From Suleiman Idris, Lagos
The Federal Government yesterday in Lagos inaugurated a 10 man committee constituted to overhaul the effectiveness of the 120 safety recommendations made by the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) in the Nigerian aviation industry since the agency was established in 2007.
The exercise, according to the Commissioner of AIB, Engr. Akin Olateru becomes necessary in order to holistically review the effectiveness of all the recommendations with a view to enhancing aviation safety to the benefits of all air travellers.
Olateru said “This becomes necessary in order to consolidate the remarkable efforts being made by this management since assumption of office to extend the frontiers of aviation safety, not only in Nigeria but globally.
We inherited 27 outstanding accident reports out of which we have published 10 as at the end of 2017. These reports generated 35 safety recommendations. We hope to release another set of six accident reports before the end of May, 2018.”
The committee members, drawn AIB, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and ministry of aviation and the industry has 30 to complete the assignment.
The AIB chief said “AIB decided to review our recommendations from inception totaling 120 and measure the level of their effectiveness. Members of this committee are drawn from AIB, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), the Ministry of Transportation and the industry”
He affirmed that for accident investigation to be relevant and effective, it must be thorough, impartial and timely as safety recommendations are as critical as the investigation itself as it is the lever used to effect safety changes and improvements in the aviation industry.
The International Civil Aviation Organisations (ICAO) also describes Accident Investigation as ‘a process conducted for the purpose of accident prevention, which includes the gathering and analysis of information, the drawing of conclusions, including the determination of causes and, when appropriate, the making of safety recommendations.’
The purpose of accident investigation, which is to improve aviation safety cannot be achieved if our recommendations are not found to be effective by the stakeholders.
The recommendations guide the regulators, operators, the Ministry and other stakeholders in the industry.
The Bureau’s accident investigation and safety recommendations have recorded positive impacts in the national and global aviation arena.
Members include Taiwo Olugbenga, Awogbami Clement, J. Adegboye, Capt. J. O Vincent, Sadi Abubakar, Roland Nwaohin, Charles Irikefe, S Aminu, Iteke Ifeanyi and AIB director of operations while Olateru will serve as Chairman.
Minister of State for Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika also approved the appointment of experienced industry experts Capt Kiddie Dare and Engr. Gbolahan Abatan to serve as consultants to the committee.
The committee will engage the affected stakeholders on the effectiveness of the safety recommendations addressed to them and submit their report to AIB management, which will work on it for the benefits of the industry.
However, Olateru said the responsibility for enforcing safety recommendations lies with NCAA and this may explain why there are four nominees on this committee from the agency saying the exercise is therefore to complement their efforts and enhance the industry’s capacity to improve safety.
