A flight data recorder. Behind is the Cockpit Voice Recorder. Two pieces of equipment to be treated as sacred, whilst overwriting is sacrilegious
The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau, NSIB, says its meticulous investigation into air accidents and serious incidents, and the timely release of impeccable reports, coupled with clinical finishing through proactive safety recommendations, have severally and collectively contributed immensely to the enviable air safety record so far attained in Nigeria’s airspace.
The bureau said that in the last 10 years, Nigeria’s airspace had only recorded two fatal civil air crashes, leading to the unfortunate loss of nine souls within the period.
Engr. Akin Olateru, the Director-General, NSIB, stated this in Abuja during his paper presentation at the recently concluded Aviation Africa Summit 2023.
Speaking on the topic: “Nigeria Evolving Approach to Aviation Safety and Learning from Occurrence Investigation, Olateru enthused that Nigeria had the safest safety record in the globe, stressing that the country was now a force to reckon with in the air transport world.
He also pointed out that there was a downward trend from fatal accident to accident and now serious incidents in the civil occurrences currently in Nigeria, saying: “In the last four years, Nigeria had only one accident per year in terms of classification.”
He mentioned the Bristow helicopter crash of 2015 and the Quorum helicopter accident of 2019 as the only two civil occurrences in which fatalities were so far recorded within the period.
Olateru, who maintained that Nigeria witnessed more incidents than accidents in civil air mishaps these days, added that through the enhancement of software systems being deployed in the conduct of probes into civil aviation occurrences and timely release of reports, averred that the number of serious incidents would continue to reduce.
Besides, Olateru further announced the plans by the bureau, in collaboration with the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development, and the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, (NCAA), to review and measure the effectiveness of all safety recommendations that had been issued over the years.
He said the purpose of this was to monitor the implementation of the safety recommendations through the setting up of committees, stressing that details of the impending exercise would be unveiled in 2024.
He clarified that this was not the first time NSIB would embark on such an initiative, stressing that the bureau in 2020 under his leadership organized a similar program.
He also unveiled the plans by the bureau to make an arrangement through the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development, NCAA, and relevant stakeholders, to bring both local and foreign insurance firms for deliberation in order to address the issue of high insurance premiums of airlines in Nigeria in 2024.
The NSIB boss further explained that the agency had developed a mechanism for early reporting of occurrence, for identifying and improving personnel’s technical skills, for training first responders on what to do at the occurrence sites, and for keeping a database of analysis to identify trends and patterns, thus able to get them tracked thereby providing a guarantee for safer airspace in Nigeria.
The poster personality in aviation safety management in Nigeria at the moment, engr. Akin Olateru, added: “It is necessary to engage stakeholders in the industry and the public on the need to report occurrences as they happen or you become aware of them through mandatory and voluntary reporting,” he said.
This, according to him formed part of the evolving approach of the bureau that led to a safer sky over Nigeria.
The Aviation Africa Summit 2023, which was the first to be held in the West African sub-region had about 1,500 participants from 75 countries.
Public Affairs Directorate,
Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau,
Abuja
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