Abuja
House of Representatives has mandated its Committees on Aviation and Commerce to investigate and carry out a comprehensive audit of all registered aircrafts in Nigeria.
The House, in its resolution, stated that the move was to “ascertain the airworthiness, compliance with applicable operational modalities, safety standards and procedures.”
This followed a motion by Abubakar Amuda-Kannike who said there was the “need to establish the Technical and Operational Status of Nigerian Registered Commercial/Private Aircrafts to Boost the Safety, Protection and Confidence of Passengers Flying the Nigerian Airspace.”
Amuda-Kannike said compliance with safety standards in the aviation sub-sector was sacrosanct, given its sensitivity as well as extremely low tolerance for margins of error.
He said: “Recent incidents in the aviation sub-sector are indicative that a holistic review and assessment of the level of compliance and adherence to safety standards are pertinent.
“Ideally, there must be periodic aircraft maintenance which includes overhaul, repair, inspection, or modification of an aircraft or aircraft component and maintenance which incorporates such tasks as ensuring compliance with airworthiness directives.
“There exists a high degree of complicity between airline operators in Nigeria and the regulatory bodies charged with the safety of airspace and passengers; particularly, the Directorate of Quality Assurance of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority.”
