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NAMA bolsters airspace safety with new VHF radios
Agency clears N1B facility from seaport
Nigerian Airspace Management Agency [NAMA] has boosted the safety of Nigerian airspace as the agency has commenced the installation of 14 new Very High Frequency (VHF) radio sites which will ride on the new VSAT network.
Not a few believe that the installation of the multi-million dollar equipment would help to reduce the occurrence of blind spots in the country’s airspace.
Managing Director of NAMA, Capt. Folayele Akinkuotu expressed gratitude to the Federal Government for its support and intervention leading to the final clearance of the agency’s VSAT equipment at the Apapa port.
He assured airspace users and the flying public that the Nigerian airspace remained safe, adding that NAMA would continue to upgrade its air traffic management services and procedures to guarantee safety of air navigation in the country at all times.
Since 1998, it has been more of rhetoric than actualisation of yet-to-be-completed Aeronautical Information Service (AIS) automation. The wait seems to have ended following the clearance and deployment of the facilities.
This was further worsened by the inability of Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) to clear the over N1 billion facilities that are still trapped at the seaport.
At the celebration of the 2019 World AIS Day in Lagos, Akinkuotu, said the Nigeria Customs service (NCS) was asking for N100 million before the clearance of the equipment and had refused to grant waiver for its release.
Akinkuotu, represented by the Director Operations, Mr. Lawrence Pwajok, at the event with the theme: “The Benefits of Automation to Aeronautical Information Management,” expressed fear that the equipment may rust and become obsolete if not given an expedited clearance.
“Clearing of these goods and paying customs duties cost hundreds of millions because these are very expensive equipment, we must find funds for doing this clearance and it must be done urgently because the equipment cannot remain in the ports at the risk of bad weather and anything could expire there and we will run the risk of starting all over again.”
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He lamented that the agency was back to square one again, dashing the hopes of the AIS personnel in the automation of the AIS in the country after 10 years of foot dragging on the project.
He however, stated that the setback would not affect the automation of the AIS, as former minister of State for Aviation Hadi Sirika was working tirelessly to ensure that the project was implemented.
He assured AIMAN that management was working hard to ensure more AIS officers were trained ahead of the completion of the Automation system, adding that efforts were on in providing conducive working environment for the officers to carry out their job effectively towards ensuring safety.
He explained that the agency was asked not to include the clearance fees for the equipment in last year’s budget and assured that as a government agency, the equipment would be granted waiver.
“The project did not envisage that we will have to pay for clearing, it was two years ago we were at the National Assembly with the former MD and the National Assembly insisted we should not cost for clearing of government equipment in the budget, they say you can get a waiver from customs and from the ministry of finance and from the CBN and you don’t need to pay.
Akinkuotu told Woleshadarenews that the agency had equally begun plans to digitalise the nation’s aeronautical information service (AIS) have received a bolster as the agency recently commenced the installation of prefabricated pilot joint briefing offices nationwide.
He disclosed that the installation team which has completed work at Murtala Mohammed International Airport Lagos has proceeded to another airport and is expected to continue the installation in 21 airports and three aerodromes nationwide.
In flying, communication is essential. Where a pilot is unable to see what is ahead of him or communicate effectively from airport of departure to the destination airport, the safety of all on board is already in jeopardy.
This is where the job of Air Traffic Controllers (ATCs) comes to play and this equipment would help to ameliorate problems associated with blind spots.
The NAMA management has taken drastic actions to address the challenge. President of the National Association of Air Traffic Engineers (NAAE), Ishaya Dung, said blind spots have disappeared in the country’s airspace, adding that the issue of blind spots in the country’s airspace has become a thing of the past.
