In its efforts at ensuring safe air transportation in Nigeria, the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) has taken its safety enlightenment campaign to South East and South South regions of the country.
Speaking at the stakeholders enlightenment seminar held at the Nike Lake Resort Hotel, Enugu, Enugu State, the AIB Commissioner/ Chief Executive Officer, Engr. Akin Olateru noted that safety remains the backbone of aviation without aviation loses its meaning, said it is on the bases of this the Bureau took the bold steps and went to the regions to seek cooperation and collaboration through training, sharing of knowledge to ensure that accident investigations are successful carried out and to prevent reoccurrence of accident.
“The Bureau is doing a lot in terms of cooperation and collaboration with the aim of improving safety in the industry and ensuring that accident investigations are effectively and efficiently carried out successfully.
“We are continuously looking for ways to improve our system at AIB because safety is a collective responsibility even as learning and gaining knowledge is a continuous process. And we will like to share knowledge and also learn as we expand our scope if possible,” he said.
The AIB Commissioner who was represented by the General Manager, Public Affairs, Mr. Tunji Oketunbi, reiterated that the fundamental objective of the Bureau is to improve aviation safety by determining the what led to an air accident even at it proffered solutions to it, added that, AIB on its part will not relent in its vigorous pursuit of adding values that will up the ante of safety in the country and on the continent as a whole.
“The fundamental objective of the Bureau is to improve aviation safety by determining the circumstances and causes of air accidents as well as proffering recommended solutions and engaging in activities that promote aviation safety in Nigeria.
“Safety is the backbone of aviation and without it aviation loses its meaning. This is why every organ or unit in the industry works tirelessly to ensure the safety of air travelers. Until recently, the Nigerian aviation industry had no fatality for about five years.
I would like to assure air travelers that the aviation industry is not daunted in its commitment to achieve zero accident in the industry. The AIB, on its part will not relent in its vigorous pursuit of adding values that will up the ante of safety in Nigeria and Africa,” Olateru assured.
Oketunbi recalled that in the pursuit of its core values of air safety, AIB has won the recognition and acceptance among its peers around the world whom it has entered into Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with.
The Bureau, according to its image maker, had equally entered into MOU with notable military organizations and institutions of higher learning in the country to safe capital flight and ensure seamless air crash investigations and prompt release of reports in the country.
“The Bureau, under the current administration is focused on engendering relationships, which would facilitate excellence and enduring world-class standards in the investigation and prevention of air accidents in Nigeria.
Collaboration is about creating a working relationship. For anybody to want to collaborate with you, first of all, you need to be in a position to add value. What we have done at AIB, is that we have raised the profile of the Bureau and built that trust within the industry that we are unbiased. That we are professionals, focused and that we are clear on our mandate.
“This has prompted some institutions wanting to partner with AIB. France, on their own, wrote to us asking for collaboration and we have signed an MoU with them. Saudi Arabia also wrote to us and if not for the COVID-19 pandemic, we would have gone to Saudi Arabia to sign an MoU with them.
“A regional body, Banjul Accord Group Accident Investigation Agency (BAGAIA), has also reached out because they really want to use AIB Nigeria to support the entire West Africa. This is ongoing.
“We have a world class Flight Safety Laboratory in Abuja and they want us to showcase the laboratory. Before the end of this year (2020), there is going to be a training for all accident investigators in the region to showcase our laboratory.
“We also recently signed an MoU with the Nigerian Air Force on collaboration on mutual benefits. This collaboration will save the Air Force some money in terms of fund it allocates to downloading its Flight Data Recorders, commonly known as Black boxes abroad following an air crash. For AIB, the collaboration will benefit us in terms of accessing remote crash sites faster and easily since the Air Force has helicopters that can transport our investigators.
“We are currently seeking collaboration with security and emergency agencies across the country in terms of security of evidences at crash sites,” he enumerated.
He said also, “We have a strong collaboration with the Federal Road Safety Corps ( FRSC) and we have trained their personnel and security personnel from the Nigerian Police Force, the Nigerian Army, the Nigerian Air Force and the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps on air disaster management. This is aimed at ensuring that evidences at crash sites are not tampered with.”
He equally said, “Tertiary institutions in Nigeria are not left out in our collaborative efforts as AIB has MoUs with the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN), and University of Lagos (UNILAG) on the use of its material science laboratory.”
AIB’s core functions are to investigate air accidents and serious incidents that occur within Nigerian air space and anywhere Nigeria’s interests are affected.
AIB is an autonomous aviation agency established under the Civil Aviation Act 2006, with the responsibility of investigating civil aircraft accidents and serious incidents within Nigeria. The agency reports to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria through the Federal Ministry of Aviation.
