The commissioner of Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB), Mr. Akin Olateru, has said that no individual or organisation could fault its reports because the agency adopts collective, instead of personalised approach to accident investigation.
A statement by AIB’s spokesman, Mr. Tunji Oketunbi, said Olateru made the remark recently when the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE) led by its president, Mr. Abednego Galadima, paid him a courtesy visit in his office in Lagos.
He also said no engine or aircraft manufacturer had faulted the reports of the agency on aircraft incident or accident due to the quality of work done by investigators.
He said the minister of state for aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika had advised the agency not to “rush our reports so that it can’t be faulted by anyone.”
“So, I took the time to take him (Sirika) through the process to show him that our reports can’t be faulted. Our reports are not done individually again.
“Now, we have groups comprising experienced and inexperienced investigators. No one personalises reports again. And after the groups have finished their work with the draft reports, we send them to stakeholders for their comments and observations. On getting feedbacks, we do a general review, which involves virtually all the investigators, before it goes out for proof reading.”
The commissioner said the aviation industry anywhere in the world is technical and volatile, stressing that whatever developments take place in other sector affect the aviation industry.
Thereafter, Olateru charged NAAPE to be more professional in the discharge of its responsibilities.
“If members of NAAPE in the various organisations displayed professionalism in the discharge of their duties, the Nigerian aviation industry would experience more growth while the sector would continue to remain safe for flight operations,” he said.
He applauded the association for showing pragmatic professionalism in dealing with managements of various organisations in the industry, saying its (NAAPE’s) attitude had brought stability to the sector and enjoined the association to continue with such approach.
“There is no organisation without workers and if there is no organisation, there will be no workers. Your association has demonstrated enough professionalism.
“Without NAAPE, there is no aviation. NAAPE is the most important union in the industry. I am not however saying that other unions are not important. But, everything surrounds aircraft.
“If there is no aircraft, there is no aviation. NAAPE comes first in the industry. So, I will want you to also enjoin your member to be more professional in the discharge of their duties,” he said.
He disclosed that Sirika was working with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to ensure that interest rates on loans obtained by investors in the sector was not more than 9 per cent, stressing that “this would go a long way in improving standards in the sector.”
He emphasised that it required expertise for an investor to run an airline business successfully and enjoined investors in the sub-sector to allow proven professionals to run their business.
In his remarks, Galadima commended Olateru for bringing stability to AIB within a short period of time.
He promised that the association would work closely with the management especially in the area of accident prevention as well as also sensitise NAAPE members on non-hazard and violation according to Annex 13 of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).
“We want to see that the industry grows. We are here to see that aviation in Nigeria grows and gets a win-win for employees and employers in the industry. We recognise that AIB has paucity of funds, but despite this, the bureau has been paying the license fee to NAAPE members in the agency.
“I will also use this opportunity to call for the release of promotion letters to our members in your organisation as the year is running out. Also, I seek proper placement as it affects our members. We will support you, but as friends, we will also tell you the truth,” said Galadima.
