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Dr. Harold Demuren
Director General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority
In office 29 December 2005 – 11 March 2013
Preceded by	Engr. Fidelis Onyeyiri
Succeeded by	Capt. Fola Akinkuotu
Personal details
Born	(1945-05-31) 31 May 1945 (age 79) Ogun State, Nigeria
Spouse	Osaretin Afusat Demuren
Alma mater	Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Profession	Aeronautical Engineer

Dr. Harold Olusegun Demuren (born May 31, 1945 in Ijebu Ode, Ogun State, Nigeria) is an Aeronautical Engineer. He was Director General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority from December 2005 to March 2013..On the Febuary 18, 2013 the NAAPE published an open letter to the President of Nigeria calling for Demuren's dissmal.

The letter insist that Dr. Demuren had not had any relevant work experience for ’15 years’ prior to his appointment as DG . The letter goes further to detail the abuse of power and 'conflict of interest.'. On March 11 2013, Demuren was sacked by President Goodluck Jonathan. A statement issued by the Special Assistant to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Sam Nwaobasi, said the decision was approved by President Goodluck Jonathan after “a careful consideration” of Demuren’s “unsatisfactory response to the numerous concerns of stakeholders in the aviation sector.” . Before his sack, Demuren had been long been over due for retirement as his tenure as the DG had expired..

Education

He attended Ijebu Ode Grammar School from January 1958 to December 1964 where he obtained Cambridge Higher School Certificate (HSC) and General Certificate of Education (GCE Advanced Level) in 1964. In 1965, he won a Soviet Union Government scholarship to study Aeronautical Engineering in the former USSR. He obtained Diploma in Russian Language at the Moscow State University, Moscow, USSR (1965–1966). He proceeded to Kiev Institute of Aviation Engineers, Kiev in former Soviet Union where he obtained Master of Science in Aeronautical Engineering (M.Sc.) in 1972 and then to Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.), Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S.A. for his Doctor of Science D.Sc. in Aircraft Gas Turbine & Jet Propulsion Engines (1975).

His research work was on the Aerodynamic Design, Manufacturing and Testing of High Temperature, High Pressure Ratio Transonic Turbine Blades for advanced gas turbines and jet aircraft engines for the United States Air Force and Navy at the M.I.T. Gas Turbine and Jet Aircraft Propulsion Laboratory (1972–1974) and also a Joint experimental investigation with the Turbo-machinery Group of Von Karman Institute for Fluid Dynamics at Rhode-Saint-Genèse, Belgium, a NATO Research Institute (1974–1975).

Professional career

He was recruited from the United States of America to join the Federal Ministry of Aviation, Nigeria in 1976 as Senior Airworthiness Surveyor and rose to become Assistant Director, Airworthiness in June 1989. On the creation of the defunct Federal Civil Aviation Authority in 1990, he was appointed Deputy Director Air Transport, Economic Regulations and Licensing. He rose to become the Director Safety Services in 1991.

Dismissal from FCAA

In 1995, Dr Demuren was the director of Safety Services with NCAA (then FCAA). Demuren carefully escaped out of the country in 1995 to avoid being jailed for serious fraudulent activities in the defunct FCAA. The then Minister of Aviation, then Air Commodor Nsikak Eduok. vowed to ensure his prosecution, against all entreaties. It was only after Eduok left office that Dr. Demuren returned to the country

Afrijet

After his dissmisal, he worked as an Aviation Consultant and joined Afrijet Airlines in 1998. Afrijet was already established as a British, Company based in, Fairoaks Airport and later extended to Lagos, Nigeria

He was the Managing Director/Chief Executive of Afrijet Airlines until he was appointed Director General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority in late December 2005. His appointment was later confirmed by the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in February 2007 in accordance with the Civil Aviation Act of 2006 that stipulates the tenure of 5 years for the Director General of NCAA.. Before his departure from Afrijet Airlines a lot of controversy surrounding currency exchange manipulations. The comments of Deloitte auditors to Afrijet Airline and their subsequent re-drawl from handling the Afrijet account with regards to Dr. Demuren's tenure particulary the company 2005 account where the hangar accounts were transferred to the personal account.'In the open letter petition to the ((president of Nigeria it is stated that '(Demuren)changed all particulars of the hangar from Afrijet to Evergreen of which he (Demuren) is the Chairman and his son, the CEO.. NAAPE touched on this to their petition to the President. This part of the controversy of exchange of foreign currency paid to Afrijet. An exchange with Dana group (Dana Air) through Broadbank now part of Union Bank

According to factual reports provided to the President of Nigeria. Dr. Demuren was invited was invited three times to Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. After Demuren pulled out of Afrijet on his appointmnet he teamed up with DANA group (Dana Air) and assisted them in the set up of Dana Air as DG NCAA

Director General, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority

In late 2005, there was a loss of confidence in air travel and apathy in the aviation industry as two fatal air disasters in a span of 7 weeks left the nation mourning. The two incidents were Bellview Airlines flight 210 that killed all 117 people on board on October 22, and Sosoliso Airlines flight 1145 that killed 105 of 108 passengers, including 61 students from Loyola Jesuit College on December 10, 2005.

