Former Director General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Dr Harold Demuren, has said to prevent air crashes in Nigeria; government must stop interfering in the affairs of the regulatory agency.
He said efficient regulation and implementation of the rules according to international practices, will ensure that Nigeria’s airspace is secure and prevent the occasional tragic crashes as witnessed in the past.
Demuren made this known yesterday in Lagos during the Aviation Safety Round Table Initiative (ASRT) and noted that according to the standard of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) which Nigeria is privy to, NCAA ought to be an autonomous regulatory body expected to guarantee safety without political interference.
Demoren said the NCAA must be independent because every decision taken by the regulator has major effects in the industry and therefore, there should be no room for compromise.
He hinged the failures of the airlines and the airports to poor safety and financial regulations on the airlines, which has today led to the takeover of some of the airlines and the temporary closure of the Abuja International Airport.
Demuren recalled that when he was the Director General of NCAA, a minister tried to influence him into taking certain decisions that may be detrimental to safety but he stood his ground and refused to be influenced by anyone’s decision.
In her contribution, the Director, Legal Services, Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Anastasia Gbem, said NCAA has regulatory autonomy, according to the law, not only to enforce regulations but also not to submit decisions on safety and security to anyone for approval.
Gbem also emphasised that NCAA’s responsibility is also to ensure that relevant stakeholders such as airport operators, NAMA, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, (FAAN) implement the components of their activities.
“ICAO does not bother itself with political appointees but with the executive head and the operatives like the inspectors and instructors. That does not mean the appointments have met the statutory requirements of the civil aviation Act 2006,” Gbem said.
THISDAY
