Safety - NEWS AGENCY OF NIGERIA

Philip Daniel Yatai
Dec, Thu, 2024

FG promises advanced digitisation to enhance aviation safety

159 total views today

By Gabriel Agbeja

Mr Festus Keyamo, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development says the Federal Government will advance digitalisation in the aviation sector to enhance safety and security.

Keyamo made this declaration at the inauguration of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) Flight Data Centre (FDC) on Wednesday in Abuja.

According to him, the administration of President Bola Tinubu is committed to modernising various sectors, moving from analog to more digital and efficient systems.

Keyamo explained that the FDC would help NCAA to regulate more effectively by improving efficiency, saving costs, and enhancing the customer experience within the aviation sector.

“One of our five-point agenda is to improve safety within the sector. This initiative directly contributes to that goal,” Keyamo said.

He emphasised the importance of the FDC in enhancing safety, noting, “This system is not just for handling incidents or serious events; it can be used routinely to track flight patterns, human errors, and mechanical issues during flights.”

Capt. Chris Najomo, the Acting Director-General of NCAA, added that the FDC was a vital part of modern aviation, responsible for collecting, processing, and analysing vast amounts of flight data.

He outlined the key components of the FDC, which include data acquisition, data processing, event detection, and a feedback loop.

Najomo stated that the FDC would help enhance Nigeria’s global credibility by aligning NCAA with international best practices and boosting global confidence in Nigeria’s aviation safety standards.

“As an ICAO Contracting State, Nigeria is obligated to ensure the highest safety standards, and the NCAA’s collaboration with APS Aerospace Corporation supports this effort,” he said.

He further explained that APS Aerospace, with over 100 years of combined experience in Flight Data and Cockpit/ATC Audio Analysis, worked with the NCAA to train selected staff in Flight Data Analysis (FDA) and Flight Data Monitoring (FDM) systems.

“These systems systematically collect, process, and evaluate flight data to identify trends, anomalies, or safety issues, which are crucial for modern aviation safety management systems (SMS)’’.(NAN)

Edited by Ifeyinwa Okonkwo and Abiemwense Moru

Tosin Kolade
Dec, Tue, 2024

Economy/Business

Safety:NEMSA brings electricity stakeholders together in Abuja

199 total views today

By Kadiri Abdulrahman

Electricity stakeholders on Tuesday, gathered in Abuja to discuss safety regulation in the industry.

The gathering was at the 4th edition of the Stakeholders Roundtable for the Enforcement of Technical Standards, Regulations and Mandate of the Nigerian Electricity Management Services Agency (NEMSA).

The theme of the roundtable was: “Optimising Executive, Legislative and Judicial Roles on NEMSA’s Mandate of Enforcement of Technical Standards and Regulations in NESI”.

The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, said that the roundtable represented a crucial step towards deepening awareness.

Adelabu said that it would also foster compliance with approved standards and regulations in the deployment of solar mini-grid systems across the country.

The minister was represented by Mrs Ochanya Ofoma, the Director, General Services, Ministry of Power.

He said that addressing issues like the quality of solar components, proper installation practices, and safety measures would advance the reliability and sustainability of Nigeria’s energy systems.

According to him, it will also safeguard the lives and investments of all stakeholders in the power sector.

“The Ministry of Power remains steadfast on its commitment to creating an enabling environment that supports innovation, investment and growth within the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI).

“We recognise that achieving universal energy access, a key component of our national development agenda, requires robust collaboration between the public and private sector as well as international development partners.

“Events such as this serve as vital platforms for fostering such collaborations, ” he said.

The minister said that the roundtable was a call to action to all stakeholders to allign their efforts towards achieving a safe, sustainable, and inclusive energy future for Nigeria.

Earlier, the Managing Director of NEMSA, Aliyu Tahir, said that the gathering was one of the critical steps in the collective journey towards ensuring the safety, reliability, and sustainability of Nigeria’s electricity supply industry.

According to Tahir, the critical roles played by legislative and judicial arms of government in shaping and upholding regulatory frameworks can not be overstated.

“Your partnership is essential in strengthening the enforcement of technical standards and regulations and ensuring compliance across the sector.

“The NEMSA is established to carry out the functions of enforcement of technical standards and regulations, technical inspection, testing and certification of all categories of electrical installations, electricity meters, and instruments.

“This is to ensure the efficient production and delivery of safe, reliable and sustainable electricity power supply and guarantee safety of lives and property,” he said.

The Chairman, Senate Committee on Power, Sen. Eyinaya Abaribe, said that the roundtable was organised at a time when the use of substandard and inadequate electrical equipment was considered as one of the main causes of grid collapse.

Abaribe said that the issue of standards and regulation needed to be improved upon to address the challenge.

He, however, said that state governments did not have the powers to enforce standards of electrical equipment.

“In amending the electricity act, we may need to make it more explicit that for the question of safety, Nigeria must have one standard.

“Federal laws supercede state laws,” he said.

Earlier, Amb. Godsknow Igali, a former Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Power, said that electricity workers should be commended for working round the clock, and for taking risks to ensure that their is power.

Igali also cautioned the proliferation of standard and regulatory agencies by state governments. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Ese E. Eniola Williams

Philip Daniel Yatai
Nov, Fri, 2024

Aviation

Women in aviation pledge to advance safety, security in aviation sector

239 total views today

By Gabriel Agbeja

The Women in Aviation International, Nigeria Chapter (WIA-N), a non-profit organisation, has pledged to advance safety and security in the aviation industry.

