The senate and the house of representatives committees on aviation have applauded theAccident Investigation Bureau Nigeria (AIB-N) for its critical role in aviation safety.
The lawmakers made the commendation during their oversight visit to and tour of the bureau’s facilities at its head office in Abuja.
The committees led by the chairman, senate committee on aviation, Mrs. Abiodun Olujimi and her opposite number in the house of representatives, Mr. Nnolim Nnaji, praised the agency for the giant strides it has recorded in ensuring safer skies in the country through comprehensive investigation.
Nnaji, who stated that AIB is a very important agency whose investigation have contributed greatly to safety in the aviation sector, said the bureau has proved that it has great potentials to make a lot of difference as regards safety.
“That is why we got the executive bill with both houses passed and I believe that very soon you will change from AIB to the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB).
“We are glad you are looking at other areas that would improve the agency. The training school can create jobs and also help the aviation industry,” he said.
While encouraging the Bureau to do more work to ensure continuous safety which will change the dynamics of investigation from investigating more of serious incidents to investigating incidents, the lawmaker assured the bureau that the committees would look at how they can think out of the box to support the agency and increase its budget.
For her part, Olujimi commended the commissioner, Mr. Akin Olateru, for his visionary leadership qualities and achievements that have ensured safer skies in Nigeria.
She pledged the continuous support of the NASS joint committee on aviation for the fulfilment of AIB’s various plans for the improvement and advancement of accident investigation in Nigeria.
Appreciating the lawmaker, for their support, Olateru said the agency under his administration has moved from investigating more accidents to investigating more of serious accidents.
“Our plan, however, is to move from investigating more of serious incidents to investigating incidents,” he said.
Olateru also disclosed that the Bureau has five projects, which are currently ongoing.
He said the projects which include the bureau’s training school, which is the first of its kind in Africa, was 95 per cent completed while the metallurgical laboratory, which was relocated to the agency’s head office complex was about 80 per cent completed.
The commissioner further said the bureau was building a new head office in the complex adding that it had procured mobile satellite office, which can be used at crash sites by the air safety investigators.
Olateru also disclosed that the bureau does not charge money for investigation, but unveiled plans to re-evaluate AIB’s operations in order to generate revenue from other sources.
“I want to separate the business of making money from the technical side of accident investigation. For instance, since accidents do not occur regularly and we have the mobile office unused during the intervals, when there are no accidents, we are in talks with the United Nations (UN) on how they can use the mobile office unit when they go to the interior parts of the country, thereby generating income for AIB,” he said.
