…Inaugurates aviation security training centre in Nigeria
The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) has commended the Federal government, the Director General of Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) for their contributions at enhancing aviation security training capacity in Africa for the development of aviation industry.
This was just as the global aviation regulatory body presented FAAN’s Training Centre with the certificate of recognition as a regional Aviation Security Training Centre (ASTC)
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony held at the training centre located at Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) training School, Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos over the weekend, the President, Council of ICAO, Dr. Bernard Olumuyiwa Aliu said the recognition of the centre has become necessary because the FAAN centre has enough competent instructors who can handle training of aviation security personnel to address the threat posed to aviation security and facilitation in Africa.
Lauding the Federal Government of Nigeria and its related agencies at ensuring the recognition of the aviation security training centre in Nigeria said, the ICAO helmsman said, “ I would like to acknowledge the unwavering support of the Federal Government of Nigeria and significant efforts made by the Director General of NCAA and Managing Director of FAAN and management of the training centre, which have resulted in the high achievements that we celebrate today: the recognition of this training centre as Aviation Security Training Centre (ASTC).”
Aliu who was represented by the ICAO Regional Director, Africa, Mr. Mam Sait Jalow, recalled that results of ICAO Universal Security Audit Programme (USAP), as well as other sources of information indicated that aviation security and facilitation in Africa showed persistent shortcomings.
To address these, he said that the global aviation regulatory body has to support and assist its member states through the provision of trainings for the prevention of unlawful interference which posed threats to safety and security of civil aviation, through coherent and uniform capacity building, with the implementation of Annex 17 of ICAO Chicago Convention.
“In fact, acts of unlawful interference pose a threat to the safety and security of civil aviation,. Therefore, ICAO supports and assists its member states in the prevention of such acts and in the implementation of Annex 17 – Security of the convention on International Civil Aviation Chicago Convention in a uniform and coherent manner.
“The analysis of the reports of the ICAO Universal Security Audit Programme (USAP) as well as other sources of information shows that aviation security and facilitation in Africa often still show persistent shortcomings concerning regulatory, supervisory, and operational issues that resulted in unsatisfactory implementation of related standards as well as an inappropriate risk reduction,” he stated.
Earlier in his address at the occasion, the Director General of Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) Capt Usman Mukthar who thanked ICAO for the designation of FAAN training School as Aviation Security Training Centre after a thorough scrutiny, affirmed that Nigeria has developed required capacity needed to operate such a centre. He stated that the main reason for the request for an ASTC in Nigeria was basically to provide an AVSEC training centre that would meet the need of the English speaking states in West African region.
Affirming that Nigeria can boast of five certified ICAO AVSEC instructors and over sixty qualified national AVSEC instructors that can be of service at the ASTC, Mukhtar therefore called on the airport communities of the region to give patronage to the centre to acquire the necessary skills that would help in the development and improvement aviation security training in the region and elsewhere.
“I wish to inform that presently in Nigeria, there are five certified ICAO AVSEC Instructors and over sixty qualified National AVSEC Instructors that can be of service at the ASTC.
It is hoped that the designation of the FAAN Training School as an ICAO Aviation Security Training Centre (ASTC) will attract patronage from the airport communities of the West African sub region and its environs thereby contributing to the development and improvement of aviation security training in the region and elsewhere,” he said.
Meanwhile the British government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the FAAN on the provision of counter-terrorism in the aviation industry.
The MoU was signed by the Managing Director of FAAN, Engr. Saleh Dunoma and a representative of British High Commission in Nigeria.
