Director-General of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Captain Chris Najomo has moved to strengthen Nigeria’s aviation safety management standards and operational efficiency.
This came on the heels of the inauguration of National Operational Safety Committee (NOSC), described in aviation sector as first-of-its-kind on the State Safety Programme (SSP).
Captain Najomo was quoted as having charged members of the committee to take their responsibilities as a national service and to confront the task with the utmost seriousness.
At the inauguration of the committee in Abuja, the Director General said that the task “is very critical to the safety of the flying public.”
Represented at the inauguration of the committee by the Director of Air Worthiness Standards, Engineer Victor Goyea, Captain Najomo said that the NCAA, as the place holder of the SSP in Nigeria, together with the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB), has developed a tiered approach to achieving the safety management responsibility for Nigeria.
He said that the establishment of the committee “is in line with the policy of the Federal Government of Nigeria for the aviation industry through the five point agenda, primary of which is strict compliance with safety regulations and working to improve Nigeria’s safety rating by ICAO.
“The NOSC is the second tier at the operational level that serves as an advisory body to the NESC, whose major objective is to bring together stakeholders in the aviation industry and the State Safety Programme Implementation Team (SSPIT) to interface, discuss, and monitor the resolution of safety deficiencies identified during the course of routine operations.”
Captain Najomo said that the Authority strongly believes that results are achieved when entities work collaboratively, rather than in silos, hence the need to inaugurate the committee.
Terms of Reference of the NOSC were given as follows: to assist in the establishment and continuous review of the state operational safety risk profile; assist in developing corrective action plans to mitigate the associated operational safety risk profile; to assist in coordinating the management of change process to identify new hazards and emerging safety risks within the state and to assist in assessing and monitoring the safety performance within the state.
Others are to assist in the coordination of safety promotion activities; to assist in contributing to the amendment of the national State Safety Programme (SSP) and the National Aviation Safety Plan (NASP) documents; and, to carry out any other task that may be assigned by the NESC, consequential to the improvement of the state’s operational safety risks profile of civil aviation activities in Nigeria.
This was even as the Director of Special Duties (DSD), Dr. Horatius Egua, outlined the committee’s structure and strategy, explaining that it would operate through quarterly meetings and working groups aligned with the SSP to proactively tackle emerging risks.
“I am glad that today, the NOSC has crystalized into a committee that will support the National Executive Safety Committee (NESC) in its advisory roles. With the NOSC coming onboard, I am sure that our desire to fully implement the SSP is in sight.”
Dr. Egua advised members of the committee to see their selection as a national assignment and called everyone to “work assiduously to ensure that we join the league of nations that have fully implemented the SSP.”
Members of the NOSC are Dr. Egua as chairman; DSD NSIB Engr. Frank Odita as alternate chairman; general managers of the Flight Standards Group (FSG), safety managers of operators/service providers, SSP implementation team members and national coordinator, SSP as the head of secretariat.
The committee, which is expected to meet quarterly, through designated working groups will be led by appointed chair and vice chair and the mode of meeting will be both physical and virtual to ensure seamless collaboration across all aviation stakeholders with a view to proactively tackle emerging risks.
The event drew representatives from major aviation parastatals and stakeholders, including, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) as well as airline representatives.
