The Nation Newspaper

Tag: NAMA

  • NAMA to operators: no going back on cashless payment

    The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA)   will not go back on the adoption of the treasury Single Account (TSA) for its transactions, its Managing Director, Captain Fola Akinkuotu, has said.

    He spoke at a meeting with agents and representatives of operators of non-scheduled flights.

    The meeting, which held at  the agency’s headquarters in Lagos, discussed, among other things,  how to address concerns, which may arise from the cashless payment system.

    Akinkuotu said TSA is a Federal Government’s policy that demanded compliance from all stakeholders.

    He appealed to the operators to embrace the new system as the entire world is going cashless, assuring them that the new system would yield them positive results.

    “This is an innovation that would not only improve and sanitise the nation’s financial system but also ensure accountability and transparency in the long run. If we desire an aviation industry that is globally competitive, we have to imbibe global best practices,” Akinkuotu said, noting that the risks associated with the old system of carrying cash around have made it not fashionable.

    Explaining further, the NAMA helmsman advised that all financial transactions must be done  into the NAMA TSA account domiciled with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

    He emphasised that the era of paying cash to Deposit Money Banks (DMBs) for delivery to the CBN had become history.

    Speaking on behalf of the non-scheduled operators, the Managing Director of Sunrise International Air Support Limited, Mr. Sunny Ebisue, expressed gratitude to NAMA for organising such a forum, saying that it had shed more light on some of the grey areas that attended the new payment system.

    He however called on the agency to sustain such interaction with operators to keep them abreast with new developments.

    It will be recalled that in a circular, dated November 7, 2018, the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation dated November 7, 2018 warned Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and other government entities to desist from maintaining accounts with banks without the President’s approval, saying that all affected Federal Government-owned and controlled MDAs and other entities must close DMB accounts, in local or foreign currency and transfer them to the TSA sub-account at the CBN.

    As part of the resolutions at the meeting, an operator or its representatives is to open a domiciliary account for its financial transactions with NAMA  using a smart phone.

    A representative can also open a domiciliary account, transfer an amount of foreign currency in advance into NAMA account at the CBN to enable it debit the operator, any time it does business with the agency.

  • NAMA installs ILS at Benin airport

    As part of ongoing bid to upgrade infrastructure in the aviation sector, the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), has installed Category II Instrument Landing System (ILS) at the Benin Airport.

    A statement issued by NAMA Spokesperson, Mr Khalid Emele on Tuesday in Lagos said the Managing Director of the agency, Capt. Fola Akinkuotu made the announcement while addressing members of staff.

    Akinkuotu said installation of the ILS was in line with an earlier pledge by the agency to upgrade navigational infrastructure in strategic airports across the country in a bid to boost socio-economic activities in such areas.

    He also said that the agency had replaced the ILS which was damaged by an aircraft in 2018 at the Port Harcourt airport.

    According to him, the flight commissioning handled by Omni-Blue Aviation ltd indicated that the newly installed landing aids are operating at optimal capacity.

    He assured that installation of CAT II ILS would commence at Maiduguri, Jos and Minna airports soon.

    On staff welfare, Akinkuotu said that the management said the agency had concluded plans to enroll NAMA staff in the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to ensure a healthy and productive workforce,.

    He assured the staff that the contentious issue of review of Condition of Service (COS) was being handled and would soon be concluded by government.

    The NAMA boss expressed gratitude to management and staff of the agency for the support and cooperation accorded him since he assumed office two years ago.

    He noted that whatever successes his administration had recorded could not have been without the individual and collective effort of NAMA workers.

    While cautioning staff to desist from frivolous expenses, he enjoined them to put in more effort to move NAMA to the next level, adding that the agency would honour deserving members of staff with special awards.

  • NAMA begins equipment calibration at 24 airports

    Ahead of the yuletide, the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA)  has begun routine calibration of navigational facilities in 24 airports.

    The agency’s spokesman, Khalid Emele, disclosed this on Sunday.

    The facilities include: Instrument Landing System ( ILS) and Distance Measuring Equipment (DME). Calibration in aviation parlance means flight checking of navigational equipment to ascertain its efficiency and accuracy.

