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Tag: AIB

  • AIB to release six accident reports before March 31

    AIB to release six accident reports before March 31

    The Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) plans to release six accident reports before the end of March, its Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer, Akin Olateru, has said.

    This, he said, would bring to 16 the number of air crash reports released since he assumed office over a year ago.

    Apart from the 10 accident reports, the AIB had also released a safety bulletin, he added.

    Olateru said the resolve to release more reports came on the heels of the backlog of reports he met at the bureau.

    When he  assumed duty, there were 27 pending reports that were gathering dust on the shelf, with some dating back to 2005.

    Olateru said:  “When  I assumed duties, I did a review. We had 27 pending accident reports. Some date back to 2005 and we were in 2017. I was wondering what really went wrong. We set everything in motion. Funding was another problem.

    “In carrying out accident investigation, you need a lot of resources – manpower and finance. We pushed everything in motion and through the support of the Minister of State for Aviation, he gave us maximum support and we did what we were supposed to do. To the glory of God, we released 11 reports by December 2017. One year, 10 final reports and one safety bulletin are some of the things we did last year.

    “You can’t have an accident and then the report would drag for years and years. There is no explanation for it. Because the whole purpose of accident investigation is to come up with safety recommendations to prevent future occurrence. There must be lessons learnt.

    “If you investigate and come up with safety recommendations, how would people learn to prevent future occurrence, if the reports are kept somewhere. This is why it is very important. Accident investigation is a very serious business and we should all support it and make sure it is a serious agent of government in ensuring that our airspace is safe.”

    Meanwhile, the Federal Government has approved the upgrade of the obsolete material science and flight safety laboratories, which would help the AIB to investigate accidents in record time.

    Olateru made this known at a training organised by the agency on accident investigation report writing in Lagos.

    Although Olateru declined to give how much it would cost to upgrade the facilities, the upgrade of the software could be huge considering that the facilities have to be input with high-technology to make it function efficiently.

    He further disclosed that the agency has two laboratories – the flight safety and the material science laboratories. The flight safety laboratory is where the Flight Data Recording (FDR) and the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) otherwise known as the black boxes of aircraft are downloaded.

  • Fed Govt approves upgrade of AIB laboratories

    The Federal Government has approved the upgrade of the Material Science and Flight Safety Laboratories which will help the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) to speedily investigate plane crashes.

    The Commissioner of AIB, Mr Akin Olateru, confirmed the development to reporters yesterday on the sideline of the ongoing training on accident investigation report writing organised by the bureau in Lagos.

    The AIB has two laboratories, flight safety and the material science.

    The flight safety laboratory is where the Flight Data Recording (FDR) and the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) otherwise known as the black boxes of aircraft are downloaded.

    Olateru, who did not disclosed the cost of the project, noted that it could be on the high side due to the fact that both facilities would be upgraded with modern technology.

    He said that contract for the laboratories started in 2008, and was executed in 2012, adding that the software were now obsolete and needed to be upgraded.

    “As at today, when you look at it very well, the software is obsolete. If you buy your computer in 2008 and compare it to what we have in 2018, you will see you need to upgrade the software.

    “There must be some upgrade. It is just to upgrade what we have and to incorporate very important component which is the training side of it.

    “This is part of this contract, to continuously train people on how to use the equipment and the analysis of the data is the one that is most critical and you can’t train an expert in one week.

    “It is an ongoing thing and that is the whole essence of the upgrade. Thank God for the Federal Executive Council (FEC), the upgrade was approved on Wednesday for us to do proper accident investigation,’’ the commissioner said.

    Olateru added that the AIB had concluded plans to release another six accident reports by the end of March, which would bring to a total of 16 reports, released since his assumption of office in January last year.

  • AIB holds training on accident reporting 

    Capacity building in the aviation industry has received a boost as Nigeria’s Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) plans to host a meeting of the Banjul Accord Group Accident Investigation Agency (BAGAIA). The four-day training participants on aircraft accident/incident report writing course this week.

    Nigeria, Cape Verde, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone are members of the BAGAIA accord group.

