Yemisi Izuora
The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has kicked off a 3day Stakeholders workshop to discuss contributions on the proposed amendment to the Nig.CARs 2009 and 2012 to ensure it achieve its objects and purpose as guided by the Federal Government Policies.
The permanent Secretary in the ministry of Aviation, Binta Bello while addressing operators at the event urged participants to exercise their knowledge and expertise and make productive submission and inputs that will enhance the quality of the proposed Regulations which will in turn drive the industry forward.
Bello who was represented by the Director of Safety Hassan Bello explained that all amendments to the ICAO Standards and Recommended Practices contained in Annexes 1 to 19 are required to be domesticated for Nigeria to continue to enjoy the pride of place in the comity of nations adding that the Economic Regulations and Consumers Protections Regulations are to be amended to conform to international best practices.
She stressed that all hands must be on deck to ensure a very successful outing for Nigeria in the upcoming ICAO Universal Safety Oversight Program (USOAP) Audit which is scheduled to hold in March 2016. “The amendment of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulation (CAR), in order to bring it up to date with recent ICAO amendments is an integral step towards the success of the Audit” she added
The Director of Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority Captain Muhtar Usman in his annotations said that the powers of the NCAA to regulate civil aviation in Nigeria are captured throughout the Civil Aviation Act 2006. Section 30 of the Act empowers the Authority to make regulations on all aspects of civil aviation matters. As required by Article 37 of the Convention on International Civil Aviation (Adoption of International Standards and Procedures), these Regulations are made to cover and domesticate all ICAO Standards that are contained in the relevant Annexes.
He said that the Stakeholders’ Workshop is in accordance with the obligation imposed on the Authority in Sec 30(12) of the Civil Aviation Act 2006 which states that “in the exercise of its power to make regulations under this section, the Authority shall consult with stakeholders including airlines, aerodrome operators, air traffic control service providers, consumers and other relevant bodies and organizations in the aviation industry.
“Stakeholders are invited to note that some of these amendments are already captured in Orders 1 and 2 that were issued to the industry in the third quarter of 2014 before Nigeria’s FAA CAT 1 recertification. The proposed amendment is the first holistic amendment to the Nig.CARs since inception”. He said.
He said that he is optimistic that during these three days of deliberation, the aviation professionals and experts will assist the Authority to derive near perfect Regulations for the advancement of Civil Aviation in Nigeria.