MARCH 9, 2017        

A COMMUNIQUE ISSUED AT THE END OF AVIATION ROUND TABLE SAFETY INITIATIVE Q1/2017 BUSINESS BREAKFAST MEETING HELD AT GOLFVIEW HOTEL & SUITES, GRA, IKEJA, LAGOS ON THURSDAY, MARCH 9, 2017.

 

TOPIC

NCAA AUTONOMY & SAFETY COMPLIANCE

PARTICIPATION

Over 100 professionals drawn from across Nigeria’s aviation sector participated in this meeting.

RESOLUTIONS

At the end of the meeting, participants resolved that:

  • NCAA’s autonomous power as provided for by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Act 2006 is yet to be fully asserted due to undue political interference in its operations.
  • There is a need to review the residence of powers for both economic and safety regulation in the hands of the NCAA as politicians have made NCAA’s economic regulation difficult over the years.
  • There is need for emphasis on training and appropriate professional qualification of NCAA staff in order to achieve effective industry regulation and oversight.
  • Government must involve aviation stakeholders in making policy decisions that affect forex since most purchases in aviation are made in hard currency and Nigerian Operators are operating from a weak currency zone.
  • NCAA must involve all stakeholders in taking policy decisions that affect them.
  • Whoever occupies the seat of Director General of NCAA must be resolute, strong and look beyond protection of the seat.
  • The NCAA should begin to give attention to economic regulation of the sector as much as it has given to safety regulation over the years.
  • NCAA should create a platform for periodic discussion of economic and financial issues with airlines.
  • NCAA should give more attention to risk management apart from applauding compliance with regulations as air safety is beyond the absence of accidents.
  • There is need for Research & Development Unit in NCAA since effective risk and safety management requires regular monitoring and gathering of data.
  • NCAA should ensure review of an airport’s security programme before upgrading such airport from a local to international airport.
  • As required by law, NCAA should set up the National Aviation Security Committee and ensure that each airport has an Airport Security Committee.
  • `NCAA should exercise its powers in ensuring that airlines maintain good corporate governance while airlines with repeated poor performance should be made to recapitalize.

Dr. Gabriel Olowo Fnim, Fitp

President