FG constitutes 10-man panel on aviation safety

The Minister of State for Aviation,
Senator Hadi Sirika, has set up a 10-man committee to evaluate all the
safety recommendations of the Accident Investigation Bureau on recent
incidents in the industry.

The committee, which was inaugurated on
Wednesday, consists of officials of the AIB, the Nigerian Civil Aviation
Authority, Ministry of Transportation and two industry experts, and is
chaired by the AIB Commissioner, Akin Olateru.

Olateru said the committee would work
for 30 days, appraise all the AIB’s safety recommendations on incidents
and accidents in the industry, and come up with a report to determine if
they were effective or should be changed.

The commissioner stated that the AIB
inherited 27 outstanding accident reports when he was appointed last
year, adding that 10 were released at the end of 2017 and 35 safety
recommendations were made.

According to him, the AIB has made 120 recommendations from inception that need to be evaluated.

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. For accident
investigation to be relevant and effective, it must be thorough,
impartial and timely.

“Timeliness is of essence. You will
recall that we recently released three preliminary reports of two
serious incidents and an accident shortly after they occurred. Safety
recommendations are as critical as the investigation itself, as they are
the lever used to effect safety changes and improvements in the
aviation industry.”

According to him, the purpose of
accident investigation, which is to improve aviation safety, cannot be
achieved if recommendations are not found to be effective by the
stakeholders.

He stated, “The recommendations guide
the regulators, operators, the ministry and other stakeholders in the
industry. While we appreciate that our safety recommendations have
recorded positive impacts locally and globally, we found it imperative
to holistically review the effectiveness of all the recommendations with
a view to enhancing aviation safety to the benefits of all air
travellers.

“It is with this background that the AIB
decided to review our recommendations from inception, totalling 120,
and measure the level of their effectiveness. To ensure balance and
objectivity, the Minister of State for Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika,
has approved the appointment of experienced industry experts as
consultants to the committee.”

Olateru said the committee would engage the affected stakeholders on the
effectiveness of the safety recommendations addressed to them and
submit its report to the AIB management, which would work on it for the
benefits of the industry.

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