The FG also reiterated that the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has its full backing and full autonomy to oversight the aviation industry without compromise.
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Barr. Festus Keyamo (SAN) gave the assurances at the opening ceremony of the ICAO USOAP audit at the NCAA Headquarters in Abuja on Wednesday. The audit commences on the 30th of August 2023 and will end on the 11th of September, 2023.
He said Nigeria’s preparedness for the audit is topnotch and expressed confidence that Nigeria will come out of the audit without blemish.
“Safety remains a priority, non-negotiable and it supersedes all other considerations for us. As aviation is global, it is therefore a Hobson's choice for us as a government to keep investing in aviation infrastructures and facilities in addition to adopting workable policies to ensure flight operations are safe and in tune with global standards” the Minister emphasized.
“I can confidently affirm that Nigeria is ready. We are not new to audits. The impeccable safety credentials of Nigeria aviation driven by the NCAA earned Nigeria Category One status by the United States Federal Aviation Administration (US FAA) since 2010. Nigeria still retains its glorious status after a series of audits. In June 2015 and March 2016 (the last time), Nigeria outstandingly went through the Universal Safety Audit Programme (USAP) Continuous Monitoring Approach (CMA) Audit and another ICAO Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme (USOAP) among other landmark feats” he noted.
“We are prime to excel again in all aspects as Nigeria has a lot to ride on, including the modest credentials of the existing regime of robust regulations and a decade of zero accident in scheduled flight operation” he further stated.
“I want to assure all present that the audit is usually the top priority of the entire aviation agencies and the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) is on top of her game, coordinating activities of other sister agencies towards ensuring that corrective actions have been taken on all noticeable safety gaps. This is with a view to ensuring Nigeria comes out in her traditional flying colours this time around” Mr. Keyamo assured.