The Network for the Actualisation of Social Growth and Viable Development (NEFGAD), a civil society organisation, has faulted the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) over its decision to ban the use of mobile phones in “airplane mode” during flight operations, describing the directive as a source of serious international embarrassment to Nigeria.

The Director-General of NCAA, Capt. Chris Najomo, at a stakeholders’ meeting themed “National Civil Aviation Security Committee Meeting” in Abuja on Tuesday, declared that all passengers must now completely switch off their electronic devices during flights, thereby ending the long-standing “flight mode” practice.

Reacting, NEFGAD warned the aviation agency against taking Nigeria back to the early days of flight development, describing the directive as “a bid to cover up its regulatory backwardness and organisational ineptitude, which have created multiple embarrassments for the country in recent times.”

NEFGAD’s position was contained in a statement signed by its Country Head of Office, Mr. Akingunola Omoniyi, and made available to newsmen in Abuja on Wednesday.

In a related development, NEFGAD has also petitioned the National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP) to verify the technology status of Nigerian airlines, arguing that the NCAA’s position smacks of incompetence and inefficiency, capable of sending dangerous signals to the international community about the state of Nigeria’s airspace.

NOTAP is an agency established to facilitate the growth of a strong Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) system in Nigeria and is equally saddled with the responsibility of tracking the inflow of foreign technology into the country.

“The NCAA’s recent directive mandating all air passengers to completely switch off their mobile phones during flight take-off and landing is outdated and out of fashion,” Mr. Akingunola averred.

NEFGAD argued that the aviation sector has advanced far beyond the NCAA’s current operational scope. It maintained that while modern aircraft today provide free Wi-Fi services for passengers throughout flight operations, Nigerian authorities are still attempting to enforce obsolete practices. The group added that modern airplanes are built to resist any interference from personal devices or electronic gadgets.

Mr. Akingunola said, “The NCAA seems to have forgotten that the aviation sector has advanced far beyond its current operational scope. Modern aircraft in today’s world, including Emirates, Lufthansa, Air France, Delta, British Airways, and Qatar Airways, all offer free Wi-Fi services for passengers in the air and during all stages of flight operations.”

The organisation further expressed concern that the NCAA has consistently failed to address real issues or make tangible regulatory reforms despite lessons from recent airport incidents involving Fuji musician Kwam 1 and Ms. Comfort Emmanson, particularly in the areas of aircraft technology standards, passenger code of conduct, consumer protection guidelines, and aviation security management, among others.

“The NCAA directive has clearly shown the outside world that Nigeria’s airspace is dominated by obsolete planes manufactured before the year 2000- aircraft over 25 years old. It is doubtful if any serious-minded investor will risk his life flying in a country whose airspace is largely dominated by such outdated aircraft. As a regulator, if your flight operations cannot provide basic international standards of in-flight internet connectivity 25 years after the advent of Wi-Fi/internet-enabled aircraft for the use of in-flight passengers, then the regulator itself should bear the blame, not the passengers.” The group said.

NEFGAD also lamented that Nigerians pay some of the most expensive airfares for both local and international travel, saying the country cannot continue to be a dumpsite for outdated airplanes that fail to provide passengers with comfort and advanced in-flight experiences.

“This is not the era of regulatory grandstanding, but technological innovation and competitiveness. NCAA has no excuse other than to wake up from its regulatory trance and bring real innovation to our airspace by benchmarking Nigerian airlines’ technology against ICAO-compliant international standards, and make Nigerians more comfortable with full in-flight experiences as obtainable anywhere else in the world,” Akingunola stressed. (ARiseNews TV, but headline rejigged)