Hamisu Muhammad
12 December 2003
As the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks continue to attract the attention of major stakeholders in the aviation industry worldwide, stakeholders in the Nigerian aviation industry met on Monday in Abuja to ascertain the safety and security standards of its European and American counterparts.
Participants from the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria, the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), and the Federal Ministry of Aviation, gathered for deliberations at the seminar organized by Wisemen Systems Limited.
The seminar, whose theme was "Security and Safety in the Nigerian Aviation Industry," broadly discussed the impact of terrorism on the aviation industry with special attention to internal security in Nigeria.
Engineer Emmanuel A. Kuti, who was the chairman of the occasion and the chief executive of NCAT, took a broader look at the current security problems in aviation industry in the country.
He said, "it is true that Nigeria is not exposed to the same security problems as America or Britain. We should however, remember that the world is fast becoming a small village."
He said that, Nigeria can indeed become a target as a result of other nations' interests in her territory, adding that "even though we have never witnessed such an incidence in the country, we do not have to wait for an incident before taking steps."
Engineer Kuti said further that "a closer look at the incident of "9/11" in the USA, should inform us that there is need to pay more attention to internal security, starting with out immigration processes and developing capacity to monitor, not just non-indigenes, but also any semblance of terrorism with our country.
Earlier, the Minister of Aviation, Mallam Isa Yuguda, who was represented by the director, Accident Investigation and Prevention Bureau (AIPB), of the ministry, Engr. Augus Ozoka, said, "since September 11, 2001, his ministry is taking urgent steps to respond to the challenges of the industry, adding that as part of the steps taken by his ministry was the establishment of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) and reorganization of the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), and recently, the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET).
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2003 Daily Trust. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
