By George Ozalla
Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Mr. Michael Achimugu, has been honoured with the 2026/2027 African Brands Personality Award in recognition of his outstanding contributions to consumer protection and passenger rights advocacy in Nigeria’s aviation industry.
The award was presented to Achimugu on June 29, 2026, by the African Brands delegation led by Mr. Godwin Enesi Chatta during a presentation at his office.
Presenting the award, the delegation commended Achimugu for his leadership in strengthening consumer protection mechanisms within Nigeria’s aviation sector and for championing initiatives aimed at improving passengers’ experience through effective enforcement of their rights.
Responding, Achimugu described the honour as a recognition of the collective efforts of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority in ensuring that air travellers receive fair treatment in line with existing regulations. He noted that the Directorate of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection is mandated by law to protect the interests of passengers by resolving complaints arising from flight delays, cancellations, denied boarding, baggage issues, ticket refunds and other service-related concerns.
He said the directorate has witnessed remarkable improvements in its operations since he assumed office, resulting in the highest volume of ticket refunds, passenger compensation and regulatory compliance ever recorded by the Authority. According to him, the achievements reflect the NCAA’s determination to hold airlines accountable while ensuring that passengers obtain the remedies provided under the law whenever their rights are violated.
Achimugu disclosed that the Authority recorded a 65 per cent resolution rate for passenger complaints in 2025, representing a 10 per cent improvement over the previous year’s performance. He expressed optimism that ongoing reforms, enhanced stakeholder engagement and stricter enforcement of consumer protection regulations would enable the NCAA to attain a 90 per cent complaint resolution rate before the end of 2026.
He reaffirmed the Authority’s commitment to sustaining the momentum by improving response time to complaints, strengthening compliance by airlines and deepening public awareness of consumer protection regulations across the aviation industry.
Achimugu dedicated the award to his children, members of his team and the leadership of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority for their support and encouragement, saying the recognition would inspire greater commitment to service.
He also called on air travellers to familiarise themselves with their rights and responsibilities as passengers, noting that an informed travelling public is essential to promoting accountability, improving service delivery and building greater confidence in Nigeria’s aviation sector.
