Nigeria’s representative at the International Civil Aviation Organisation, Capt. Nuhu Musa, says the body plans to re-audit the country’s Accident Investigation Bureau, in conjunction with the United Kingdom and Australia, in order to improve its capacity for handling accidents in the aviation sector.
Musa stated this during a meeting with the Commissioner, AIB, Mr. Akin Olateru; and the heads of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria and the Nigerian Meteorological Agency.
The President, ICAO, Dr. Bernard Aliu, was also present at the meeting.
“The ICAO president has promised to discuss with the United Kingdom and Australia to re-audit the agency to improve on the 85 per cent it scored in the last audit,” he said.
Musa added that ICAO also planned to train accident investigators and help them to have on-the-job training at the National Transportation Safety Board to acquaint them with the latest innovation in accident investigation and have practical experience on how to effectively and quickly handle accidents/incidents.
He added, “There is going to be management training for all the workers of the agencies, including the AIB. We need to work together. If there is training to be done, they can push it to us. We are planning to organise training for them as part of efforts at developing manpower in the aviation sector.
“The AIB investigators are also to be trained. The NTSB, based in Washington DC, has offered on-the-job training for the investigators. There is going to be management training for all workers of the agencies.”
Musa stated that the multi-billion naira accident investigation laboratory in Abuja would soon become functional and equipped so that African countries under the Banjul Accord Group Accident Investigation Association could make use of it.
He said it could be a revenue generating source for the government through the AIB.