    Emele said the exercise, which  is targeted at putting all navigational aids in optimal capacity, will be  completed in two weeks. It will also ensure that the facilities generate precise and accurate signals to guarantee the safety of air navigation in the country.

    According to him, the equipment  to be calibrated and commissioned are the newly installed ILS/DME facilities in Lagos and Port Harcourt airports.

    Work, he said, has reached an advanced stage on  the installation of Cat III ILS in Lagos and Abuja, adding that a team of NAMA engineers are undergoing Factory Acceptance Test (FAT) of the CAT III equipment in the United States (US) in preparation for its take-off in January 2019.

    Meanwhile, NAMA has refuted reports in some quarters alleging that flights were either being delayed or canceled on account of obsolete navigation equipment at some airports.

    The agency said it was untrue that it has not embarked on significant upgrade of facilities in the last  12 months.

    Emele said: “We see the above allegations as totally erroneous and misleading, especially when viewed against ongoing efforts by the agency in the area of infrastructure upgrade across major airports in Nigeria. There is also the need to put things in proper perspective as the above insinuations are capable of sending the wrong signals to our teeming airspace users as well as the flying public.

    “For the records, the agency has in the last 18 months embarked on an aggressive upgrade of navigational infrastructure in strategic airports in the country. For instance, Cat II Instrument Landing Systems /Distance Measuring Equipment (ILS/DME) have been installed in Kaduna, Lagos, Kano and Port Harcourt airports. In the same vein, installation of Doppler Very High Frequency Omnidirectional Range (DVOR) is ongoing at Maiduguri airport, while that of  ILS/DME is also in progress at Benin airport. Upgrade of facilities in other airports is to follow soon.

    “ The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) therefore, wishes to reassure the flying public of the safety of the nation’s airspace as all necessary measures are in place to ensure safe, efficient and seamless flight operations in Nigeria.”

  • Benin Airport: Obaseki praises NAMA 

    Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki has praised the Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) for completing the first phase of the night landing facility at the Benin Airport.

    The governor spoke at the 5th Annual General Meeting/Conference of National Air Traffic Communicators Association of Nigeria (NACAN).

    The meeting, held in Benin City, Edo State, has the theme: “The Impact of AMHS/ATN on National Airspace Administration and Air Navigation Plan,” .

    He said: “I want to thank NAMA for the work it has done with the state government at the Benin Airport. NAMA has worked closely with us, which has enabled us to complete the first phase to ensure we have night landing facility at the Benin Airport. We express our gratitude for its support.”

    He urged NACAN to improve air transportation record to achieve safety, regularity, efficiency and operations of air navigation in line with International Civil Aviation Organisation’s (ICAO’s) guidelines.

    The governor said NACAN should “avail themselves with regular training to come up with best practice to be at par with what is happening in other parts of the world. I expect that the theme of the conference will drive home this point.”

    Obaseki called on participants to further examine the impact of  technology to come up with solutions to enhance their operations and improve the industry.

    He averred that one per cent of the 200 million population of Nigeria travel by air, creating a huge aviation market and making it the largest, with high traffic in Africa.

    President of NACAN Nkambo George hailed the governor for the support, hospitality and achievements.

    George noted that the theme was chosen to create awareness about new technologies, which seek to replace the aging Aeronautical Fixed Telecommunications Network (AFTA).

    “This conference also provides opportunity to engage with policy makers, experts and professionals in the field so that efforts made by NAMA in deploying new technology can better be appreciated,” he said.

  • NAMA seeks local refining of aviation fuel

    Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Managing Director (MD) Captain Fola Akinkuotu has charged stakeholders in the oil and gas sector to consider the production of aviation fuel (Jet A1) in line with the content development initiative of the Buhari administration.

    Akinkuotu, guest speaker at the yearly Health, Safety, Security and Environment (HSSE) forum organised by PSRG-Richardson Oil and Gas, held at Eko Hotel  and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos said the call became imperative given the high cost of aviation fuel which costs over 30 per cent  of operational cost of airlines.

    He said apart from cost, the supply of the product is, sometimes, epileptic, resulting in flight disruptions.

    He said the production of Jet A1 in Nigeria would regularise supply, reduce cost which would also translate to lower air fares by airlines.