Following these tragic events, the Federal Government sought Dr. Demuren to head the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority as its Director General in late December 2005 to revamp, reposition and restore confidence in domestic air travel. After his appointment, Demuren immediately took on the challenge of reforming the Nigerian Aviation sector and restoring the lost confidence to the Industry drawing up a strategic short, medium and long term plan anchored on Safety, Security and Satisfaction (consumer) in that order of priority. Dr. Demuren introduced a safety reform Agenda which enthroned professionalism, integrity and transparency in the conduct of Aviation business.

Christmas Day Bomber

In December 2009, Demuren was first to provide vital information to the public on facts leading to Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab's failed attempt as the "Christmas Day Bomber". These included how Farouk bought his ticket in Accra, Ghana on KLM Airlines, proceeded on December 24 through the normal screening and check-in process, and had his US Visa scanned through the Advance Passenger Information System which returned a "no-objection". Demuren also defended the Nigerian Airport security system by promptly providing information and footage, demonstrating the advance security and technological solutions deployed in Nigeria. The global community was astonished at the degree of detail and depth of the information provided by a so-called 3rd world country in contrast to its reputation for chaos and mediocrity. Interestingly, Schipol, Amsterdam Airport, Farouk's transit port, was unable to detect any irregularity during the security screening process. Following this incident and in order to enhance safety and security, Murtala Mohammed International Airport Lagos became one of the first worldwide to deploy Full Body scanners and Explosive Detection Systems.

US FAA Category One Certification

On August 23, 2010, under the leadership of Dr. Demuren and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, Nigeria attained American Federal Aviation Administration International Aviation Safety Assessment (FAA IASA) Category One Certification. This allows direct flights from Nigeria to Continental United States (USA). Prior to his appointment in 2005, there were no direct flights between Nigeria and USA. There are now several direct flights between Nigeria and U.S. destinations including Atlanta, New York and Washington D.C., with services to Houston to begin in November 2011.

President of ICAO General Assembly

On September 28, 2010, Demuren was elected as the President of the 37th General Assembly of International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) held in Montreal, Canada from 28 September to 8 October 2010. The appointment was unanimously endorsed by all the delegates of the 190 contracting states of the ICAO. His emergence made history as the first time an African was elected to preside over the ICAO General Assembly, the United Nations global aviation agency. The assembly passed landmark policies on global Aviation Safety, Aviation Security and the Environment for the Industry. It was at this notable assembly that the historic Climate Change agreement was reached.

Bribery Allegations

On the 21st of June 2010, Dr Harold Demuren was questioned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. A petition against Demuren alleged that the NCAA boss bought the latest models of Toyota Camry and Prado Sports Utility Vehicles (SUV) for some members of the National Assembly. He was questioned over a $1.4 million and an additional $100,000 he took from the Federal Government of Nigeria for the repair of an aircraft, with no proof of the job being done. He was also questioned on the award of several contracts without due process, while most of the contracts were inflated.

Notable Achievements

• 2011 IATA African Aviation "Personality of the Year" – Nov 2011

• 2010 Flight Safety Foundation "Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Award" - Nov 2010

• 1st African to be elected President of ICAO General Assembly - Sept 2010

• Obtained U.S. FAA Category 1 Certification for Nigeria (6th African Country) - Aug 2010

• Led Nigeria to successfully complete the ICAO Universal Safety Audit - 2006, 2008 & 2010

• Led Nigeria to successful completion of the Aviation Security Audit of Murtala Mohammed International Airport and Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport by the United States of American Transportation Security Administration (TSA) - 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010

• Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society – 2008

• Fellow of Nigeria Academy of Engineering – 2008

• Fellow of the Chartered Engineers (UK)

• 2008 Thisday Awards "Regulator of the Year" - 2008

• Launched the IATA E-ticket / Billing and Settlement Plan (BSP) regime which revolutionized the Air travel industry in Nigeria – 2008

• Strived for the rapid passage of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Autonomy Bill into Law - 2006

• Implementing the Cape Town Convention replacing Old-Age Aircrafts in Nigeria - 2006

• Re-established confidence in the Nigerian traveling public and international community after the tragic Air disasters of 2005

• Introduced a new Civil Aviation Safety Regulations that ensured Safety Oversight of all aviation activities in Nigeria in compliance ICAO Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs).

• Laid the foundation of the National Civil Aviation Policy for Nigeria

• Longest serving Director General of Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) – Dec 2005 to Present

• 1st and only African Member in the Board of Governors of Flight Safety Foundation – 2003 to Present

• President, Flight Safety Foundation (FSF) West Africa – 2003 to Present

• Co-Founder of Afrijet Airlines (1998)

Family

Demuren has been married to Osaretin Afusat Demuren since 1973. They met for the first time as students in the former Soviet Union in 1969. They got engaged in Moscow, and later got married in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1973. Mrs. Demuren, also a professional record achiever herself, rose to become the 1st Female Director of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in 1999 and retired from the Apex Bank after 33 years of service in 2009. They have several children and grand-children.

