Akin Olateru pledges to raise AIB-N global rating from 4th to 1st position
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Middle; Engr Akinola Olateru, Commissioner/CEO, Accident Investigation Bureau, flanked by management members, AIB
The newly reappointed Commissioner, Accident Investigation Bureau Nigeria, AIB-N, Engr, Akin Olateru, has pledged to Nigerians and especially stakeholders in the air transport industry that he would move forward the global rating of the bureau from its current 4th position to becoming the very first.
He further vowed of his set tasks to be accomplished during his second term in office that, “I plan to improve our infrastructure and equipment, strengthen our human capital, further simplify our processes, and eliminate bottlenecks in our procedures, making AIB-N a highly reputable institution,” thus laid the parameters by which he shall be measured at the expiration his tenure in 2025.
Olateru made these bold commitments while engaging the staff nationwide at a webinar forum from the Abuja head office of the bureau.
He acknowledged the cooperation of the entire members of staff he enjoyed during his initial tenure and solicited for similar and better cooperation to be able to attain the enviable heights envisaged in the second term as he kept his eyes on the very best, and not the minimum global standard.
Engr Akin Olateru expressed immense gratitude to President Muhammadu Buhari for approval of the recommendation by Senator Hadi Sirika, Aviation Minister, who reposed so much confidence in him and had variously expressed satisfaction for his accomplishments during his initial tenure.
He thus charged the workers, “we must continue to deliver on our mandate with the highest standards of professionalism as we always have, and to continue to grow thereon.”
The Commissioner, however, assured that his administration “will continue to innovate and establish the AIB-N even further, to align with the best in class globally.”
On the numerous recognitions accorded him by various organizations and the media, he said he was humbled and narrated that he was equally humbled by the progress achieved at AIB-N since he assumed office in 2017.
He added that, “I am even more humbled by the recognition and acknowledgement of these achievements by our Honourable Minister, my colleagues, staff, and the media,” he said
Reminiscing on the grounds covered during his first term, he enthused, “i am very proud of what we have achieved, and I hope that you can all take pride in your individual and collective contributions to realizing this feat,” he noted.
A media statement by the bureau’s General Manager, Public Affairs, Tunji Oketumbi, chronicled events in the bureaus thus;
“Olateru’s tenure as Commissioner between January 2017 and January 2021, witnessed the release of 40 final reports on accidents and serious incidents and three Safety Bulletins. This represents 67.8 per cent of the total final reports
released by the Bureau since it was established in 2007. The Bureau also issued 130 Safety Recommendations within this period, representing 61.6 per cent of the total safety recommendations issued by the Bureau.
The Commissioner disclosed that within the period of four years, the Bureau’s infrastructural facilities, such as the Bureau’s Flight Safety Laboratory in Abuja and Lagos, Wreckage Hangar, Metallurgical Science Laboratory, Regional offices in Enugu and Kano states, and the Command and Control Center, were developed and rehabilitated to enhance efficiency.
He also added that his administration also initiated collaborations and cooperation agreements with several countries and institutions such as the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), Singapore Transport Safety
Investigation Bureau (TSIB), Bureau d’Enquêtes et d’Analyses pour la sécurité de l’aviation civile (BEA- France), the Instituto Nacional De Aviaco Civil (National Civil Aviation Authority) of Sao Tome & Principe, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF), University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) and University of Lagos (UNILAG), while the cooperation agreements between Saudi Arabia, Republic of Benin and Niger Republic are in the process.
In order to keep the public informed on the critical role they play in the success of an accident investigation body, AIB-N, in the last four years, has undergone several public advocacy activities and launched social media handles on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn
The Bureau also launched the AIB-N Nigeria mobile app in November 2017, to help ease the process of reporting air accidents and serious incidents, and enhancing eyewitness reporting by the public”.
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