The Ministerial Committee on Nigerian Aviation Industry Aircraft Accidents Reports Status on Tuesday submitted its report and called for bold political will for implementation.
Captain Victor Iriobe, the Chairman of the Committee, presented the report to the Aviation Minister, Chief Osita Chidoka, in Abuja.
Iriobe said that the seven-man committee was inaugurated on November 3 by the minister to brainstorm and proffer recommendations to prevent future accidents in the Nigerian aviation sector.
He said the information made available to the committee by the Accident Investigation Bureau’s database indicated that 63 accidents were recorded between 2000 and 2014.
He said: “Out of the 63 recorded accidents, the committee reviewed 34 reports with 158 safety recommendations, while 29 reports were not available for review due to various reasons.’
“The implementation status of the safety recommendations were analysed in comparison with global best practices.
“The process of analysis revealed gap in the implementation of the safety recommendations that were made.”
According to Iriobe, 63 per cent of the safety recommendations were implemented, 14 per cent were partially implemented while 23 per cent were yet to be implemented.
He identified poor inter-agency communication, lack of complimentary cooperation, inadequate trained manpower, faulty employment process and inadequate funding as factor responsible for delay in the implementation.
The committee chairman called for strict adherence to Civil Aviation Regulations, enhanced and priortised funding, recruitment of the right manpower with appropriate training to ensure safety in the sector.
In his remark, Chidoka commended the committee members for the report and assured that the recommendations would fully be implemented.
He said the implementation of 63 per cent of the safety recommendations in the sector was not good enough and promised to ensure 100 per cent implementation.
He said that plans were on to bridge the communication gap among agencies in the aviation sector.