Barr. Mary Tufano-Eche
Mary Tufano Eche hails from Demsa Local Government area of Adamawa State.
She obtained her first degree in law from the University of Maiduguri and was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1989. There after she was engaged in private practice for a period of five (5) years and joined the public service in 1994. She enrolled for and obtained a Master Degree in Law in 1998 from the University of Jos.
She Posses additional qualification in aviation as follows:
Diploma in Aviation Law (IATA)
Diploma in Civil Aviation management (IATA)
Certificate in International Air Law (ICAO)
A Certified ICAO Instructor; and
She has attended many other courses both locally and internationally in the field of civil aviation and law.
CAREER IN PUBLIC SERVICE
Mrs. Tufano-Eche's career in Public Service began in 1994 when she was employed as a Senior Legal Officer with the Nigerian Film Corporation in Jos, Plateau State. Thereafter she joined the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority in 2001 as an Asst. Chief Legal Officer and rose to the rank of General Manager in 2017.
In between these periods she was seconded to serve as a legislative aid to the then Senator representing Adamawa South Senatorial District.
In 2011 she was recruited by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and seconded by NCAA on a National Interest Assignment to serve as a Regional Legal Adviser to the Banjul Accord Group Aviation Safety Oversight Organisation (BAGASOO), a Regional Safety Oversight Organisation comprising of seven (7) west African Countries, where she served meritoriously until her appointment in May 2023 as Company Secretary/Legal Adviser to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority.
Within this period, she was delegated by the Board of BAGASOO with the approval of the DGCA to serve as an Interim Executive Director (ED) of the organization overseeing transition to the appointment of a new Executive Director.
Following the reorganization of the aviation sector in line with the renewed hope agenda of Mr. President, Mrs. Mary Tufano Eche was re-appointed Director of Legal Services/ Company Secretary of NCAA by the Honorable Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo SAN, CON, FCIArb (UK).
She has served in several committees both at the Civil Aviation Authority and Ministerial level where she rendered sound legal advice and guidance to the committees as required.
INTERNATIONAL/NATIONAL ASSIGNMENTS
At the International level she has participated in many Bilateral and Multilateral Air Services Agreements (BASAs) meetings, and several high-level committee meetings of ICAO, AFCAC, the Banjul Accord Group (BAG) and BAGASOO.
In 2013 she was delegated as a member of the Ministerial Committee for the review of the Civil Aviation Act 2006 and the review of the extant laws of other parastatals in the Ministry of Aviation, under the auspices of BAGASOO assistance missions to Member States.
She has assisted some other Member States of BAGASOO viz: Gambia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Ghana and Liberia in coming up with civil aviation legislations that meets international standards.
MEMBERSHIP OF PROFESSIONAL BODIES AND ASSOCIATIONS
Nigerian Bar Association
International Bar Association
Int’l Federation of Women Lawyers
ICAO Legal Committee
Women in Aviation Nigeria
Women in Aviation International
Vice Chairperson African Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC) Legal Experts Working Group; and
Chairperson BAG Committee of Legal Experts.
Mrs. Tufano Eche is a fellow of OSHA UK, a member of the Standing Conference of Mediation Advocates Uk and a title holder from her community.
She is married with children.
