Ministerial visit: AIB seeks trained, motivated professional investigators
..Demands for Hi-tech equipment, other sophisticated tools
The commissioner of Accident Investigation Bureau
AIB, Dr Felix Abali has told the minister of transport, Rt Hon. Chibuike Amaechi that the Bureau needs well trained, well motivated and diligent professional investigators in carrying out their duties.
Speaking when the minister paid a visit to the premises of the Bureau at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, Dr Abali stated that the AIB also need to have hi-tech equipment and other sophisticated tools.
According to Abali, ” these two resources will help us to deliver on our mandate and fulfill our vision of being among the leading accident investigation bodies in the world”.
He noted that for now they have some dedicated, well trained professionals and some good facilities, adding that the Bureau need more in this direction.
Abali said: “The Accident Investigation Bureau is being funded through the 3 percent of the Ticket Sales Charge (TSC) being collected by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and federal government allocations through the federal budget. We can do with more funding.
We also have challenges just as we have great potentials. We hope your visit will help in overcoming some of these challenges and reposition AIB among the leading accident investigation bodies in the world”.
He stated that the rest of issues concerning the AIB will be passed across to the minister.
He explained that AIB became an autonomous agency and effectively started operation in 2007 with the appointment of a Commissioner/chief executive officer as a result of the passing into law of the Civil Aviation Act of 2006.
The commissioner of AIB added that prior to this time, the Bureau was a department in the Federal Ministry of Aviation as Accident Investigation and Prevention Bureau (AIPB) and headed by a Director.
In his words, “Accident investigation is one of the two important critical legs of ensuring aviation safety, the other being regulation. The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) defines accident investigation as ‘a process conducted for the purpose of accident prevention, which includes the gathering and analysis of information, the drawing of conclusions, including the determination of causes and, when appropriate, the making of safety recommendations”.
The AIB told the minister that the Bureau silently but diligently work behind the public glare to prevent accidents from re occurring.
Abali explained that the purpose of accident investigation is not to apportion blame or liability but to prevent future re occurrence.
“When we have determined the cause of an occurrence, we issued safety recommendations. We use the instrument of safety recommendations to effect changes in aviation safety. With the recommendations made in the past, we have made local and international impacts that have affected aviation safety positively”, the commissioner of AIB said.
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