The minister of state for aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, has described as “big plus” the certification of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) and the attainment of ISO 9001 certification by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet).
The minister who stated this in Abuja while receiving the certificates from the managing director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Mr. Saleh Dunoma and the director general of NiMet, Prof. Sani Mashi pledged to sustain the tempo.
Sirika who hoped that the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA) would be certified before year end said he was elated at both achievements added that when the Abuja Airport was shut down for the rehabilitation of its runway, it was a plus “but the certification is a bigger plus.”
“Shutting down Abuja Airport was a plus but the certification is a bigger plus. We want to ensure our ministry is strong, focused, effective, and Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, we hope before the end of the year will be certified.”
“Now the world will know that flights in and around Nigeria are safe and secure and that will increase the value of our airports and will shore up the value of our infrastructure, especially as we are geared towards concessioning.
“We promised to bring strong institutions and strong institutions beget strong nations and we have hastened to certify our airports by standardising them to reflect certain minimum standards of safety,” he said.
The managing director of FAAN, Mr. Saleh Dunoma who spoke while presenting the certificate to the minister said the certification had created standardization and uniformity in the aerodrome thereby making it at par with others everywhere despite different management.
“With MMIA done we will move to certify NAIA and from there move to certify the other international airports. FAAN is determined to maintain and surpass the aerodrome certification. It was a concerted effort with all our sister agencies as well as the Airports Council International (ACI) and the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) regional office and we are appreciative of their support and the support of the minister who stood steadfast and created the enabling environment for this to happen,” said Dunoma.
The certificates were presented to the minister by the managing director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Mr. Saleh Dunoma and NiMet director general, Professor Sani Mashi, respectively.
