AIB rates Nigeria’s aviation sector as safest.

Chinazor Megbolu |

In what was clearly a self-praise and adulation, the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) has given itself a pat on the back for ensuring that Nigeria’s airspace remains the safest in the world.

The Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Akin Olateru, who made this controversial claim during a regional enlightenment symposium organised for stakeholders in the aviation industry held in Enugu, explained the country operates one of the safest aviation sectors globally.

Olateru, represented by the General Manager, Public Affairs, AIB, Mr. Tunji Oketunbi, hinted that if not for the August 28, 2020 Bell 206 Helicopter crash in Lagos, the nation’s aviation industry had been without any form of crashes for the past five years.

He also maintained that despite the little setback, the aviation sector was not daunted in its commitment to achieving zero accident.

Olateru, however, told air passengers that the AIB would not relent in its quest to add values that would improve the aviation safety in Nigeria and Africa as a whole.

He buttressed the reason behind the programme which was to engage stakeholders towards mapping out strategies on how to further grow the air transport system and promote safety culture.

According to him; “our duty, as accident investigators of civil aviation, is one thing, but understanding one’s needs is very critical to the success of any institution.
“The Bureau under the current administration is focussed on engendering relationships.

“This is aimed at facilitating excellence and ensuring world class standards in the investigation and prevention of air accidents in Nigeria”.

Olateru further averred the Bureau is an unbiased and professional body that has deliberately built the needed trust within the sector.

“This has prompted some institutions that want to partner with AIB.

“France, on their own, wrote to us, asking for collaboration, and we have signed an MoU with them,” Olateru said.

He went further to stress that AIB had a world class Flight Safety Laboratory in the nation’s capital, Abuja, which they want AIB to showcase.

“There is going to be a training for all accident investigators in the region, to showcase our laboratory before the end of this year,” he said.

Olateru again, said the Bureau had recently signed an MoU with the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) on partnership for mutual benefits.

According to him; “this collaboration will save the Air Force some money, in terms of fund it allocates to downloading its Flight Data Recorders, following an air crash.

“The collaboration will benefit us in terms of accessing remote crash sites faster and easily, since the Air Force has helicopters that can transport our investigators.

“AIB’s success story has really impressed not only agencies in the country but other nations,” he boasted