    The training,  is an offshoot of the second meeting of the BAGAIA Commission which  held  between December 13 to 15,  2017 in Praia, Cape  Verde, where AIB Commissioner, Akin Olateru proposed to the Commission to host the Air Accident/Serious Incident Report Writing Training.

    The training will also cover fire investigation, managing large-scale accident and incident investigation, emergency response and record investigation, among others.

    The proposal according to the Commissioner, is  a way to ensure that AIB’s safety investigators benefit greatly.

    As the host, Olateru, an aircraft engineer disclosed that it would seize the opportunity to have 20 of AIB’s safety investigators to be part of the training

    In addition, Olateru has invited the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Presidential Air Fleet, the Nigerian Navy and the Nigeria Air Force to be part of the training as such institutions  also investigate their own incidents/accidents.

    This is part of the cooperative and collaborative initiative of the Commissioner/Chief Executive Officer in ensuring that sisters and related agencies are not left behind in the numerous capacity development programmes of the bureau.

    He said :  “Capacity development, infrastructural improvement, system and process re-engineering remain our focus in making sure that AIB contributes meaningfully to aviation safety for the common good of all. We are very pleased to be hosting the BAGAIA training as accident and incident report writing is a very important aspect to investigation.”

    According to Olateru, the agency values the cooperation and technical assistance it has been receiving from several organisations, which he said would greatly complement, “our efforts to make AIB formidable”.

    “Capacity development, infrastructural improvement, system and process re-engineering remain our focus in making sure AIB contributes meaningfully to aviation safety for the common good of all,”he said.

  • AIB releases 10 final accident reports

    The Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) has released 10 final accident reports  and 35 safety recommendations out of the 117 safety recommendations made in the 10-year existence of the bureau.

    Its Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer, Akin Olateru, told reporters in Lagos  that 30 per cent of the backlog of pending accident reports were completed this year.

    Olateru’s announcement came with the AIB’s launch of an application to ease reporting of serious incidents and accidents by pilots, passengers, industry players and the public.

    According to him, four of the final accident reports involved aircraft and helicopters belonging to AeroContractors, Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria; International Aviation College (AIC) Ilorin and Gitto Construction Engineering Company, adding that additional six final accident reports would be released by the first quarter of next year.

    Olateru said the AIB had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with some African countries to assist in accident investigation as the leading agency in West and Central Africa.

    He said the AIB was partnering the United Kingdom Accident Investigation Authority and the National Safety Transportation Board ( NTSB) on ways to review its operations to enable it handle intermodal accident probe.

    Olateru said by next year the backlog of pending accident investigation would have been completed to enable the bureau focus on safety standards

    He said despite limitations in the discharge of its duties, AIB was collaborating with the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) on the implementation of safety recommendations.

    He said the collaboration with the United Kingdom (UK) accident agency would put the AIB in good stead to discharge its statutory duties through a review of its systems, personnel and procedure.

    To achieve an effective accident investigation system, the AIB, Olateru said, will continue to improve on its equipment, infrastructure, human capital, systems and procedure.

    He said:” We are partnering many agencies across the globe to enable us handle multi modal accident investigation. Because of this, we have had several sessions to draw from the expertise of personnel of NTSB, the United Kingdom accident bureau authority as well as the Canadian accident investigation agency. We are tapping into their expertise to ensure we boost the capacity of the AIB.”

    On the benefits of the application, Olateru said it would help to move the bureau forward by using technology to ease accident reporting systems, processes and procedure in line with global standards.

    He said: ”The AIB application is a way of improving our procedures for reporting accidents using technology without filing the report on paper.

    “ It would save users the cumbersome systems we were hitherto using. It is not only convenient, it would improve our engagement with Nigerians and give easy access to the public on how the AIB operates.”

  • AIB boss charges NAAPE on professionalism

    Accident, Investigation Bureau (AIB) Commissioner Akin Olateru  has urged members of the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE) to be more professional in the discharge of their duties.

    According to Olateru, if NAAPE members, aircraft engineers and pilots in various organisations display professionalism in the discharge of their duties, the aviation industry would experience more growth and continue to remain safe for flight operations.

    The AIB boss  disclosed  this at the weekend when NAAPE leadership, led by its President, Abednego Galadima, visited him in his office at the Murtala Muhamed Airport (MMA), Lagos.

