Ghanair workers want Durojaiye back

A section of the employees of Ghana Airways have appealed to the management to bring back the airline?s former special consultant, Ola Durojaiye, who helped to streamline its operations.

The employees, who spoke to ?The Chronicle? newspaper on condition of anonymity, said Durojaiye was one of the main architects who contributed to reviving the airline during the administration of the former acting Chief Executive Officer, William Pamford Bray.

Then in charge of operation, Durojaiye was responsible for checking excess baggage, fake documents, visas and ticketing and any acts that amounted to loss of revenue to the airline. He was declared wanted by the police last March but has since been cleared of any wrongdoing.

When The Chronicle reached Durojaiye for his comments, he said he would only accept appointment if his security could be guaranteed by the authorities. He said his troubles started when he put in place strict measures to stem nefarious activities of some staff members and passengers, which were depriving the airline of huge revenue.

He said in the course of his work he stepped on the toes of people who decided to get rid of him. At certain point in time, he said he sneaked out of the country after he had been haunted for by the security agencies and was branded as a threat to national security.

Durojaiye debunked media reports that he received ?12,000 as his monthly salary, saying, ? I received ?3,000 monthly allowance, including transport, accommodation and other expenses.?

According to him the national carrier was very viable but needed ?somebody strong on the field,? who could plug all the loopholes such as fake ticketing, visas, excess baggage and bribery. He described the airline?s problems as self-inflicted that could be solved by the employees themselves.

?If within three months the airline can make profit and pay $20m of its debt what shows that there is no way forward??

Explaining further, he said one of the main factors threatening the sustainability and the growth of the airline was the issuing of free tickets to relatives of staff against the accepted principle of the nuclear family. ?Now the privilege is extended to siblings, other extended family members and pensioners.?

He said if corrupt activities were stopped Ghana Airways could be more than Ashanti Goldfields Company. ?If Bray had been there by now the debt would have reduced to only about $50m,? he intimated.

Leasing of aircraft, he said, would not help sustain the airline since all monies were used to pay debt, adding that the company could make about $50m a month using its aircraft. Money paid for leasing, he said, could have been used to negotiate for the release of the two DC 10 aircraft held in Rome by Alitalia. The airline owes Alitalia $25m for non-settlement of bills.

He also said the large size of the staff posed a problem, explaining that the company needed to pay compensation to those likely to be retrenched.

Durojaiye suggested that the government should apologize to Bray and bring him back or consider Mrs. Owusu Fianko, Captain Johnny Yemoah, Chief Pilot or Roger Allotey, the General Manager of London office for appointment as CEO rather than picking someone from outside who was not conversant with the operations and the problems of the airline.