Accompanied by Nigeria’s Representative on the ICAO Council, Capt. Musa Shuaibu Nuhu, at a March 31 bilateral meeting with the leaders of Nigeria’s aviation sector, the President of the ICAO Council, Dr. Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu, reiterated the UN agency’s continued support for the country as it continues to pursue enhanced international air connectivity.
President Aliu pointed in this regard to ICAO technical assistance in the preparations for the certification of Nigeria’s two major airports, the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos and the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.
The meeting took place in Ikeja, Nigeria, and was attended by the Director General of Nigeria’s Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Capt. Muhtar Usman, the Managing Director of Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Capt. Folayele Akinkuotu, the Managing Director of the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Engr. Saleh Dunoma, the Rector of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Capt. Abdulsalam Mohammed, the Director General of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET), Prof. Sani Abubakar Mashi, and the Commissioner of the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) Engr. Akinola Olateru.
The participants discussed the challenges faced by their respective organizations, expressing their gratitude for ICAO’s assistance toward the resolution of several issues. Preparations for the Fifth Annual Search and Rescue Summit, cyber security threats, human resourcing needs, and infrastructure upgrades were also explored.
ICAO has provided significant assistance to Nigeria to date, notably through its “No Country Left Behind” initiative, in order to ensure its leaders have every opportunity to improve the State’s compliance with global aviation standards, a prerequisite to optimize the potential socio-economic benefits of aviation’s global connectivity.
