The Federal Government on Wednesday disclosed its readiness to address challenges of obsolete air navigational equipment and training of key technical personnel in the country’s aviation industry just as experts called for the migration of navigation aids to satellite-based systems in order to reduce challenges of flight delays, increase safety and security.
Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development , Mr. Festus Keyamo said his ministry is poised to address the outdated equipment and inadequate staffing especially among the Air Traffic Controllers (ATCOs).
On his part, Managing Director of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Engineer Farouk Umar said his management is assiduously working to ensure the procurement of a new Radar system, to replace the existing Eurocat C Radar system.
The duo spoke on Wednesday at the 53rd Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Nigerian Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) in Kano with the theme: ‘Sustainability of the Renewed Hope Agenda in Aviation: The Imperative of Manpower Development and Air Navigation Service,’
In his keynote address, Keyamo said the government was aware of the myriad of challenges facing the Nigerian aviation industry.
The Minister, who was represented by the Deputy Director, Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr. Olusola Oyekunle, assured that the government was working to address the infrastructural challenges in the sector.
On his part, NAMA MD, who was represented by the Director, Air Traffic Services, Mr. John Tayo informed the ATCOs reiterated that “the Agency is not unaware of the challenges being faced in your quest for excellence and service to the Agency. You will agree that communication on our ACC frequencies have improved over time. Efforts are on to get it to the desired level for a seamless and stressless operation.”
In his address, President of NATCA, Mr. Abayomi Agoro Agoro called on the federal government to review the policy of 50 per cent deductions from NAMA’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) which he said has put the agency in dire strait.
He argued that as a cost-recovery agency, the deductions significantly impeded NAMA’s ability to fulfill its statutory responsibilities.