FG Promises To Collaborate With IFATCA On Air Safety

The Federal Government has pledged to collaborate with the International Federation of Air Traffic Controllers Association (IFATCA) and other relevant stakeholders in the aviation industry in a bid to ensure continuous safety and seamless air navigation in Nigeria.
The Minister of Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika, who disclosed this during a regional stakeholders forum on air safety in Abuja, yesterday, noted that there has been a deliberate and aggressive efforts by government in the area of manpower training in the aviation industry.
He said that government was prepared to partner with the international body of air traffic controllers in a bid to ensure safe skies both in Nigeria and globally.
Sirika noted that the job of an air traffic controller was both crucial and critical to the overall safety of air travel, pointing out that government in realisation of this, was determined that air traffic controllers are proficient in their job.
According to him, a total of 86 air traffic controllers have been trained and deployed under his watch, while 46 are being trained at the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology in Zaria, adding that another set of 40 air traffic controllers trained by the Kano State government have been absorbed into the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA).
The aviation minister also said that part of efforts to make the job of air traffic controllers more efficient and less cumbersome was the earlier deployment of Automatic Dependant Surveillance / Controller Pilot Data link Communication.
He said that this equipment had been deployed both in Kano and Lagos area control centres, and promised that government would implement the agreement reached at the forum.
He pointed out that IFATCA remains a critical stakeholder in the global aviation family.
He urged the air traffic stakeholders to intensify efforts on achieving unbroken air safety within the region and beyond, adding that this requires collaborative efforts across the borders to ensure seamless, safe and efficient air navigation.
The minister, however, noted that the Africa and Middle East region which has more than 15 per cent global population contributes marginally to the global air travel, saying the time has come for the region to put its act together and take up the challenge.