References

1. ^ "NCAA". Commonwealth of Nations. Retrieved 2011-05-24.
2. "History of NAAPE". NAAPE. Retrieved 2012-07-02. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
3. "Looming Flight Safety Crisis In Nigeria Occasioned By NCAA's Non Compliance With ICAO Standard And Recommended Practices (SARPS)". Sahara Reporters. Retrieved 2013-02-19. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
4. "Looming Flight Safety Crisis In Nigeria Occasioned By NCAA's Non Compliance With ICAO Standard And Recommended Practices (SARPS)". Sahara Reporters. Retrieved 2013-02-19. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
5. "FG Sacks Demuren, Director General NCAA". This Day. Retrieved 2013-03-12. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
6. "Looming Flight Safety Crisis In Nigeria Occasioned By NCAA's Non Compliance With ICAO Standard And Recommended Practices (SARPS)". Sahara Reporters. Retrieved 2013-02-19. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
7. "Demuren sacked as NCAA D-G". Vanguard. Retrieved 2013-02-19. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
8. "FG may prosecute sacked NCAA Boss Demuren". African SearchLight. Retrieved 2013-03-12. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
9. "FG Sacks Demuren, Director General NCAA". This Day. Retrieved 2013-03-12. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
10. "Dana Crash: Demuren The Fall Guy". Leadership. Retrieved 2013-12-25. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
11. ^ "Harold Demuren". IATA. Retrieved 2011-05-24.
12. "PastChiefs". nigerianairforce. Retrieved 2009-01-01. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
13. "Looming Flight Safety Crisis In Nigeria Occasioned By NCAA's Non Compliance With ICAO Standard And Recommended Practices (SARPS)". Sahara Reporters. Retrieved 2013-02-19. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
14. "Directory:World airlines." Flight International. 16–22 March 2004. 53.
15. "The fight for Demuren's seat unhealthy – Stakeholders". Daily Champion. 21 January 2011. Retrieved 2011-05-24.
16. "Looming Flight Safety Crisis In Nigeria Occasioned By NCAA's Non Compliance With ICAO Standard And Recommended Practices (SARPS)". Sahara Reporters. Retrieved 2013-02-19. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
17. "Looming Flight Safety Crisis In Nigeria Occasioned By NCAA's Non Compliance With ICAO Standard And Recommended Practices (SARPS)". Sahara Reporters. Retrieved 2013-02-19. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
18. "Looming Flight Safety Crisis In Nigeria Occasioned By NCAA's Non Compliance With ICAO Standard And Recommended Practices (SARPS)". Sahara Reporters. Retrieved 2013-02-19. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
19. "Looming Flight Safety Crisis In Nigeria Occasioned By NCAA's Non Compliance With ICAO Standard And Recommended Practices (SARPS)". Sahara Reporters. Retrieved 2013-02-19. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
20. Kelvin Osa-Okunbor (27 December 2010). "How Farouk checked in from Lagos". The Nation. Retrieved 2011-05-24.
21. "Nigeria to equip airports with body scanners". Google. 30 December 2009. Retrieved 2011-05-24.
22. ^ "U.S. Ambassador congratulates NCAA's Demuren on Nigeria's Category 1 Air Safety Rating". U.S. Embassy. Retrieved 2011-05-24.
23. "Continental Airlines receives Approval to offer Lagos, Nigeria Service for Sale". Business Wire. 30 November 2010. Retrieved 2011-05-24.
24. ^ Lateef Lawal (16 October 2010). "ICAO Elects NCAA DG, Harold Demuren 1st African President". Nigeria Masterweb Daily News. Retrieved 2011-05-24.
25. Martha Eigbefoh (12 November 2008). "Demuren emerges ICAO first African President". ThisDay. Retrieved 2011-05-24.
26. Martha Eigbefoh (26 June 2010). "DEMUREN,NCAA BOSS QUIZZED BY EFCC". newafricanpress.com. Retrieved 2010-06-26.
27. "IATA crowns Demuren as African Aviation Personality of the Year". Nigerian Compass. 25 Nov 2011. Retrieved 2011-11-28.
28. "Safety Award Presented to African Visionary". Flight Safety Foundation. 3 November 2010. Retrieved 2011-05-24.
29. Wole Shadare (London) (12 Nov 2008). "UK aviation body to assist Nigeria on air safety". Nigerian Best Forum. Retrieved 2011-05-25.
30. ^ Rotimi Durojaiye (7 May 2011). "Aviation – Engine of the Country's Economic Growth - Demuren". Daily Independent (Lagos). Retrieved 2011-05-25.
31. "Demuren wins Thisday Regulator of the Year 2008 Award". Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority. Retrieved 2011-05-24.
32. "Nigeria signs Cape Town Convention". Commonwealth of Nations. Retrieved 2011-05-24.
33. ^ "Flight Safety Foundation – Board of Governors". Flight Safety Foundation. Retrieved 2011-05-25.
34. Funke Oloade (20 March 2010). "First Female Director – Smooth Climb to the Top". Thisday. Retrieved 2011-05-24.

Template:Persondata

• Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumni
• 1945 births
• Living people