Its President, Nigeria Chapter, Mrs Rejoice Ndudinachi, made the pledge at the 2024 WIA Annual Conference in Abuja on Thursday.

Ndudinachi assured that Women in Aviation would continue to support and do all it takes to ensure safety and security in the aviation industry “and this, we have been doing and will continue to do.

“In every segment of Nigeria’s aviation industry, women are present and have been making a very significant impact, starting from engineering, management, aero- medical, media, regulation, training, meteorology and security to piloting.

“Ever since WIA was established, the level of commitment and dedication to duties by women in aviation has increased and this has contributed significantly to the numerous achievements that the industry has recorded.”

The president said the members would keep gaining knowledge by attending international WIA conferences on constant basis, urging them to support and cooperate.

“Today, we gather once again as a community of pioneers, advocates, and change makers in aviation. Women in Aviation, Nigeria Chapter is a non-profit organisation. It encourages the advancement of women in all aviation career fields and interests.”

She said the vision of the organisation was to promote public awareness of the accomplishments and contributions of women to aviation development.

According to her, the aims of WIA include fostering, promoting and engaging in aviation education, particularly as it relates to WIA.

Others, she said, were to cultivate, foster and promote interest and understanding among the public on the accomplishments and contributions of women in aviation.

“We also aim to encourage the young ones to build up their future in aviation.”

She said WIA-N had established and inaugurated about 17 Aviation Clubs in schools to provide a platform for networking resources and opportunities for women.

“In pursuit of our aims and objectives, we have embarked on public sensitisation programmes, WIA Scholarships, career talks, and other activities to help the young ones to take up a career in aviation.

“For example, Nigeria got the position of first winner and second winner during the September 2024 International girls in aviation day activity raffle draw. The girls made us proud.

“This year, we organised ‘Girls in Aviation Day’ in almost all the airports in Nigeria with the support of aviation agencies, particularly with the support of these beautiful role models and vision achievers in the house,“she said.

She said the organisation gave handsome gifts to outstanding children to inspire them to pursue careers in aviation.

She said the theme, “Connect, Engage, Inspire“ perfectly encapsulated the essence of the organisation`s mission, vision, and the journey it had embarked.

“As women in aviation, we have a unique opportunity and responsibility to inspire. We inspire each other by sharing stories of perseverance, innovation, and leadership.

“We also inspire the younger ones to take up a career in aviation, `she said. (NAN)

Edited by Deji Abdulwahab

Philip Daniel Yatai
Oct, Fri, 2024

Defence/Security

FRSC seeks stakeholders’ collaboration for effective nationwide traffic management

618 total views today

By Ibironke Ariyo

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has called for collaboration with stakeholders on effective traffic management to reduce road crashes and promote safety on Nigerian roads.

Speaking to newsmen after the inauguration of a National Road Safety Advisory Council (NARSAC) at the Presidential villa, on Friday in Abuja, FRSC Corps Marshal, Shehu Mohammed emphasised the need for collective action.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the NARSAC includes six governors, key ministers, and other stakeholders, with a focus on reducing road fatalities across the country.

Mohammed said that the corps had embarked on campaigns in motor parks and public places to promote a safe driving culture across the country.

He said that there was a need for commuters and transport unions to partner in preventing road crashes and ensuring safer travels at all cost.

According to him, road crashes have declined, but the numbers remain unacceptably high; therefore, commuters and transport unions must redouble their awareness and prevention initiatives.

“Commuters must not be quiet when any driver is endangering their lives by violating traffic rules and regulations.

“If you see something, say something. Passengers can do much in reducing road crashes and save lives but what we discover is that more often than not, passengers keep quiet.

“If you are in a bus or in a car and the driver is speeding, you owe it as a duty to raise your voice; but what we see is the opposite, passengers do not talk.

“At times, other passengers will even silence the one raising the alarm. This is unfortunate, life has no duplicate. We should all be proactive in ensuring that we mitigate road crashes.

“Attitudinal change is also crucial for road safety. Transport unions must lead by example in preventing overloading and alcohol-impaired driving,”he maintained.

The FRSC boss said that road crashes had been gradually and steadily declining in the last one month adding that the corps would continually sensitise the motoring public on the proper use of the highways to reduce crashes.

“Although we’re seeing a steady decline, road crashes and victim numbers remain unacceptably high.”

“There is still much more work to be done in terms of awareness, sensitisation and infrastructure to help in ensuring mitigation of this menace called traffic crashes on our roads.

“We will continually visit motor parks to dissuade drivers from taking alcohol or any substance capable of affecting their moods and psyches.

“We will also go to the grassroots to engage the traditional rulers and community leaders on ways to educate their people on measures to take to avoid road crashes,”he said.

The corps marshal urged motorists, especially commercial drivers, to adhere to traffic rules, avoid overloading, and refrain from using phones while driving and other factors bedevilling road safety in the country.

Speaking on the newly inaugurated council, Mohammed believed that the NARSAC marked a significant milestone in Nigeria’s road safety management, paving the way for the swift implementation of the Nigeria Road Safety Strategy (NRSS).

The FRSC boss, who is the secretary of the advisory council described the strategy as the country’s answer to the global call for safer roads, aiming to reduce the alarming number of road crashes and fatalities in Nigeria.

“In essence, the NARSAC establishment is a crucial step towards achieving the NRSS’s objectives, which include improving road design standards, enhancing non-motorised transport initiatives, and strengthening road safety frameworks.

“With the council’s guidance, FRSC can move closer to realising its vision and mission of safer roads and reduced fatalities across the country,”he said.(NAN)

Edited by Sadiya Hamza