Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) has boosted safety of Nigerian airspace, as the agency commences installation of 14 new Very High Frequency (VHF) radio sites to ride on the new VSAT network.

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.

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.

Akinkuotu 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 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, which was themed: “The Benefits of Automation to Aeronautical Information Management,” expressed fear that the equipment may rust and become obsolete if not given an expedited clearance.

He said: “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.”

Akinkuotu 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.

The NAMA MD, however, stated that the setback would not affect the automation of the AIS, as the 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 are trained ahead of the completion of the automation system, adding that efforts were on to provide conducive working environment for the officers to carry out their job effectively towards ensuring safety.

Akinkuotu 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 pay for 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.

The NAMA boss told this newspaper that the agency had equally planned to digitalise the nation’s Aeronautical Information Service (AIS) having 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, had proceeded to another airport and is expected to continue the installation in 21 airports and three aerodromes nationwide.

Wole Shadare