Chidoka tasks NAAPE on safety standards

Aviation Minister, Osita Chidoka has reiterated that the safety of the industry should not be compromise even as the federal government continues the present airport remodelling project.

Chidoka spoke in Uyo where he urged members of the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE) to continue to maintain safety standards already in place.

The minister, who was represented by deputy director, safety and technical policy in the ministry, Clement Awogbawi at the seminar said visible changes has taken place in the sector while improvement of airport across the country has remained users friendly.

Chidoka explained that issue of security and safety will be pursued vigorously during his tenure in order to provide safety and security in the sector.

He commended the activities of the body in aircraft maintenance and the building of aircraft maintenance hangers in the country.

He however said the availability of maintenance hangar in the country will not only reduce the high cost of aircraft maintenance carried out outside Nigeria but will also generate employment opportunities and reduce capital flights.

Chidoka noted that the quest for Nigeria to become a hub in the sub region cannot be attained without adequate aircraft maintenance hangar facilities in the country.

Controllers de-bunk Synagogue claim of mysterious aircraft

The country’s controllers of airspace under the aegis of Nigerian Air Traffic Controllers Association has refuted claims by a church in Lagos that a mysterious aircraft was responsible for the collapse of its multi-story building. A guest house located within the Synagogue church for all nations

premises around Ikotun-Egbe area of Lagos State collapsed completely to the ground on Friday, 12th of September, 2014.

Its founder and popular television evangelist, Temitope Joshua later showed footage of what he term a mysterious plane that hovered around the building undergoing constructions before the six stories

structure collapsed.

President of NATCA, Victor Eyaru described as unacceptable the information by the church located in Ikotun in Lagos that the building caved in moments after the aircraft left the precinct of the church.

Eyaru, in an address at the 43rd annual general meeting of NATCA in Kano said the collapse should not be link to any air traffic and the misinformation to the public stopped forthwith.

He said “we want to state categorically that where the church is located is not part of either restricted or prohibited airspace where air traffic cannot take place”.

“The aircraft in question was undertaking normal aviation practice in accordance to prescribed procedures and any link to the building collapse is absurd, laughable and acceptable”.

He said of the theme ‘human capacity building in the aviation industry as a remedy to air disaster’ that capacity building in the country’s aviation industry is very much desirable because it is based on advance science and technology . Eyaru said the aspiration of the country to commence the implementation of Performance Based Navigation (PBN) within the nation’s airspace is highly commended as it will launch Nigeria into the next generation of satellite based air navigation.