21 November 2008
The Federal Government Wednesday in Abuja said it will continue to accord priority attention to the aviation industry in order to ensure safety in the skies.
Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, the Minister of Transportation stated this at the opening ceremony of a, "Practical Workshop on Aviation Safety and Security" jointly organised by the U.S. Embassy, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and Boeing manufacturers.
She said: "Aviation safety is one of Nigeria's highest priorities. There is no doubt that a safe and secure aviation sector engenders the trust and confidence of the travelling public.
"This is an essential pre-requisite for our nation's future development," Alison-Madueke noted.
According to her, Nigeria has paved the way for the emergence of safe, secure and profitable airlines that operate in the country.
The Minister who was represented by Mr. John Kubor, a permanent secretary in the ministry, said that government has commenced the development of infrastructure at the airports.
Alison-Madueke pointed out that Nigeria was currently pursuing, "American Category One Certification," that will allow its airlines to operate in North America.
She said in spite of government's commitment, there were still shortages of skilled manpower, pilots, engineers, air traffic controllers and other aviation specialists.
"There is an urgent need to attract more young people, especially young women to aviation-related careers and we must think about how we can do that," she said.
Ms Robin Sanders, the U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria, stated that the workshop was to enable each country understand the necessary steps to take to attain "Category One" status.
Sanders said the programme was a U.S. Presidential initiative aimed at increasing the number of sub-Saharan African countries that met the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standards.
"This will improve safety at airports in these areas and improve air navigation services in Africa by deploying modern technologies," she said.
Dr Harold Demuren, the Director-General of NCAA, said that the industry in Nigeria has improved tremendously as airline operators are buying more aircraft which has led to the opening of more routes.
Demuren said that with this development, "we need to improve our infrastructure and other facilities to accommodate these aircraft. Mr. Chamsou Anjorin, the representative of aircraft manufacturers, Boeing, said that investing in aviation safety was vital and a catalyst for economic and social development.
"Aviation safety is a basic right of any air traveler. So, it is our duty to continuously improve our aircraft, operational procedures, infrastructure, safety culture and skills", Anjorin added. (NAN)
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