The director general of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, Capt. Muhtar Usman ‎has expressed optimism that ‎the International Civil Aviation Organisation, ICAO Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme, USOAP would be successful. 

Speaking at the  commencement of the ICAO USOAP  Audit at the headquarters Annex of the  NCAA, Capt. Usman‎ stated that ‎periodic audits and certification are not unfamiliar to the Nigerian aviation industry. 

Successive audits have been concluded with successes all the way and to all intent and purposes this prevalent exercise would be similarly successful, the DG said.

He restated Nigeria’s readiness  for the ICAO USOAP  Audit‎, stressing that the Authority has left no stone unturned as all hands were put on deck to ensure adequate preparation.

He noted that there has been a very encouraging cooperation and working relationship between all the relevant parastatals and the regulatory authority towards a successful outing.

 He observed that the growth and development of aviation in Nigeria is undergoing a periodic examination by the International Civil Aviation Organisation, ICAO. 

Usman disclosed that  ICAO USOAP was initially launched in January,1999 which was ostensibly in response to widespread concerns about the adequacy of aviation safety oversight around the world.

He said the ultimate goal of USOAP is to promote global aviation safety through regular audits of safety oversight systems in all ICAO Member states.

“USOAP Audits are usually focussed on a state’s capability to provide a robust safety oversight system. ICAO does this by assessing whether the state has effectively and consistently implemented the critical elements of a safety oversight system.
In addition, it is aimed at determining the state’s level of implementation of ICAO’s safety-related Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) with associated procedures and guidance material.
The programme was expanded in 2005 to the USOAP Comprehensive Systems Approach (CSA) to include safety-related provisions contained in all safety Annexes to the Chicago Convention”, Usman explained.

He explained further that the USOAP CSA cycle which ended in December 2010 entailed about 40 safety oversight audits annually, with each ICAO member state to host an audit at least once during the cycle.

According to the NCAA boss, in September, 2007, the 36th Session of the Assembly adopted Resolution A36-4 directing the Council to examine different options for the continuation of the USOAP beyond 2010. It looked at the feasibility of applying a new approach based on the concept of continuous monitoring and incorporating the analysis of safety risk factors.

He said the systematic and more proactive conduct of monitoring activities in the new USOAP Continuous Monitoring Approach, CMA Approach, would make a much more effective and efficient use of ICAO resources, adding that ‎this is believed will reduce the burden on states caused by repetitive audits.