By GABRIEL AGBEJA

Capt. Alex Bade, the Director General, Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB), has rebutted US claimed that Nigerian airports are generally unsafe.

This is contained in a statement signed by Mrs Bimbo Oladeji, the NSIB Director of Public Affairs and Family Assistance, on Wednesday in Abuja.

In response to the statement from the US State Department suggesting Nigerian airports are generally unsafe, Bade stated that ?there is always room for improvement, the NSIB does not concur with such assessment?.

?NSIB has responded to recent concerns regarding safety of Nigerian airports, clarified its role in the investigation of helicopter crash involving late Herbert Wigwe, and provided updates on its expanded mandate covering all modes of transport.

?It?s crucial to consider the context and metrics used in such evaluations.

?While we acknowledged that challenges, such as perimeter fencing and instances of wildlife intrusion exist at some airports, however, these are not unique to Nigeria but occur at airports globally, including in the United States.

?It is, therefore, unfair to generalise that our airports are totally unsafe,? he said.

He commended efforts of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) in implementing upgrades toward wildlife management at nation`s airports.

?Regarding the recent incident in Asaba, where an aircraft was reported to have encountered animals on the runway, the aircraft was fine and continued its journey to Abuja without any damage.

?The incident was reported to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA). Since there was no significant issue, it was not reported to the NSIB.

?However, we plan to reach out to the private entity managing the airport to discuss best practices,? he added.

NSIB boss said that such occurrences involving animals on run ways were rare in Nigeria.

He said National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), who led the investigation in the US, kept NSIB abreast as interested party of the process.

According to him, The NTSB report indicated that the probable cause of the accident was spatial disorientation as the report also highlighted deficiencies in the company?s oversight and safety management processes.

?It appears there were systemic issues, and the flight risk assessment should have indicated a higher risk. While it?s easy to blame the pilot, there is a system behind the pilot that should have mitigated these risks,? he added.

He said NSIB is now the sole accident investigation agency in Nigeria, covering air, rail, road, and maritime in line with the agency`s establishment Act of 2022.

?We are developing the necessary frameworks, including maritime investigation regulations, training manuals, investigation procedure policies, and manuals.

?The maritime and rail frameworks are complete, and we are engaging stakeholders for their buy-in.

?The NSIB is committed to promoting transport safety and conducting objective, comprehensive, and accurate investigations into transport accidents and incidents in Nigeria,? he said. (NAN)

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