    He  lauded NAAPE for its professionalism in dealing with the management of various organisations in the industry, adding that their attitude had brought stability to the sector. He enjoined them to continue with this approach.

    He said:“There is no organisation without workers and if there is no organisation, there will be no workers. Your association has demonstrated enough professionalism. It is not about money, but you have been consistent with the truth. Without NAAPE, there is no aviation. NAAPE is the most important union in the industry.

    “I am not, however, saying that other unions are not important. But, everything surrounds aircraft,” he said.

     

     

    If there is no aircraft, there is no aviation. NAAPE comes first in the industry. So, I will want you to also enjoin your member to be more professional in the discharge of their duties.”

    Commenting on the release of accident reports by the bureau, Olateru observed that none of its reports had been faulted by any individual or organisation in recent time.

    He said this was so due to the new approach adopted by the current management, which removed accident reports from the apron string of individuals to collective contributory.

    He explained that because of the quality of works done by investigators, no engine or aircraft manufacturer had faulted the reports of the agency on aircraft incident or accident.

    “The Minister of State for Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika recently told me that we should not rush our reports so that it can’t be faulted by anyone. So, I took the time to take him through the process to show him that our reports can’t be faulted. Our reports are not done individually again.

    “Now, we have groups comprising of experienced and inexperienced investigators. No one personalises reports again. And after the groups have finished their work with the draft reports, we send them to stakeholders for their comments and observations. On getting feedbacks, we now do a general review, which involves virtually all the investigators, before it goes out for proof reading.”

    Olateru insisted that aviation industry anywhere in the world is technical and volatile, stressing that whatever developments that takes place in other sector affects aviation industry.

    He  disclosed that Sirika was working with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to ensure that interest rates on loans obtained by investors in the sector was not more than nine per cent, stressing that this would go a long way in improving standards in the sector.

    He emphasised that it required expertise for an investor to run an airline business successfully and enjoined investors in the sub-sector to allow proven professionals to run their business.

    In his remarks, Galadima commended Olateru for bringing stability to AIB within a short period of time.

    He promised that the association would work closely with the management especially in the area of accident prevention and would also sensitise his members on non-hazard and violation according to Annex 13 of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).

    He added: “We want to see that the industry grows. We are here to see that aviation in Nigeria grows and gets a win-win for employees and employers in the industry. We recognise that AIB has paucity of funds, but despite this, the bureau has been paying the license fee to NAAPE members in the agency.

    “I will also use this opportunity to call for the release of promotion letters to our members in your organisation as the year is running out. Also, I seek proper placement as it affects our members. We will support you, but as friends, we will also tell you the truth.”

    Besides, Comrade Ocheme Abba, the General Secretary of NAAPE, said the meeting was necessary in order to forge a relationship between the two organisations.

    He reiterated that one of NAAPE’s mandates was to ensure growth in the industry, which he said the association had carried out successfully over the years.

     

  • AIB probes São Tomé crash

    Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) said it has been invited by the government of São Tomé and Principe to investigate the crash of an aircraft in its country because of it’s leading role in the Banjul Accord Group Accident Investigation Agency (BAGAIA).

    The group is an arm of the International Civil Aviation Organisation ( ICAO ).

    Its Commissioner, Akin Olateru disclosed this in an interview with The Nation.

    Olateru said all costs and expense associated with the investigation would be borne 100 per cent by the government of São Tomé and Principe.

    Describing the invitation as the “first of its kind” in AIB’s history, he said it came on the heels of the rising performance of the Bureau as a leader in accident investigation across the sub-Saharan region.

    He said AIB was pleased to be called upon to assist a sister African country, adding that the agency was just living up to its billing as a pacesetter in the sub region.

    “We are very pleased to be invited by BAGAIA to carry out this investigation, which is in recognition of, and an explicit expression of confidence in our capabilities and professionalism.

    “Without gainsaying, this opportunity to serve will further build AIB’s capacity as it provides a platform for practical learning, develops and enhances the skills set and knowledge base of our accident investigators thereby increasing competency and promoting professionalism across the board.

    “We are very mindful of BAGAIA’s expectation of us and from individual African countries alike; we cannot afford to let them down.

