The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo (SAN) today met with the visiting team of the International Civil Aviation Organization (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).
In his welcome address, the Minister extoled the virtues and recognized the roles of ICAO in the global aviation community.
According to the minister; “Nigeria no doubt recognizes the role of ICAO which is aimed at constantly addressing and enhancing the global aviation safety through coordinated activities.”
Speaking directly to the leader of the ICAO team, Keyamo noted; “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.”
Speaking further, the minister said without iota of doubt, that the accomplishment of the coming audit is a shared national responsibility and as such, has been the focus of the Federal Government.
His words: “Nigeria is fully aware that ensuring safe, secure, efficient and environmentally-friendly civil aviation system, with modern and adequate infrastructure require adequately funded autonomous Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) 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.
Furthermore, the Minister declared: “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, the minister said remained Nigeria’s priority, non-negotiable and it supersedes all other considerations for civil aviation.
Being his first working visit to the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja the Minister was led on the tour of several departments of the NCAA by the Director General of NCAA, Captain Musa Shuaibu Nuhu while he was led by and the Director General of NIMET, Professor Mansur Bako Matazu on the visit to the agency where he was a guest presenter on Weather Forcast.
