By Adelola Amihere
The Accident Investigation Bureau Nigeria (AIB-N) has said that in order to enhance Nigeria’s air safety, there is a need for the country to improve its utilization of safety recommendations from air accidents and serious air incidences.
This is just as the AIB Commissioner Akin Olateru during the Nigerian Aviation Workshop Symposium (NAWS) 2020 organized by International Gazelle Limited in partnership with the AIB in Abuja, stressed that the implementation of safety recommendations is key to the growth of the sector
According to him, AIB’s partnerships with the aviation regulator, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) among other local and international partners have led to better safety compliance in Nigeria in line with ICAO safety recommendations; saying as at today most safety recommendations by AIB-N has been implemented.
Olateru said the primary aim of NAWS 2020 is to provide the Nigerian aviation industry workforce and stakeholders with a systematic approach compliant with the aviation regulations and laws of the state of Nigeria while responding to aviation accidents and incidents as well as disaster recovery.
Speaking on the theme of the workshop, ‘A Safety Management System Approach to Responses to Aviation Accidents and Incidents within Nigerian Airspace”, Olateru disclosed that AIB and partners are implementing Safety Management System (SMS) to further enhance aviation safety.
He explained SMS to refer to a set of processes and tools that are adopted to formally manage a structured safety program saying having systems in place to mitigate risks and promote safety is very crucial.
The AIB commissioner explained that safety management in the aviation industry is a combination of two perspectives- traditional and modern, saying raditional (or reactive) approach involves analysis of past outcomes or events. Hazards are identified through investigation of safety occurrences which helps to mitigate re-occurrence. This is useful when dealing with technological failures, or unusual events.
While declaring the conference open, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Aviation, Engr. Hassan Musa who was represented by Capt. Talba Alkali, the Director of Safety and Technical Services, said AIB safety recommendations have led to safer aviation.
“Effective implementation of SMS by the service providers will definitely showcase the safety risks associated with their operations and with the right resources available, implement appropriate mitigating actions to address these safety risks and thereby ensuring safe aircraft operations.
“Recently, Nigeria had experienced few aviation accidents and some serious incidents. The AIB being the body with the statutory responsibility to investigate occurrences had investigated these accidents and had issued safety recommendations, where necessary. It may most likely be from this point of view that the Bureau had decided to organize this symposium to explore the implementation of safety management systems as one of the ways of preventing accidents and serious incidents in the Nigerian airspace” he pointed out
