EXPERTS in the aviation industry at the weekend confirmed the workability of the Total Radar Coverage of Nigeria (TRACON), which was installed at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, about three years ago.
The confirmation of the effective operation of the radar equipment is coming on the heels of the facility visit by industry’s stakeholders including the Secretary-General of Aviation Roundtable, Mr Sam Akerele, and Captain Kola Abejide.
Akerele told reporters after the visit: “What we have now is a complete radical departure from the past. The old order cannot continue. The new radar is a good thing to happen to this generation as we can see that flights are properly vectored by the controllers without stress.”
He noted that comments by some stakeholders had been rather speculative as, according to him, they lacked technical knowledge on the workings of TRACON.
He stressed that their visit was to educate those members who had dismissed TRACON as a mere terminal radar and let them see that the radar covers the shores of Nigeria and beyond.
He described the new radar as a state-of-the-art equipment that could compete favourably with those in developed countries in Europe and America.
He added that the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) “should be commended for the efficient and optimal performance of its radar and communication system.”
Aviation Roundtable, is a non- profit-making professional body. Its membership, he said, includes air traffic controllers, pilots,aircraft&system engineers, technicians and marketers.
The Secretary-General, who led members on a fact-finding tour of facilities at the agency, said their visit became imperative, following embarrassing comments made to journalists by some stakeholders who, according to him, had not been privileged to visit TRACON and hence, might not know how the radar works.
Akerele expressed gratitude to the Managing Director of NAMA , Mazi Nnamdi Udoh, an engineer, for granting them access to the facilities. He also expressed the hope that their visit would educate misinformation and enlighten misinformed members about the safety of the Nigerian airspace.
Also in his remarks, another member of the organisation Capt. Kola Abejide, said he was very excited at what he had seen and that he was grateful to God that “this milestone is happening in our generation.”
He urged NAMA to continue to improve on its good job.
The new radar, it was learnt, has four main locations in Lagos,Portharcourt,Abuja and Kano Airports with five remote stations at Ilorin, Maiduguri,Obubura, Numan and Talata Mafara.
