The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Coordinated Validation Mission (ICVM) has begun an on-site safety oversight audit in Nigeria as part of its continuous monitoring approach.

The validation mission follows the ICAO Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme (USOAP) conducted between August and September 2023, in which Nigeria scored 70.12 per cent in Effective Implementation (EI).

Speaking during the opening ceremony in Abuja on Wednesday, the ICVM Team Leader, Mr. Jerome Patoreaux, explained that the team will collect, evaluate, and document evidence of Nigeria’s progress in implementing Corrective Action Plans (CAPs) from the 2023 audit.

He said, “We have an ICAO team that is here and remotely here to collect, evaluate, and document the evidence of progress made by Nigeria in implementing its corrective action plans”.

He reminded stakeholders of ICAO’s eight critical Eeements of a safety oversight system, covering legislation, regulations, staffing, training, procedures, licensing, surveillance, and enforcement.

Patoreaux, while outlining the team’s oversight plan, warned against delays in submitting evidence of safety reforms.

He said, “The last chance to provide evidence is at 12 midday on the 20th of April. After this time, we cannot accept any evidence. This deadline does not mean that you have to wait until Monday to provide us with evidence. On the contrary, we need to gather the evidence as it is going on. We have to finish the collection of evidence. We cannot have floating data.”

The Director General of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, Capt. Chris Najomo described the mission by the ICAO team as a critical milestone in the country’s journey towards attaining global excellence in aviation safety oversight.

Najomo said, “We took the audit findings in good faith and with the utmost seriousness that they deserved by conducting root cause analysis and promptly developing comprehensive Corrective Action Plans (CAPs) to address identified deficiencies”.

He, however, noted that the CAPs were validated by ICAO and have since guided a series of reforms in the sector.

He said, “We actualised the deployment of EMPIC as the regulatory software for the Authority, specifically in the automation of personnel licensing and aeromedical processes. The Authority’s agreement with EMPIC will initially address four modules, and the full operationalisation is scheduled for May 2026.

On technical capacity, Najomo said over 100 flight operations and airworthiness inspectors were trained on special authorisation procedures at European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) approved institutions in Comiso, Italy, and Dubai, UAE.

He added that some inspectors are currently undergoing On-the-Job Training coordinated under an MoU with the Rwandan Civil Aviation Authority to qualify the inspectors on specialised authorisations.

He added, “Nigeria has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the surrounding Flight Information Regions (FIRs) for ensuring safe, orderly, and efficient air traffic flow across boundaries.

Najomo, while highlighting some of the reforms introduced by the authority, stressed that Nigeria’s goal goes beyond scores:

“Our overarching objective is to institutionalise a resilient safety oversight system that fosters continuous improvement in safety performance. This aligns perfectly with the federal government of Nigeria’s policy on strict adherence to international safety regulations, which, in itself, will automatically elevate Nigeria’s ICAO rating.”

He further announced that ICAO presented Nigeria’s Civil Aviation Master Plan (CAMP) to the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, at the ongoing Global Implementation Support Symposium in Marrakech, Morocco. (The Nation)

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