  • ATSSSAN kicks against five per cent remittance to AIB

    Members of the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association (ATSSSAN) of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) branch have kicked against the recent directive by the Minister of State, Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, that FAAN should be remitting five per cent of its Passenger Service Charges (PSC) to the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) monthly.

    The aviation union which described the directive by the minister as unpopular, pointed out that such step is detrimental to the operations and performance of FAAN.

    Speaking on behalf of ATSSSAN, the FAAN branch Chairman, Comrade Danjuma Ahmed, said that revenue of that nature cannot be given to a sister agency without recourse to the law.

    Danjuma informed that FAAN was established by an Act of Parliament which approves their expenditures through their budget and as such, it is only the National Assembly that can warrant any removal of such revenue to any agency.

    The ATSSSAN leader, who made it clear that FAAN cannot afford remit a Kobo to any agency, said that already FAAN remits about 20 per cent of its Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) to the federation account, part of which is the pasenger service charge (PSC)

    Emphasising further, Danjuma stated that the PSC is the tariff FAAN charges passengers pay  for services it offers to them in respect to terminal building, screening equipment, conveniences for travelling passengers and any other which is only N1, 000.

    Danjuma said that the amount generated presently is inadequate for FAAN, which is even finding it difficult to operate and provide those services efficiently as expected by her passengers.

    He, therefore, affirmed that the request by the minister for five per cent  remittance to AIB will definitely affect FAAN’s performance, vis-à-vis the provision of those services.

  • ’Funding constraints affecting discharge of AIB responsibilities’

    ’Funding constraints affecting discharge of AIB responsibilities’

    The Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) has been in the news lately over plans by the bureau to benefit from five per cent of Passenger Service Charge (PSC) collected by the airport authority to bridge its funding challenges.But, stakeholders are kicking. In this interview with the AIB Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer, Akin Olateru, provides useful insights on the proposed charges and more to Kelvin Osa Okunbor. Excerpts:

    What is your take on recent controversies over conceding of five per cent revenue to AIB from FAAN’s passenger service?

    We need to be clear on charges. There are two types of charges that passengers pay either directly or indirectly. They are Tickets Sales Charge (TSC)/Cargo Sales Charge.Let us take them one after the other to really understand them.

    Could you throw more light on these charges?

    The TSC is in accordance with Civil Aviation Act of 2006. It is a parliamentary issue. In the same document, it further explained how to distribute the five per cent. The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) gets 58 per cent; AIB three per cent; Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) gets 9 per cent; Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) gets 23 per cent and the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT) gets 7 per cent which makes it 100 per cent. Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) gets zero per cent. The TSC is shared among five government agencies under aviation.  To set the record straight, the executive arm of government has no power to alter the allocation. It is only the National Assembly that has power to vary distribution. If anybody is not happy, he needs to go back to the National Assembly. That is the position since 2006 till date.

    What about passenger service charge?

    You have another charge called Passenger Service Charge (PSC). PSC came through by executive fiat. It was not an Act issue. It was a former Minister that approved the payment of PSC to FAAN. As it is today, every domestic operator pays N1000 to FAAN. On the international side, it is $50. It is only FAAN among the six agencies of aviation that earns and spends that money. This is PSC and not TSC. The same minister in his wisdom now approved for FAAN to be paying AIB 5 per cent of the PSC. By implication, AIB earns 5 per cent of the PSC. The justification for that is, AIB is the only agency among the six government parastatals under aviation that does not charge for her services. Even though, NCAA takes 58 per cent of the TSC, they still charge for all the services they render to the airline and to the public. NCAA calls theirs cost recovery. NAMA, NCAT, NIMET, they all charge for all their services despite their earnings from the TSC. FAAN charge for everything and every service they render to the public and airlines in general and also on non-aeronautical charges i.e adverts, access toll gates, car park and all other concessions; yet, with the current dispensation, they are to keep 95 per cent of the PSC. AIB does not charge for her services because all we do in AIB falls under ICAO Annex 13 which Nigeria is a signatory. Under United Nations charter, we cannot charge for our services. All we rely on to survive and to be efficient as an agency of government is three per cent from the TSC and now five per cent of the PSC. Now tell me, from this detailed analysis, I am sure you will agree with me that anybody that disagrees with this, is not well informed or wicked. As I speak to you, we have staff that retired from AIB some years ago have not received their severance benefits. We have over 30 accident investigation reports still pending,critical training are not being executed and these trainings are so important and vital to our existence, our performance and sustainability. We have several projects that would enhance our performance that are still ongoing for years.This five per cent is so little compared to the overall earnings of FAAN. We are all agencies of government and the Minister of State for Aviation, Hadi Sirika has a responsibility to ensure that all agencies under his watch perform optimally. We have over 30 accident investigation awaiting final reports. For us to deliver on our mandates, we have to fulfil several obligations. The main reason for accident reports is to come up with safety recommendations, to prevent future occurrence. This is why it is absolutely necessary for AIB to come up with final reports on all these accidents; also safety recommendations so that there would not be a repeat.I will give you example why timely reports are important.

