ICAO Begins On-site Safety Audit, As NCAA Presents Safety Oversight Systems

The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Coordinated Validation Mission (ICVM) commenced an on-site safety oversight audit in Nigeria on Wednesday.

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, the ICVM Team leader, 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”.

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

Also speaking, the director-general of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, Capt. Chris Najomo described the ICAO team’s mission as a critical milestone in the country’s journey towards attaining global excellence in aviation safety oversight.

He 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.”

Najomo further revealed that over 100 flight operations and airworthiness inspectors were trained in 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 them for 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.”