AIB’s procedures, standards world class, say Finnish Peer Review experts

  • Agency to review regulation
 

Nigeria’s apex accident investigation body, the Accident Investigation Bureau’s (AIB) processes and procedure have been adjudged to be in line with global best practices according to former Banjul Accord Group Accident Investigation Agency (BAGAIA) and International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) representative, Mr Caj Frostell and Chief Air Safety Investigator, Safety Investigation Authority, Finland, Mr. Ismo Aaltonen

 He has been an international auditor (audit / gap analysis) of the aircraft accident investigation functions in many countries including Australia, Cape Verde, Finland, Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, Norway, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Sudan, Sweden, United Arab Emirates and United Kingdom.

This is coming as Commissioner, AIB, Akin Olateru, an aircraft engineer disclosed of the plan by the agency to review its regulation which he described as outdated, especially Annex 13  to conform to the updated International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPS)

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“You have to constantly review how you do things, otherwise, you will be outdated”, he added.

From left, Former Commissioner, Banjul Accord Group Accident Investigation Agency, (BAGAIA) and Consultant to AIB, Nigeria, on Operations Review, Mr. Caj Frostell, Commissioner/CEO, Accident Investigation Bureau, (AIB), Engr. Akin Olateru and Chief Air Safety Investigator, Safety Investigation Authority, Finland, Mr. Ismo Aaltonen at a press briefing on AIB Operations review held at Safety House, Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos at the weekend.

 

Frostel made the assertion at the completion of AIB’s Peer Group Meeting at the agency’s headquarters at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos at the weekend.

It was channelled towards benchmarking AIB’s activities with its peers around the globe which has been adjudged to be world class.

The peer review equally centred on measuring infrastructure, the entire system and regulations with a view to benchmarking them with European standards.

Frostel stated that he had witnessed Africa in the last five years and always a pleasure to be in AIB to see the milestone the agency had accomplished.

“The objective of AIB is prevention of accidents on international scale. They are doing great job to gain the trust of aviation community and the media to report the advancement AIB is making.”

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The objective of the whole exercise according to him was to carry out peer review of what has been invented in Europe and international effort to basically do the same thing they have over there.

He lauded AIB for steps taken which he said are of international standards, noting that it takes good and strong leader to accomplish that, adding, “We are very proud of that.”

Olateru hads re-positioned the agency since he assumed office in nearly two years and put it on global map in terms of meticulous accident investigations and release of accident reports that had gathered dust on AIB’s shelf.

Olateru stated that of his mandate was to make the agency world class institution with world class professionals with human capacity building to aid it in accident investigation.

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His words, “They are looking at what is on ground and benchmarking it with it with European standards. Nigeria is a leader in Africa and we are doing it in line Vision 20: 2020. It is an all-encompassing things we put in place to ensure that we are the leader when it comes to accident investigation”.

Aatonen, in his remark described the past one week in Nigeria as very productive with motivated professionals in AIB.

He stated that the accident investigative body had adopted a new way to improve accident investigation, which he said was commendable.

He further stated that the agency has the capacity to handle all kinds of accident investigations.

Wole Shadare