reason,” he stated.
He clarified that the committee’s intent was not to conduct a witch hunt but to fulfill their mandate by verifying the facts and reporting back to the joint committee.
“This task is of great importance, and we require your full cooperation and honesty to determine the truth. Please approach it with the utmost seriousness.
“Although this activity is a form of oversight, it is strictly a fact-finding mission aimed at the simulator/firefighting training equipment and does not constitute the committee’s actual oversight function.
“The committee will, when appropriate, conduct a comprehensive oversight visit to the college. Currently, our focus is limited to the simulator/firefighting training equipment,” he explained.
Nevertheless, Richifa expressed the committee’s satisfaction with the facilities at the college and praised the institution for its state-of-the-art equipment.
He also encouraged Nigerians to engage with the college’s transformation efforts to bolster the aviation sector.
Earlier, Mr. Joseph-Shaka Imaligwe, the Acting Rector of NCAT, welcomed the committee’s visit and addressed rumors about the relocation of equipment from the college to an undisclosed location.
“There is no truth to such claims; the committee can now confirm that the equipment is present, and thus, they are in a position to draft a thorough and positive report on the matter,” he suggested.
