NSIB Boss Commends FG for Providing Infrastructure to Boost Air Safety
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Aviation Minister, Hadi Sirika, Commissioning the eight high-capacity fire tenders. Ably supported by Capt. Hamisu Yadudu, MD, FAAN, and Engr. Akin Olateru, DG, NSIB, Management staff of FAAN and the Supplier
Although the procurement of the eight (8) high-capacity, and digital state-of-the-art fire-fighting trucks came fifteen (15) years late, yet they have been described as an excellent gesture for enhancing safety in air transportation in the world’s most populous black nation- Nigeria.
The Director General of the Nigeria Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB), Engr. Akin Olateru, gave the commendation on Tuesday, in Abuja, while receiving the executive members of the Nigeria Aviation Fire and Safety Association (NAFSA) in his office.
The NSIB boss said the procurement of those fire tenders commissioned on April Fools’ Day- 1st April 2023- was in line with the safety recommendation issued by the Accident Investigation Bureau, AIB, before its metamorphosis to Nigeria Safety Investigation Bureau, NSIB.
According to Olateru, by acquiring those fire trucks, the Federal Government, through the Ministry of Aviation, had demonstrated its commitment to air safety and underlined the critical place of firefighters in the safety of air travelers.
He recalled the Sosoliso crash of 2005 in which passengers, including school children, died in a most horrendous manner and commended the Aviation Minister, Sen. Hadi Sirika, for taking the bull by the horns to correct the hitherto lingering error in the system.
Olateru related the pathetic event thus; “Sosoliso crash is an occurrence, which nobody prays to experience again because it was not just that the aircraft crashed, not just that people were burnt to death but that parents watched while their children were burnt to death. They were helpless. That memory will be with any parent for life.”
He commended the aviation minister and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) for implementing the recommendation, and noted that although the actualization came more than 15 years after yet, “it is better than never.”
Earlier in his remarks, the president of NAFSA, Comrade Sunday Ugbeikwu, commended NSIB and its leadership for the wonderful work of promoting aviation safety in Nigeria.
The NAFSA president acknowledged the importance of firefighters as first responders during occurrences and sought collaboration between NAFSA and NSIB to further boost aviation safety in the country.
He noted that the partnership would ensure an interface between firefighters as first responders during air occurrences and NSIB as investigators, which would assist in delivering thorough investigations.
The NSIB boss extolled the critical role of aviation firefighters in air safety and urged them to assist NSIB in preserving the evidence at the crash sites.
The two organizations agreed to sign a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, as soon as possible to strengthen their relationship.
A committee to draft the MoU was immediately constituted. Its membership included the NAFSA president, the NSIB Company Secretary, Alhaji Dalhatu Kakangi, and General Manager, Safety and Security, Mr. Olumide Osineye.
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