    You spoke about resuscitating the $5.8 million accident investigation laboratories that are comatose. How do you intend to do that?

    We have two laboratories. A lot of people get confused over it. One is the Flight Safety Laboratory. This is where we do a lot of downloads of Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) and Flight Data Recorder (FDR). This is where we analyse them including creating animation of the flight. This is very important laboratory to any reputable accident investigation agency anywhere in the world. It forms integral part of what we do. We have what we call material science laboratory is where we examine metal called metallurgy. This is advanced stage of accident investigation where you want to determine the state and condition of the material. Some material failures can be examined in this laboratory to ascertain the failure of the metal; was it before the accident or by the impact of the accident. This is one that is yet to be functional. The contract was executed about four years ago. Due to financial constraints, the funding of the project has been very slow. We still have the equipment in cartons. Some have been installed.As a responsible management, do we sit down, fold our arms and look or ensuring we get the best out of the present situation? What we have done is to identify some universities within Nigeria where AIB could partner with for research purposes.

    What about the flight safety laboratory?

    When I came in in January, the laboratory was not functioning and it has been down for almost two years. We mobilised our in-house team including the IT department to ensure this laboratory works. They all brainstormed with our engineers. After a week of troubleshooting, the laboratory started working again. Now we have a laboratory, and it’s the best in West Africa. There are two other critical components for us to get maximum benefits from this laboratory which are the human capital; that is, the expertise to run the laboratory effectively and also to get maximum benefits. We are evaluating the maintenance programmes, systems, processes and procedures we need to put these in place for the effective utilisation of the laboratory. There must be training manuals in place; standards operating procedures in place and every other process to ensure smooth running of the laboratory. These are the reasons why we invited the Singaporean aviation officials. This is based on the fact that they operate same flight safety laboratory. As you are aware, training is a continuous programme. They have offered to accept some of our investigators to come over to Singapore for on the job training. This will enhance our capacity programme. ICAO through the Banjul Accord Accident Investigation Agency (BAGAIA) wants us to lead West Africa. This is under ICAO. It is an ICAO programme for developing the region for accident investigation. They are very much interested in ensuring that we get it right. They are giving us all the maximum support in ensuring we lead the region.

    AIB and University of Ilorin recently signed MoU on the Metallurgical Science Laboratory. What does it entail?

