Nigeria excelled in the recently completed International Civil Aviation Organization Universal Safety Audit Programme Continuous Monitoring Approach-CMA.
Obiageli Orah, Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria, confirmed this in a statement on Saturday evening.
“The objective of the USAP-CMA was to promote global aviation security through continuous auditing and monitoring of member states’ aviation security performance to enhance their aviation security compliance and oversight capabilities,” a statement from FAAN stated.
The audit’s findings were highlighted during the Audit Debrief event, chaired by Team Lead Callum Vine on Friday, March 22, at the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority offices in Abuja’s Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport.
The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace, Emmanuel Meribole, who represented the Minister, attended the debrief, as did the NCAA’s interim Director General, Captain Chris Najomo.
According to FAAN, meeting the aviation safety aim required the frequent and continual gathering and analysis of data on member states’ aviation security performance.
This includes examining the level of implementation of important elements within their aviation security oversight systems, as well as compliance with Annex 17—Security Standards and appropriate Annex 9—Facilitation Standards.
Commenting on the results, Vine stated that Nigeria did wonderfully across most important indicators, garnering plaudits for its strong rules and authorities with clear mandates on airport security.
He praised the country for its prompt response to highlighted flaws, highlighting the efficiency with which workers remedied them without complaint.
Vine went on to say that the ICAO would provide Nigeria with a detailed report on the audit within 60 days.
The country will then have 30 days to make comments, after which it is expected to submit a plan outlining ways to attain compliance with the organization’s requirements.
During the debriefing, FAAN’s Managing Director, Olubunmi Kuku, explained that the authority will use the audit results as a guiding roadmap for continuous improvement of services given to airport users and stakeholders.
She urged all stakeholders to work closely together, share best practices, and be vigilant in maintaining the highest standards of security in the Nigerian aviation industry.
Kuku thanked all government agencies, security organizations, government institutions, and aviation agency heads for their outstanding contributions to this remarkable feat.