By Patience Chat Moses
The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) has scored Nigeria 70 per cent in its initial report of the Universal Safety Audit Program Continuous Monitoring Approach (USOAP)- CMA that was concluded recently.
The audit which was conducted involved rigorous scrutiny, inspection, monitoring, and review of the regulatory standards that guide the activities of the critical aviation agencies in line with ICAO recommended standards and practices.
Based on the audit report, Nigeria excelled in Legislation, Organisation, Personnel, Licensing, Airworthiness, and Accident Investigation. The country emerged with a score of 90.48% in legislation, surpassing the global average of 76.55%, while its 83.33% in Organization topped the 71% global average.
Personnel Licensing achieved an 83.91% score, exceeding the 73.19% average. In Airworthiness, Nigeria scored 94%, showcasing a significant +10.92% improvement on the 83.08% global average.
For Accident Investigation, an 89.29% score meant Nigeria gained 34.47% on the global average.
However, in Operations, it dropped 8.61% below the 70.68% average to 62.07%. Additionally, there was a -21.06% below-average score of 44.26% in Air Navigation Services(ANS)
Concerning Aerodromes, which includes any area of land or water used for aircraft operation, regardless of facilities, Nigeria’s 56% score fell short of the 62.59% global average, indicating a -6.59% difference.
The country’s overall score of 70% is -5% short of 75%, with key areas like operations, aerodrome, and ANS contributing to the lower Effective Implementation Score.
The audit which took place between August 30 and September 11, 2023, focused on Nigeria’s capability in providing safety oversight by assessing whether the country has implemented the critical elements (CEs) of a safety oversight system effectively and consistently.
The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) represents Nigeria and was the focus of the audit.
According to ICAO, the audit enables the country to ensure the implementation of ICAO’s safety-related Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) as well as associated procedures and guidance material.
The audit will also provide ICAO with a means to continuously monitor the States’ fulfilment of their safety oversight obligations.
The Director-General (DG) of Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Captain Musa Shuaibu Nuhu, stated that the country’s 70% score is neither a pass nor fail but an opportunity for continuous improvement.
“There is a target. If you don’t meet the target, ICAO will send you a report with the protocol questions. You use that to develop an action plan within three months and close some of those gaps,” he said.
He acknowledged areas where Nigeria did not perform well, particularly in the certification of airports, losing 10 points or more in that category.
“To be honest, we refused to certify the airports because they did not meet the requirements. If we had certified and ICAO found they didn’t meet the standards, our credibility would plummet.”
Although the score was good for the country, industry insiders said Nigeria could do better, as ICAO listed State Corrective Action Plans (CAPs). It advised that upon receipt of the draft report, State may start to prepare the Corrective Action Plans, but upload them onto the Online Framework only after receipt of the final report.CAPs include sufficient details to enable effective resolution of findings.
ICAO also stated that the Appropriate Action Office is identified in the CAPs; and the Realistic Estimated Date of Implementation is provided for all short, medium and long term actions.
“In other words, the gaps found in the audit ought to be corrected by the state (NCAA) and those gaps have been identified and realistic for the implementation of the gaps provided in the short term, medium term and long term, creating enough time for the NCAA to fully close the gaps.”