    The NAMA boss, who delivered a paper on the topic “Aviation safety in Nigeria – Challenges, issues and Solutions”, lamented the high cost of aircraft maintenance, which he described as “atrocious because these costs are denominated  in dollars.”

    He revealed, however, that effort was being made by the Federal Government to set up a Maintenance, Repairs and Operations (MRO) facility “as part of plans to reduce capital flight, lower the times aircraft leave the country for repairs and lower the cost of maintenance.”

    On the state of air safety in Nigeria, Akinkuotu said: “The recent pronouncement by the U. S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that Nigeria’s air carriers’ operations are in compliance with the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s (ICAO’s) standards is good news that rekindles hope in the sector.

    He said: “ The  aviation sector in Nigeria is all together safe as accidents have remained at zero level for six consecutive years with serious or reportable incidents at acceptable levels.”

    This, according to him, does not presuppose there are no challenges and issues in the sector which deserve mention and require adequate attention.

    Akinkuotu noted that as an airspace manager, NAMA has embarked on the modernisation of airspace infrastructure through the Installation of Instrument Landing System (ILS), Distance Measuring Equipment (DME), Doppler Very High Frequency Omnidirectional radio Range (DVOR) and Wide Area Multi-Lateration (WAM) for low-flying aircraft surveillance and control, even as he revealed that Installation of ILS/DME and DVOR/DME is ongoing in 12 airport locations while CAT III ILS will be completed in Abuja and Lagos before the end of the year.

  • NAMA deploys equipment in area control centres

    Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) has deployed two Jotron high-powered very high frequency (VHF) long-range communication radios in Lagos West and Lagos East Area Control Centres (ACCs), its Managing Director Captain Fola Akinkuotu has disclosed.

    According to Akinkuotu, the  equipment installation last week  culminated into successful Site Acceptance Test (SAT) carried out by NAMA engineers in conjunction with their counterparts from Jotron AS, Norway.

    The facility, he said,  was deployed by the airspace agency as part of its  pledge to address Remote Control Air to Ground (RCAG) communication challenges in the upper airspace.

    Speaking during the SAT, Capt. Akinkuotu said:  “In accordance with International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) regulations, it is incumbent on Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs) like NAMA to facilitate safe airways, safe separations and also provide critical fall-back plans for airspace users and that is the essence of this project.”

    He described the stand-alone radios as a robust solution for emergency/backup coverage in unexpected circumstances ; INCLUDING  when there is technical failures or during routine maintenance of the main RCAG system.

    He said: “Test transmission has been conducted on the system by air traffic control officers with aircraft flying at different flight levels just as contacts have been established for a distance of up to 220 nautical miles at different flying levels of the upper airspace and this conforms with the VHF propagation predictions submitted for scrutiny during the design phase of the project.”

  • NAMA set to improve revenue

    The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) has begun moves to shore up its revenue.

    Its Managing Director, Capt. Fola Akinkuotu, said this became imperative because of the rising commitments in upgrading navigational infrastructure, enhancing air traffic management services, building staff capacity and meeting other personnel costs.

    Akinkuotu, who spoke while receiving the report of the Revenue Mobilisation Committee set up by the agency, said the management would  study the report  and implement relevant aspects of it.

    He said  an improvement in the revenue profile would translate to a more robust NAMA, adding that this will enable it discharge its functions in a more efficient manner.

    Akinkuotu, however, enjoined the staff members to be more prudent and avoid wastages to realise the  dream.

    In the quest to improve its revenue-generating capacity, the agency inaugurated a Revenue Mobilisation Committee, whose main term of reference was to deliberate on the agency’s statutory revenue sources and develop strategies for more effective ways of generation and collection.

    The committee, which sat between February and April,  recommended the improvement on the frequency of stakeholder engagement, especially on service delivery.

    Others include enlightenment  through various platforms, provision of incentives for prompt payment by customers, improvement on the agency’s e-payment platform, deployment of Point of Sales (POS) in revenue payment points and maintaining liaison with the regulator and stakeholders in matters on reviewing charges.

  • NAMA set to improve revenue

    The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) has begun moves to shore up its revenue.

    Its Managing Director, Capt. Fola Akinkuotu, said this became imperative because of the rising commitments in upgrading navigational infrastructure, enhancing air traffic management services, building staff capacity and meeting other personnel costs.

