Half Year Transport Agencies Rating: How NAMA, AIB, NITT & NCAT Fared

Here is the last trench of the MMS Plus first half rating of transport agencies in the country based on their performance with regards to their core functions. This appraisal covers; Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Nigeria Institute of Transport Technology (NITT), Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) and Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT).

For the grading system: A =90-100%, B+ = 80-89%, B =70-79%, C+ =60-69%, C =50-59%, D =40-49% and E = 30-39%, F = 0-30%. Enjoy it:

Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA)

NAMA is an Air Navigation Service Provider with mandate to manage the Nigerian Airspace to a level consistent with the requirements of the ICAO SARPs and make it rank among the safest in the AFI region indeed, the world over.

NAMA has the following responsibilities; to provide safe and functional air navigation services that will meet international standards; to increase Air Traffic Management (ATM) capacity in order to manage the increasing air traffic volume and simultaneously reduce delays, to enhance service quality; To reduce cost for airspace users.

The agency achieved some milestone in the development of manpower with the training of core aviation professionals within the agency.

Passengers and airport users now benefit from the provision of Category 11 and 111 instrument landing systems which enable airlines land and take-off during low visibility. Before now, airlines were not able to take off and land during low visibility at most of the country’s airports with harmattan season also position navigational challenges. Score = 15/25

Industry still complain that the agency collects high fees from the airlines for its services and also in foreign currencies even for flights within the country, while it has failed to provide the highest quality of services for the airlines. This remains a dent to the image of the regulatory authority, thus it scores  4/25 in this aspect.

On the issue of increasing Air Traffic Management (ATM) capacity, NAMA boss, Capt. Fola Akinkuotu, said the installation of Doppler VOR and distance measuring equipment were on going in 14 airports to replace the old ones. Multi-lateration system has been deployed to the Niger Delta region to take care of helicopters flying in the area. While the agency also installed a backup radio in Kano and Lagos remarking that vigorous trainings for air traffic controllers and engineers were being carried out in order to be at breast with current developments.Score = 12/25

In the aspect of providing modern efficient equipment that meet international standards, the agency has recorded minimal development in the first half of 2018. Score=  8/25

Conclusion

NAMA gets 40% in its performance for the first half of the year, however, one can be optimistic that NAMA would improve in its performance by installing the needed navigational aids and equipment that will further enhance air transportation in the country.

Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB)

The Nigerian Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) is charged with the responsibility of investigating any civil aircraft accident and serious incident arising out of, or in the course of air navigation and occurring either in or over Nigeria, or occurring to Nigerian aircraft elsewhere.

AIB started 2018 brightly, hosting a meeting of the Banjul Accord Group Accident Investigation Agency (BAGAIA) on a four-day aircraft accident/incident report writing course slated for January 16-19, 2018. The training was an offshoot of the second meeting of the BAGAIA Commission, which was held between December 13 to 15, 2017 in Praia, Cape Verde, where the Commissioner of AIB, Akin Olateru proposed to the BAGAIA Commission to host the Air Accident/Serious Incident Report Writing Training. The proposal was a way to ensure that AIB’s safety investigators benefit greatly; even as Nigeria, Cape Verde, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone are members of the BAGAIA accord group. Twenty of AIB’s safety investigators were part of the training which enhanced the capacity of the workforce.

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, Presidential Air Fleet, the Nigerian Navy and the Nigeria Air Force were also invited to be part of the training as such institutions also investigate its own incidents/accidents. This is an indication of cooperative and collaborative initiative of the AIB management in ensuring that sisters/related agencies are not left behind in the numerous capacity development programmes of AIB.

The agency also recently introduced a new App that would assist in investigating aircraft accidents and incidents.

The App is targeted to reach no fewer than 15 million passengers within the country’s airspace and beyond, featuring a live reporting menu, whereby (pictures/videos) could be uploaded by any user who witnessed events that could result to aircraft accidents.

According to the agency, an individual’s swift reaction to any flight incidents may be his/ her patriotic contribution to preventing air crashes. It directed members of the public to download it from its website.

With this modest achievements, MMS scores AIB 55/100

NITT was established to provide trainings in order to maintain professionalism in the sector. MMS Plus x-rays NITT performance in the first half of 2018 based on its three major statutory functions.

Provide Management Training for Personnel employed in all modes of transport:
This Institute seems to be in oblivion. Nothing has been heard about this role in 2018 although the institute made some efforts to partner with Nigerian Shippers Council and Nigerian Ports Authority in 2017. Those in-charge of the various modes of transport in the country remain highly unskilled and unprofessional. Score = 10/33.

Majority of the personnel saddled with managing various modes of Nigeria’s transport system remain unprofessional and highly unregulated. Various policies were introduced by Federal Government like the speed limiting device without any impact because of poor compliance. Score = 5/33

Provide equipment and facilities for the encouragement, promotion and conduct of applied research in all modes of transport; also there was no tangible information in this regards in the first quarter of 2018. Score = 5/34

NITT is an agency saddled with the arduous task of professionalizing all cadres of players in the nations transport sector but there is no indication that the agency is fulfilling this mandate. The institute seems to be retrogressing day-by-day even as operators prefer to get their certification from other private driven institutes. 20% is poor by all standards, so the institute needs rebranding.

NCAT is saddled with the onus to train aviation professionals.

In the first half of 2018 the agency didn’t do much in terms of meeting up with this obligation. However, there are ongoing plans to admit more trainees in 2018. A significant reduction in the number of available aircrafts is driving a number of pilots and engineers out of jobs, but the proposed take of the national carrier ‘Nigeria Air’ is expected to correct this unfortunate trend.