I'd rather sack you than lose my job - Keyamo warns CEOs of aviation agencies

The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace, Festus Keyamo, has rang the warning bell to the ears of chief executives of the aviation agencies under his ministry, telling them that they stand at risk of losing their jobs if they are not up to scratch.

The minister gave the warning while speaking at his maiden one-day stakeholders' meeting in Lagos on Saturday, November 4, 2023.

This is coming barely 24 hours after the conclusion of a three-day cabinet retreat in Abuja, where ministers signed a performance bond with President Bola Tinubu's government.

The bond put the cabinet members under an obligation to achieve certain milestones set by the government within stipulated time frames, failure of which may lead to termination of appointment.

During the Saturday meeting, Keyamo sought the support of the aviation industry stakeholders in order to protect his job. He, however, declared his resolve to show any defaulting executive the exit door.

“We had a three-day retreat with Mr. President, all the ministers. At the end of the day, we signed a performance bond. I also signed my performance bond yesterday," he briefed the stakeholders.

“So, if you don’t want me to get sacked in the next few months, you need to support me.”

Facing the CEOs of aviation agencies in attendance, the minister said, “On this side, it is either I get sacked or they get sacked. So, it is a race to who will survive. That’s what I have told all my CEOs, somebody must die first but before I die I will take you down.”

He stressed that the purpose of the retreat was “to receive inputs from you as technocrats and players in the industry. Your input will add value to the road map/focus area that the Industry will prioritise to make our aviation sector world-class and meet the aspirations of Nigerians and all Aviation Stakeholders. We should desist from game blame and focus on solving the problems in the industry."