    The MoU we signed is the first of its kind in the history of aviation in Nigeria. This is the first time any government agency will partner with a higher institution of learning on research programmes. Basically, it is about adding value to the institution. The federal government owns AIB, University of Ilorin and some other federal institutions in Nigeria. At the end of the day, you look at it, why can’t federal government institutions collaborate to the benefit of the nation? So, this is why we had to think outside the box and see how we can create a synergy in a way that Nigeria and Nigerians are the main beneficiaries. The material science laboratory which contract was awarded about three, four years ago; some equipment were bought but unfortunately, most of them are still in cartons. Some form of training was given to the people but I will tell you there were not enough. You need more than one week to train somebody to be an expert on this equipment. Invariably, I will tell you the fact, that equipment is just there with zero value added to AIB as I speak today. What am trying to do is to turn around and see the opportunity that that laboratory presents. Signing today with University of Ilorin was very good. We have been on this for few months going back and forth with discussion, inspection, collaboration and we came out with an agreement and finally signed today. The Vice-Chancellor of University of Ilorin would have been here but engaged in one issue and decided to send the Dean of Faculty of Engineering to sign on behalf of the University. It is a landmark achievement as far as I am concerned. Till today, most material science students go abroad for their research programmes because there is no adequate laboratory to use here in Nigeria. What we have done is to open this up for the university to be able to send in their students for research programmes for using our laboratory. We are not keeping this just for University of Ilorin, we are continuing talks with University of Lagos and some other higher institutions in Nigeria. At the end of the day, AIB is trying to raise its Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) and ensure that our staff are well trained because if you use the same equipment over and over, that is how to build expertise. That is basically another thing we will be getting from this. You don’t pray to be having accident every day, so it may not be used for it every day but we need to engage, find a way where it is going to be using this laboratory on a daily basis and this is why we are looking in this direction. Our thanks go to the Minister of State Aviation that gave that approval. He is very happy with what we are doing. The other thing to benefit is to save the nation, capital flight. When these students go abroad for their research programmes, sometimes they spend three to four months depending on the duration and they have to stay in a hotel somewhere, leaving their families here and children back at home, they want to rush back because they could be out of money. At the end of the day, it may affect the quality of their work but if the laboratory is here, he is not looking for any dollar or pounds. He can actually see his family over the weekend wherever and go back and forth and if incase he forgets anything that tends to do with his research, he can go back, play it all over again. It is a huge saving for the nation and I am looking to more collaboration between government agencies. In this age when government is struggling with funds, we just need to do a lot of more collaboration. Gone are the days where everybody is standing alone; we should come together and work together for the benefit of Nigeria as a country and Nigerians. My dream is to take this laboratory to the highest level whereby we can compete with the world. My dream is to see South African students; companies come to Nigeria to use our laboratory. My dream is to see Europeans come in to use our laboratory for research purposes. It can be done. We just need to get it. We have written to the Head of material science laboratory situated in the NTSB in America to please come down with his team, evaluate our laboratory, the equipment we have and guide us on what next to buy. We have some money in our 2017 budget to buy some of this equipment but I just don’t want to buy any equipment. I want to be sure we are buying what we need, what will add value to the agency. We are buying value to Nigeria. That is my dream.

    How sustainable is the collaboration? In Nigeria, it is very easy to start something but taking it further is a major challenge?

    I will put it this way. To make it sustainable, we are on the right path because we are commercialising the material science laboratory. That is what we are doing basically and that way we will be able to support and fund the lab to keep it running, to make sure it is one of the best in the world. We will not charge huge money but we will make sure that at least we do what we call cost recovery. What we have right now is the equipment and infrastructure which is half way.

    How does this boost human capital development considering that the workforce in aviation is ageing?

    One thing I know for sure is that there is no country in the world where you don’t have ageing workforce. People will get old over time. It is a natural phenomenon but one thing that is clear is training supposed to be a continuous process. It is not we have done it once and we will stop. The reason we are doing what we are doing is to train our staff, make them experts on how to operate and use this equipment and this is why we are creating ways of engaging them with this equipment. As I speak with you, we don’t even have any expert within the aviation industry on this Metallurgy. When you talk of material science, it is still new with us. So, we are looking outward to see how we can engage our staff to make them experts in this field so that we can marry the two, assemblage of metals with accident investigations.

  • Funding directive row rocks FAAN,AIB

    Funding directive row rocks FAAN,AIB

    Should the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) get five per cent of the revenue from the Passengers’ Service Charge (PSC) of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN)? A ministerial directive that FAAN should remit that revenue percentage to AIB has sparked a row. According to experts, the directive offends the autonomy clause in the Acts of both agencies. Unions and stakeholders are getting set for battle on the issue, writes KELVIN OSA OKUNBOR

    A ministerial directive to the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to fund the Accident  Investigation Bureau(AIB) is causing ripples in the industry.

    Unless urgent steps are taken, some decisions of the Ministry of Aviation may throw a spanner in the works.

    The controversy is on the remittance of five per cent of the Passengers’Service Charge FAAN collects to AIB.

