Keyamo, Chief of Air Staff partner on civil-military aviation safety dichotomy

The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, and the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Aneke, have deepened collaboration between the Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) in the areas of aviation safety, airworthiness, certification, training and capacity building.

The agreement was reached on Wednesday in Abuja when the minister paid a condolence visit to the Chief of Air Staff following the tragic Nigerian Air Force (NAF) aircraft incident at Igbokoda, Ondo state.

The minister, in a statement signed by the Special Adviser on Media and Communications, Tunde Moshood, expressed deep sympathy to the Nigerian Air Force, stating that the incident was a national tragedy.

Keyamo commended the gallantry and sacrifices of the men and women of the Air Force.

“We value the Air Force. We value the efforts of the gallant men and women of the Air Force and what they do for the country,” he said.

He said that tragedies within the aviation sector do not distinguish between military and civilian operators.

Keyamo noted that both sectors served the same country and protected the same citizens.

According to him, the incident has strengthen the need for greater cooperation and the sharing of expertise between the two sides.

“It is one country, one people. When disaster happens, it affects everybody. There were civilians in that air crash and when there’s an air crash in the civil aviation too, there can be military personnel,” Keyamo said.

The minister noted that the Nigerian Air Force relied on civil aviation infrastructure, particularly air traffic control, and the existing relationship should be expanded into a more structured partnership.

He said he had already contacted the Director-General of the NCAA and facilitated direct communication between the NCAA leadership and the Chief of Air Staff.

Keyamo said that a joint committee involving the NCAA and the Nigerian Air Force would be established to facilitate collaboration in airworthiness, certification, training and other aviation safety measures.

He assured the Chief of Air Staff that personnel of the Nigerian Air Force would be given access to relevant training opportunities undertaken by the civil aviation authorities.

“There is no reason why we cannot take some names from the Air Force. We have a lot of training we go for, so there is no reason why we cannot,” he said.

The minister said that the Nigerian Air Force possesses specialised expertise that would be beneficial to the civil aviation sector.

He said the proposed relationship was a mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge and experience.

“This is a kind of cross-pollination and symbiotic relationship we have decided to build for the safety of the lives of Nigerians,” Keyamo stated.

Responding, the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Aneke, said the minister’s gesture as a demonstration of the strong relationship that has developed between the civil and military aviation sectors under his leadership.

The Chief of Air Staff said that both institutions had already commenced discussions on a framework that would enable personnel from the civil aviation sector to contribute to the Air Force’s safety environment.

He said in the areas of airworthiness and certification, Air Force personnel would contribute their expertise to the civil aviation sector where required.

“We have both agree that we need to move the aviation industry, whether military or civil, to a higher level.

“We are serving the same government; we are protecting the same Nigerians. So we are just a blend of each other,” he said.