… takes tour of agencies’ facilities
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has assured the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) of air safety in the country, stating that it remains a priority.
The Minister gave this assurance this today when he met with the visiting team of ICAO in Abuja.
The ICAO team’s visit is precipitated on the much-awaited audit of the nation’s airports and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCCA) for the Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme (USOAP).
Keyamo in his welcome address, extoled the virtues and recognised the roles of ICAO USOAP in the international aviation industry.
“Nigeria no doubt recognises the role of ICAO which is aimed at constantly addressing and enhancing the global aviation safety through coordinated activities.
“It is noted that the mission you embarked upon to Nigeria is a very important one aimed at not only promoting the global civil aviation safety through the monitoring of contracting states’ safety oversight capabilities but improving their systems.
“It therefore gives me great honour that you are visiting Nigeria at this time when the nation just concluded a transition to a new government in the annals of our democracy,” he said.
The minister was of the opinion that without any iota of doubt, the accomplishment of this audit is a shared national responsibility and as such, has been the focus of the federal government.
“Nigeria is fully aware that ensuring safe, secure, efficient and environmentally-friendly civil aviation system, with modern and adequate infrastructure require adequately funded autonomous Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and an Independent National Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB), together with well- established aviation service providers.
“In its bid to ensure continuous compliance with ICAO Standards and to meet the challenges of a rapidly growing air transport sector, Nigerian Government has continued to maintain and to reposition the industry for efficiency and the path of sustainable growth, he further said.
Continuing, Keyamo said, “whilst Nigeria is not new to audits, no stone was left unturned in the preparation for this audit, to ensure a significant rise in the effective implementation of all the safety functional areas.
“Safety remains Nigeria’s priority, non-negotiable and it supersedes all other considerations for civil aviation”, he finalised.
Being his first working visit to the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja the Honourable Minister was led on a tour of several departments of the NCAA office by the Director General of NCAA, Captain Musa Nuhu and he was also at the Professor Mansur Bako Matazu-led Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMET) where he was a guest presenter on weather forcast.