    Apart from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA),  mandated to collect five per cent Ticket Sales/Cargo Charge ( TSC/CSC) from airlines, and distribute among agencies, other parastatals fund themselves.

    The Ministry of Aviation has given approval for five per cent of the PSC to be remitted to the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) to fund its operations, a development that is creating confusion in the sector.

    Experts say such approval amounted to an aberration likely to rock the boat in the sector.

    Consequently, aviation unions are mobilising to stall the implementation of the directive should FAAN go ahead with the directive.

    Such approval, the experts say, is unhealthy for the sector because the transfer of funds from one agency to another contradicts the establishing Acts of the agencies and amounts  to robbing one agency to pay another.

    Officials of FAAN and the Ministry of Aviation have declined to comment on the directive. No reason was given. But it would apear their refusal is predicated on the controversy the development is generating in the sector.

    According to investigations, with an estimated 15 million passengers travelling through airports yearly the AIB may earn about N4.2 billion from five per cent of PSC okayed for it by the Minister of State for Aviation, Hadi Sirika.

    This is besides the N2 billion yearly subvention of the agency and the three per cent monthly Ticket Sales Charge (TSC) collected by the NCAA.

    Investigation revealed that FAAN collects N1,000 each from domestic travellers while it charges $50 (N18,250 at the exchange rate of N365 to a dollar) each from international passengers as PSC.

    Last year, 15,233,597 passengers passed through the airports; 11 million of the travellers moved within the domestic scene and 4.2 million were international travellers.

    However, opposition is increasing over the development as the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) has kicked against the directive.

     

    Unions kick 

    NUATE  General Secretary Comrade Olayinka Abioye insisted it is not in the purview of the minister to unilaterally grant the request of AIB, which sought 10 per cent of  the PSC, without passing through the National Assembly.

    He challenged AIB to justify the three per cent of Ticket Sales Charge the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) remits to it since its establishment in 2006.

    Abioye vowed that the unions  would kick against the approval at the right time.

    He said: “As unions  we do not think that it is the right thing to have been done by the minister because allocations to parastatals are not within the purview of the minister. It should be part of the responsibilities of the National Assembly.

    “Also, has AIB justified the three per cent it has been collecting? We have to know what they have been doing with the money. Again, why 10 per cent or they just flew a kite at the minister and he grabbed it? That is not fair. Why should FAAN be allowed to suffer the failure of AIB in devising positive non-aeronautical means of generating internal revenue?

    “What happened to the budget approved by the Federal Government and National Assembly for the training of personnel in AIB? There are lots of questions and I want to say here that we are going to kick against this position.”

    Also, members of the Nigerian Union of Pensioners (NUP), Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) branch, and the Association of Nigerian Aviation Professionals (ANAP), have condemned Sirika’s directive.

    Investigations revealed that   FAAN has been grappling with the payment of gratuities of some workers who left service since May 2016. With such financial responsibility, the unions said directing FAAN to remit five per cent of the PSC would deplete its purse.

    The unions said AIB was not doing much and, therefore, did not need five per cent of the PSC.

    Their position is that if AIB was in need of money, the Ministry of Aviation should provide such funds in line with laws that established it.

    Speaking on behalf of ANAP, its Secretary-General,Comrade Abdulrazaq Saidu, said such move by the ministry would not be accepted.

    He said what was expected from the ministry was for it to first address the  debts  owed service providers by airlines.

    Similarly, NUP, FAAN branch  chairman Comrade  Razaq Ope, said the minister’s directive was unacceptable.

    He said: “If they don’t have money, let the government pay them. FAAN is taking care of many things – equipment, control tower. Most of the equipment are being taken care of by FAAN. AIB is not doing anything for anybody. It is not ideal and we, the unions, are ready to challenge the ministry on this issue.”

     

    AIB’s request for 10% PSC

    AIB on June 6, 2017 received Sirika’s consent to its request for five per cent of the PSC collected by FAAN.

    A document made available to our correspondent by a source in the Ministry of Transport, addressed to the Minister of State for Aviation, and dated June 5, indicated that the Commissioner of AIB,  Akin Olateru, requested for approval for FAAN to allocate 10 per cent of the PSC to it.

