By Chris Agabi
In the past eight years (2015-2023), the Nigerian aviation Sector experienced significant growth in adding value to the economy. It contributed to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth and the creation of new jobs even when other sectors posted negative growth.
The number of new airlines that opened shop in Nigeria was the highest in the last eight years compared and new airports were opened in some states.
The last eight years also saw huge investments in critical safety infrastructure to improve air safety in Nigeria. It also saw not just an increased number of Aviation Security (AVSEC) personnel but improved tailored training to meet contemporary security challenges at the airports. Also trained in a similar fashion are all other security agencies operating at all the airports in Nigeria. Some of them include the Nigerian police, the Department of State Security (DSS), the Air Force, the Nigerian Customs Service, and the Nigerian Immigration Service.
This explains why there was no fatality in civil aviation in Nigeria within the period under review either in terms of civil aircraft crashes or attacks at the airports.
In addition, ex-President Mohammadu Buhari and Sirika as the Minister of Aviation government prioritized aviation safety and security. The AVSEC under the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) got more trained personnel and was approved to bear arms by the Federal Executive Council (FEC).
The Nigerian Aviation sector also saw the purchase of modern airfield calibration facilities, airfield lighting systems across the airports, and procurement of more radar equipment, including primary radars to achieve total radar coverage for enhanced national security the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), and enhanced accurate weather prediction forecast following procuring of more modern weather equipment by the Nigerian Metrological Agency (NiMet).
Also, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Act (CAA) got repealed, and reenacted Civil Aviation Act 2022 which help strengthen the power of NCAA as a regulatory agency. Another significant agency that got its Act repealed and reenacted is the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) which has now transformed into the Nigeria Safety Bureau (NSIB) with added functions. Some of these include the added responsibility of investigating accidents in the maritime and rail sectors. this is to improve safety in those sectors as well. NSIB’s job is to investigate and make safety recommendations in an event of an accident to forestall future occurrences.
The Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria, also got ICAO Centre of Excellence status. The industry also saw the entrants of two key aviation institutions: the African Aviation & Aerospace University Abuja and the Meteorological Institute of Science and Technology Katsina. These two institutions are critical to the development of manpower in the aviation industry.
The Immediate past Minister of Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika led the above reforms and more in eight years. Under his watch, the Nigerian aviation sector retained the highest safety and security rating, the Category One Certification status issued by the United States of America’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), thus holding on to its top rating in aviation safety which gives indigenous airlines access to fly directly to the United States and vice versa.
The above reforms and others were located within the Aviation Roadmap.
The Aviation Roadmap is chiefly to build tangible and intangible aviation infrastructure to unlock the over N3 trillion aviation annual economy and reposition even for greater growth.
The key components of the aviation roadmap according to the policy document include: Establishment of a National Carrier, Development of Agro-Allied /Cargo Terminals § Establishment of Maintenance, Repairs, and Overhaul (MRO) Centre, Establishment of an Aviation Leasing Company (ALC), Development of Aerotropolis (Airport Cities), Establishment of an Aviation & Aerospace University, and Concession of five International Airports (Abuja, Lagos, Enugu, Kano, and Port Harcourt
Others include; the upgrade of NCAT into an ICAO Regional Training Centre of Excellence, the Designation of Four International Airports as Special Economic Zones, the Introduction of Policies on Remotely Piloted Aircraft, Adherence to Employment Policies on the Enforcement of Expatriate Quota, and the upgrade of AIB to a Multimodal Accident Investigation Agency – Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB).
Based on the implantation of the roadmap and other reforms, the Nigerian aviation sector is tipped by Embraer in a 2020 report to experience the biggest growth in Africa in the next decade and more. The report estimated that Nigeria’s aviation sector has a prospect for an over $7.2 billion (over N3.3trn) annual Grosso Domestic Product Growth (GDP).
The FG also projects that with the successful implementation of the roadmap projects, the overall goal is to grow the Aviation sector’s contribution from the current 0.6% to 5% (approximately $14.166 billion).
But all of these lofty set goals won’t be achieved in an unsafe and insecure aviation environment space. Thus, Sirika raised the bar in investment in critical aviation security safety and infrastructure to provide a conducive environment for the aviation sector investors and the roadmap items to thrive.
