Stories by Ime Akpan
Lagos
The Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) has concluded plans to host a meeting of the Banjul Accord Group Accident Investigation Agency (BAGAIA) on a three-day Air Accident/Serious Incident Report Writing Course from January 16-19, 2018.
Speaking in Lagos, the commissioner of AIB, Mr. Akin Olateru said the course was part of efforts to build capacity for the aviation industry.
Olateru said the training is an offshoot of the second meeting of the BAGAIA Commission held December 13-15, 2017 in Praia, Cabo Verde where Nigeria proposed to the BAGAIA Commission to host the course.
The training will cover fire investigation, managing large-scale accident and incident investigation, emergency response and record investigation among others.
The proposal, according to the Commissioner, was a way to ensure that AIB’s safety investigators benefit greatly.
Nigeria, Cape Verde, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone are members of the BAGAIA accord group.
Olateru said that 20 of AIB’s safety investigators to be part of the training.
In addition, he said AIB had invited the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, Presidential Air Fleet, the Nigerian Navy and the Nigeria Air Force to be part of the training as such institutions also investigate its own incidents/accidents to be part of the training.
This is part of the cooperative and collaborative initiative of the Commissioner/CEO in ensuring that sisters/related agencies are not left behind in the numerous capacity development programs of AIB-N.
He further stated that – “Capacity development, infrastructural improvement, system and process re-engineering remain our focus in making sure that AIB contributes meaningfully to aviation safety for the common good of all. We are very pleased to be hosting the BAGAIA training as accident and incident report writing is a very important aspect to investigation”.
Olateru further stated that the agency values the cooperation and technical assistance they have been receiving from several of the organisations which he stated would greatly complement, “our efforts to make AIB formidable”.
“Capacity development, infrastructural improvement, system and process re-engineering remain our focus in making sure AIB contributes meaningfully to aviation safety for the common good of all.”
The Bureau’s reports are generally its means of communication to stakeholders and it’s necessary to equip our safety investigators with the accident report writing skills.
Olateru said, “Capacity building is so vital to the AIB’s job functions. This guarantee that all reports and safety recommendations issued out by the AIB are hoisted on the certainty that they do miss out any vital subject matter in their investigations that impact safety. ”
The current management in the AIB had made capacity development one of its cardinal programmes and had been partnering various global organisations to ensure that investigators were adequately trained.
