AVIATION MEGAFORCE

DR ALIU, ICAO AND NIGERIAN AVIATION By Joe Obi Dr Olumuyiwa Benard Aliyu, a Nigerian, an African is now the President of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), the global body that regulates civil aviation. He was elected by the unanimous vote of all 36 member states of the Council on November 18 th at the 38 th General Assembly of the organisation in Montreal, Canada. He is the fifth President of the Council. Dr Aliu’s tenure commences on January 01, 2014. His election is historic for Nigeria, Nigerians in the diaspora and the African continent. In the 69-year history of the organisation, no African had been nominated or elected to head the body. Incumbent President, Roberto Kobeh Gonzalez, a Mexican is to serve out his tenure on 31 st December 2013, giving way to Nigeria’s Dr Aliu. It was known several months, even years ahead that Gonzalez would end his tenure in 2013, so the vacancy was not only anticipated, but very well ‘advertised’.   Nigeri...

PRESS RELEASE   29/11/13 NAMA WINS SECOND CONSECUTIVE SERVICE DELIVERY AWARD The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, NAMA, has been elected by Nigerians as    the most outstanding public institution in the Transport and Aviation Sector in the country for the year 2012/2013 in a poll carried out by the Independent Service Delivery Monitoring Group.   The agency also came tops in other categories of awards from votes cast by Nigerians across the country. Apart from winning the Excellence Award in Service Delivery, NAMA was also voted the overall 4 th Most Outstanding Public Institution in Nigeria. The award ceremony which took place at the International Conference Centre, Abuja, was attended by a high delegation of NAMA officials including the Director of Human Resources, Dr Uwem Akangson, Director of Operations, Mr John Onyegiri, Director of Administration, Dr Aminu Saleh, and the GM, Planning,Statistics and Research, Mrs Martha Sule. ...

When Rapists of Aviation Industry Fight Dirty. By Gabriel Nsikak   Picture a beautiful wasteland, alluring and glittering to observers outside, but simply devastated and hollowed out by its supposed guardians and gatekeepers. That was the situation of the Nigerian Aviation industry only two years ago. Entrenched concessionaires were milking the industry dry. Powerful business moguls had carved up and Balkanised the land at the key airports. Airlines, both local and international were operating without consideration for passengers rights.
Even the government –owned agencies were operating as drain pipes - jobs were given and money paid without any job done. The Aviation trade unions too, were part and parcel of the Aviation gravy train. They had to get their share of the booty or else, all hell will break loose. The stranglehold of these entrenched Gods of the Nigerian Aviation industry was too powerful. The industry teetered on the brink of collapse. But it did not m...

  By Stephen Onabe The period between the 7 th and 9 th of October, 2013, witnessed the largest convergence of the African think-tank on aviation safety in recent history, as the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) hosted the first Civil Air Navigation Services Organization (CANSO) Africa Region conference in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital. Founded in 1996, CANSO is the global voice for air navigation service providers (ANSPs) worldwide, with Regional Offices in Brussels, Singapore, Jeddah and Mexico, where regional activities serve as clearing houses for the central body. CANSO Africa Region was formed barely a year ago with its office in Johannesburg, South Africa. The African peculiarity boldly stands out among other regions of CANSO and hence the need for urgent action by stakeholders.   Despite efforts over the years, aviation in Africa is hamstrung by a plethora of challenges in the areas of infrastructure, technology, capacity and resources. The conti...

NAMA: TWO YEARS OF UNALLOYED SERVICE BY OLUCHY AGBAGWU In the not too distant past, the nation’s air transport business was not a spectacle to take delight in, mainly because of safety concerns arising from the parlous state of navigation aids. Indeed, stakeholders were scandalized that these aids, critical to enhancing air safety were deteriorating steadily because of the prevailing culture of negligence in the maintenance of existing infrastructure in virtually all spheres of the economy. Even in these times of poor service delivery imbued by the inordinate desire to unashamedly steal from the national till by managers of our public institution to the detriment of the larger society, the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) under the leadership of Engr. Mazi Nnamdi Udoh, has chosen to be an exception this past two years. Right from its inception, the management team made the bold step to ignite the fire of service delivery and set the tone for a total restru...

NAMA MEETS STAKE HOLDERS OVER NEW CHARGES Nigerian Airspace Management Agency(NAMA),has resolved to meet with officials of the non scheduled local airline operators over the newly introduced charges.   The meeting ,scheduled to hold at Transcorp Hotel,Abuja next Tuesday by 11am,according to the managing director of the agency,Engr. Mazi Nnamdi Udoh, would afford parties to tackle the grey areas resulting from the newly introduced charges of $3000 for foreign registered aircraft and $2500 for Nigerian registered ones. The managing director, said shortly after  a meeting with the Senate Committee on Aviation in Abuja on Monday,that the Senators described the issues at stake as a "family affairs" directing that the parties should hold a meeting to resolve all contentious issues amicably and chart a new course in moving the industry forward. The charges, NAMA's spokesman, Supo Atobatele  said in a statement last night, ''are in compliance ...