    Akinkuotu, who spoke while receiving the report of the Revenue Mobilisation Committee set up by the agency, said the management would  study the report  and implement relevant aspects of it.

    He said  an improvement in the revenue profile would translate to a more robust NAMA, adding that this will enable it discharge its functions in a more efficient manner.

    Akinkuotu, however, enjoined the staff members to be more prudent and avoid wastages to realise the  dream.

    In the quest to improve its revenue-generating capacity, the agency inaugurated a Revenue Mobilisation Committee, whose main term of reference was to deliberate on the agency’s statutory revenue sources and develop strategies for more effective ways of generation and collection.

    The committee, which sat between February and April,  recommended the improvement on the frequency of stakeholder engagement, especially on service delivery.

    Others include enlightenment  through various platforms, provision of incentives for prompt payment by customers, improvement on the agency’s e-payment platform, deployment of Point of Sales (POS) in revenue payment points and maintaining liaison with the regulator and stakeholders in matters on reviewing charges.

  • NAMA chief lauds women engineers

    NAMA chief lauds women engineers

    The Managing Director, Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Captain Fola Akinkuotu, has extolled the impact of women engineers in socio-economic development.

    Akinkuotu spoke at the investiture of Felicia Agubata as the 15th president of the  Association of Professional Women Engineers of Nigeria (APWEN) in Lagos.

    He noted that Nigeria’s history would be incomplete without mentioning the role of women engineers who have made indelible contributions to its technological advancement.

    He described the new president, a staff member of NAMA, as a woman of valour, persistence and hard work who has transformed  NAMA Engineering Department within her few years in the agency.

    “If given the opportunity and enabling environment, women like Agubata, would continue to excel in their endeavours,’’ Akinkuotu said.

    He praised the leadership and members of APWEN for the investiture of Agubata, noting that it was an honour.

    Agubata promised to uphold the dignity of women engineers and to serve the profession and humanity well.

    Acknowledging the challenges ahead, especially the expectations from the engineering community and stakeholders, Agubata promised to focus on capacity building to mobilise necessary human and material resources and create value for the good of the society in line with the mission of APWEN.

    “There is no research work that has shown that one gender is stronger or weaker than the other, both sexes when given the exposures, training and orientation, the outcome will be very interesting. To guarantee continuous progress, both sexes must complement and support each other. This will ensure that our potential as one humanity is maximised across all spheres,” he said.

    She said the association members should work together to meet the  needs of the society and to improve human experience and expand opportunities for the emerging woman.

  • We are investing in navigational tools, says NAMA

    We are investing in navigational tools, says NAMA

    Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) is committing huge cash in the acquisition of  facilities and surveillance equipment to ensure seamless air navigation, its Managing Director,Captain Fola Akinkuotu, has said.

    In an interview,  he said without such investment, the agency would not tackle complaints by pilots and other airspace users about communication in the airspace.

    He said the agency had embarked on massive upgrade of its facilities, especially in communication, navigation and surveillance.

    Apart from the upgrade,  Akinkuotu said the agency had embarked on capacity building  of various technical  personnel  to  man state-of-art  equipment acquired by NAMA.

    Akinkuotu, who said  NAMA was moving forward, enjoining workers to rally round the administration in its quest to take the agency to the next level.

    He urged them to demonstrate more dedication and commitment to their duties.

    He assured airlines and other airspace users of the agency’s determination to work to build upon the safety profile in the airspace.

    Akinkuotu said the focus of his administration is to continue to propel the agency to  provide customers and clients with the best service.

    He canvassed  synergy and cooperation of all stakeholders in the aviation sector to succeed.

    The NAMA boss said despite several challenges the agency faced in the past year, it also recorded remarkable achievements and significant progress in some critical areas. He listed them to include the replacement of Instrument Landing Systems (ILS) in two strategic airports.

    He listed other achievements to include increase in staff training and improvement in staff welfare.

    “Many of our colleagues received their long-awaited promotions across the line all the way to General Manager Grade level, and it was, particularly, pleasing to see three of our very own elevated to the esteemed position of substantive directors in the agency,” Akinkuotu said.