    Olateru explained that with the Federal Government’s commitment to make aviation work for all stakeholders, especially for the  public, it was necessary for the ministry in tandem with the National Assembly to make additional funds available to AIB for it to be adequately funded to deliver on its primary duties.

    “Pending recruitment to beef up acute personnel gaps in the bureau and the non-utilisation of a duly commissioned AIB’s Safety Laboratory, which costs over N1 billion to set up, because of paucity of funds required to upgrade the soft and hardware store components.”

    However, Sirika on June 6, approved the request, saying: “We discussed. Approval is hereby given. Convey  five per cent approval.”

     

    AIB replies critics

    Olateru in an interview, said those kicking against the approval were mischievous.

    In justifying the request and subsequent approval, Olateru decried that apart from NCAA, it was only AIB that was not profit-oriented.

    He lamented that only three per cent was allocated to AIB from the  five per cent TSC collected by NCAA. NCAA gets 58 per cent, the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), 23 per cent, the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT) gets seven per cent and the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET), nine per cent.

    He said FAAN and AIB were government’s agencies, wondering why any association would kick against it.

    He added: “Of the PSC, it is only FAAN that spends the money 100 per cent, yet the same FAAN charges include advert, parking and landing of aircraft, and land, and cars coming to the airports.

    “Anybody that says it is not fair for us to get a part of the PSC is wicked because who owns the two agencies? It’s the Federal Government. We all share the TSC and FAAN doesn’t share its PSC with anybody and the government in its wisdom says ‘FAAN please give AIB five per cent.’ I don’t think that is too much. It is within the power of the minister to do that.”

    He decried that paucity of money was stalling the release of over 35 accident investigations, and the training of accident investigators since 2013.

    He stressed that the agency needed to develop its human resources to compete with others.

  • AIB trains police on securing crash site

    The Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) has trained the first batch of 20 police officers at its headquarters at the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA), Lagos, on the methodology of securing accident sites.

    AIB said the training created awareness for the police personnel on the importance of securing crash sites.

    The police officers were drawn from Airports Command and the Special Protection Unit, Ikeja Police Command in Lagos.

    According to AIB, the second batch of the training is scheduled for next week in Abuja.

    The bureau assured that with training of the officers, the era of tampering with accident investigative evidences was over.

    AIB’s General Manager, Security and Industries, Olumide Osineye, who co-ordinated the training, said the exercise would further enhance the performance of accident investigators in case of an accident.

    Osineye said the novel idea was the brainchild of the Commissioner of AIB, Akin Olateru, who insisted that police officers must be adequately trained to support its accident investigation.

    He explained that the training was put together to provide aviation security awareness to police officers and to explain the roles of the police at aircraft accident sites.

    He declared that the training cut across police officers posted to the airport command and those at the Special Protection Unit at Ikeja, deployed in AIB.

    According to him, the team would be a part of the AIB’s team in case of any accident as first responders to move to an accident site to give the investigative team the necessary support, especially in controlling evidences.

    He said: “When an accident occurs, the wreckage is a very important entity and there are items of the aircraft that need to be preserved. Experience has shown that most of our police officers are just pulled from anywhere without any background or awareness on accident investigation.

    “The danger is that when you are not aware, you will just do to the best of your limits, but when you are aware, you know the rudiments, you know the procedures and what should be avoided, protected and preserved.

    Olateru, therefore, said the main benefit was that this category of people will be able to control an accident site so that there will not be any tampering with the evidences or critical items like the Flight Data Recorder and Voice Data Recorder and other relevant items that can help in investigation of an accident.

    He assured that the exercise would be conducted quarterly, while efforts would be made to ensure that majority of police officers in the country were trained.

    In case of redeployment, Osineye insisted that it would still be an added advantage to the industry as accident could occur anywhere within the country without notice.

    His words: “Even when they are redeployed, it is still going to be a value added because accident can occur anywhere at any location and without telling you. So, the more we train, the more we add value and the more we increase the number of people, who already have awareness. If it is possible to let all the police personnel have the awareness, that will be fantastic.”

    Eight police officers were trained from the airports command, while another 12 were drawn from Special Unit Base 2 of the Ikeja Police Command.