Tinubu Lauds Nigeria’s Impressive 91.45% Aviation Safety Rating by ICAO

• Says rating confirms nation’s aviation safety standards, making it a more attractive destination for investment

Deji Elumoye in Abuja

President Bola Tinubu has hailed Nigeria’s impressive 91.45 per cent aviation safety rating from the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).

Tinubu, in a release issued on Thursday by his Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, commended Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development for the feat.

He stated that the rating affirmed Nigeria’s aviation safety standards and made it a more attractive destination for investment in aviation infrastructure, maintenance facilities, and airline operations.

Tinubu urged the ministry not to relent but to review and implement every recommendation that the ICAO auditors made during the mission to ensure that Nigeria not only maintained, but went even further on the rating.

ICAO is a United Nations agency that coordinates the principles and techniques of international air navigation. It fosters the planning and development of international air transport to ensure safe and orderly growth.

Through the Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme (USOAP), ICAO assesses countries to ensure they manage safety risks effectively, ensuring that no country is left behind and directly influencing international confidence in that nation’s airspace.

Nigeria, as an ICAO member state, is obligated to comply with applicable international standards and to establish and implement these safety-critical oversight elements. Since the inception of the Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme in 1999, Nigeria has undergone four USOAP safety audits conducted by ICAO auditors, with results measured through Effective Implementation (E.I.) scores.

During a recent debriefing by the ICAO audit team at the Abuja headquarters of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), the lead auditor announced that Nigeria had recorded an impressive 91.45% Effective Implementation (EI) score – the highest ever for Nigeria.

The regional average for West Africa is 61.1 per cent, and the global average is 70.4 per cent. Nigeria is, thus, well positioned above the regional and global ratings, which, in turn, significantly boosts investor confidence and strengthens international aviation credibility.

Upon assumption of office, Tinubu redefined the priority areas of his administration to include enhancing infrastructure and transportation as enablers of growth. He also promised to establish the air transport sector as a major driver for economic prosperity by building a safe, secure, and efficient aviation industry focused on making Nigeria a hub that met international standards and best practices beyond even the African continent.

To align with that priority area, Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo (SAN), outlined a five-point agenda to grow the Nigerian aviation value chain.

Importantly, the first point on that agenda was to ensure strict compliance with safety regulations and the continuous upward movement of Nigeria’s ICAO rating.