Investigating mishaps in the transport sector is becoming difficult, requiring collaboration among first responders and other emergency management agencies. Pooling of resources, expertise and familiarity of accident terrain remain critical in driving efficiency for such responsibility, KELVIN OSA-OKUNBOR reports.
Collaboration among accident investigating agencies is gaining global traction as organisations saddled with such responsibility continue to seek partnerships.
It is for this reason that members of regional blocs in the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) are pushing for collaboration.
Towards this end, the Chief Executive Officer/Commissioner, Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB), Akin Olateru, has canvassed strategic partnership with stakeholders in construction, and maritime players in the emergency management agencies to drive efficiency in getting to the root of accidents that occur in difficult terrains.
Olateru, who stated this at the weekend, said partnership among emergency management agencies would go a long way to achieving more results in the investigation arm of the transport value chain.
At a virtual interaction entitled: ‘‘Gateway forum’’, he said not having the required partnership could frustrate the job and, ultimately, affect the release of investigation reports that need to be timely.
Olateru, for example, said the AIB did not have divers to assist in investigating aircraft that plunge into water. Such, he said, would require the bureau to partner the Nigerian Navy, which has divers, diving apparatus, including frogmen suits for its personnel, to go into deep water to retrieve wreckages or black boxes.
He said: “This is part of the reason accident investigation authorities need to enter into partnership with other organisations to achieve result.This has become key because of the requisite training each organisation has that is strategic in its function.That is why the AIB seeks partnership with the Navy.”
He also said the AIB did not have an aircraft and so when an aircraft crashes in a difficult terrain, they would need the Nigeria Air Force.
He said: “It is very serious and some agencies of the government do not understand why we need all these collaborations. They don’t understand why we are pushing for this cooperation. I’d give you an instance: God forbid an aircraft crashes into the sea, AIB does not have the capacity for sea divers to retrieve any wreckage or to retrieve the black box’ but Nigerian Navy does.
“Since 2017, I have been pursuing the Nigeria Navy to sign a MoU. It is not the day we have an accident that we start looking for whom to call, this is the essence of all these MoUs. Recently, we just signed with the Nigerian Air Force and one of the benefits of that is, aircraft which drops from the sky in a bad or difficult terrain that we cannot access, the Air Force can help us with the logistics.
“We, too, can be of help to the Air Force because we have a world-class safety lab in Abuja and so rather than the Air Force sending the black box overseas, they can use our lab and save Nigeria some cost. At the end of the day, it is to the benefit of the entire nation.’’
He went on: “The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), and AIB have been on an MoU since 2017, we are still talking and that’s what I mean by sometimes it can be frustrating. AIB is not Akin Olateru’s own; it’s a Federal Government agency.
“We have done a lot of training with the Nigeria Police and have trained them as first responders on what to do at the crash site; we’ve trained Civil Defence, too. For Nigeria Police we are still waiting for the MoU to be signed but we will get there, we just have to keep pushing. I view it as 100 per cent important for all the agencies to come together and work as a team.”
Meanwhile, Commissioner, Banjul Accord Group Accident Investigation Agency (BAGAIA), Charles Irikefe Erhueh, at the weekend, engaged the Minister of Tourism and Transport in Cape Verde, Dr. Carlos Duarte Santos, on the importance of the regional investigative agency.
He said there was the need to be involved in accident investigation to attract other nations to be part of the laudable agency.
According to him, the importance of BAGAIA could not be overemphasised, in addition to strengthening collaboration among member-states on investigation of accidents and serious incidents.
Erhueh reiterated the need to enlist other African countries into the fold and create a larger capacity not just for the region but the continent.
On capacity building in relation to on-the-job training, the BAGAIA commissioner told the Minister that to enhance those key proponents of accident investigation there was the need to send their investigators for training.
He further said there was an ongoing investigation into a helicopter accident in Nigeria in which members of BAGAIA could be drafted in observer capacity.
He said their involvement as part the investigation team would enhance their capacity in accident investigation.
Santos agreed to synergise with the Institute for the Prevention and Investigation of Aeronautical and Marine Accidents (IPIAAM) and Civil Aviation Authority with BAGAIA to move the industry forward in Cape Verde.
He also expressed commitment to clearing up outstanding subscriptions to the commission.
Santos agreed with the Erhueh on on-the-job training, stating that it would further enhance the investigator’s capacity in the event of accidents or incidents.
Meanwhile, AIB investigators will soon be getting their core training in Nigeria as the bureau mulls plans to establish a training school, in collaboration with the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to train its personnel.
The training facility, the AIB said, had been approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC).
Olateru said it was not easy to train investigators because the country has only 36 certified accident investigators.
He said the training school would reduce the capital flight through training personnel overseas.
“The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved construction of AIB headquarters and AIB training school in Abuja. These projects have started; we have two laboratories – flight safety and material science. For the material science laboratory, it’s a work in progress because we want to transform the material science lab to an avenue where we can make money,’’ he said.
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