Francis I. Odita holds a Bachelor of Engineering Degree B.Eng. (Mechanical), a Master’s Degree in Business Administration (MBA) specialising in Financial Management and also a Licensed Aircraft Maintenance Engineer (Airframe and Power plant).

Mr. Odita started his career in the oil and gas industry as a field engineer with an oil servicing Company Managing flow station operated by SPDC, Mobil Oil Producing, NNPC, and Undertook Data Processing, managed Supplies and delivery of Spare parts to Oil Facilities.

In advancing his technical, managerial and goal driven skills, he joined SAGEM, a French company in South Africa, involved in defence electronics and fingerprint technology as a Technical Coordinator. At SAGEM, he led the team of expatriate to Nigeria for the Nigerian National Identity Card project. His decades of work experience in such organization as SAGEM, amongst others prepared him for the role of managing technical experts in the field of Engineering and beyond.

He joined the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) as a Deputy General Manager, Operations, from where he rose to become the General Manager, Operations, a position he occupied and performed creditably well in line with the Bureau’s core mandate, he was thereafter appointed as Director, Operations. He has served in various technical committees in the Sector and was the Bureau’s focal person in the State Safety Program (SSP).

He is a resourceful aviation professional, a Certified Accident Investigator with extensive expertise in Accident Investigation, Risk management and Safety Analysis, an ICAO Certified Instructor, a certified Project Manager, an Associate Professional Human Factor Analysis and Classification System (HFACS), a Certified Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAVs) Operator among others.

He is a distinguished member of various professional bodies locally and internationally, including the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), International Society of Air Safety Investigators (ISASI), Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS) and International Recorder Investigator Group (IRIG).