In the aviation industry, plane crashes are the exceptions, not the rule. They dominate the front pages and the headlines long after they have occurred. And they are guaranteed to occur even in domains where the industry boasts the most sophisticated equipment and the regulatory framework leaves little to chance.
Nigeria’s aviation industry does not enjoy these operational advantages; yet it has over the decades built a commendable safety record, a tribute to the pilots and other professionals who often have to operate under difficult conditions.
Some of these conditions are indicated in a report from the Accident and Investigation Bureau (AIB) that links 70 percent of air crashes in Nigeria to negligence, failure of regulation, and failure of oversight. The chairman of the Airline Operators of Nigeria, Captain Noggie Meggison, cited the report with approval in a presentation at the Nigeria Leadership Initiative Forum on Safer Skies held in Lagos recently and drew on data from plane crashes and close calls going back to 1996 to make the point.
The Ministry of Aviation does not have the requisite trained expertise for proper oversight of the airlines, crew and service providers, according to Meggison. Oversight functions are sometimes influenced by considerations that have little to do with aviation safety.
He could have added that it is not unusual for planes that have been de-commissioned elsewhere to be pressed into service in Nigeria, and for service providers to skimp on regular maintenance. Besides, training and re-training of key technical personnel usually get less attention than they deserve.
The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority has its work cut out.
Even in these difficult times, the highest level of aviation safety humanly attainable must be its goal. Nothing should be allowed to undermine it.
The Civil Aviation Act of 2006, grants the NCAA autonomy for safety and economic regulation of the nation’s aviation industry. The Authority should be given the wherewithal to exercise its autonomy to the fullest. To the same end, gaps in the enabling law should be plugged.
‘It is not unusual for planes that have been de-commissioned elsewhere to be pressed into service in Nigeria, and for service providers to skimp on regular maintenance. Besides, training and re-training of key technical personnel usually get less attention than they deserve. The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority has its work cut out’
