The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, and the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, have agreed to deepen collaboration between civil and military aviation authorities following the Nigerian Air Force aircraft incident at Igbokoda, Ondo State.
The agreement was reached on Wednesday when Keyamo paid a condolence visit to the Chief of Air Staff, where both leaders resolved to strengthen cooperation between the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority and the Nigerian Air Force in aviation safety, airworthiness, certification, training and capacity building.
Keyamo, who described the incident as a national tragedy, commended the sacrifices of personnel of the Nigerian Air Force, saying, “We value the Air Force. We value the efforts of the gallant men and women of the Air Force and what they do for the country.”
The Minister said the incident underscored the need for closer cooperation between the civil and military aviation sectors, noting, “It is one country, one people. When disaster happens, it affects everybody. There were civilians in that air crash and when there’s an air crash in the civil aviation too, there can be military personnel. And so, it is important that we cooperate in the area of safety.”
Keyamo said the Nigerian Air Force already relies on civil aviation infrastructure, particularly air traffic control, adding that the existing relationship should be expanded through a structured partnership. He said, “We have decided that we will cooperate in terms of capacity building.” He also announced plans for a joint committee between the NCAA and the NAF on airworthiness, certification, training and other safety measures, while respecting the statutory mandates of both institutions.
The Minister further said NAF personnel would be given access to relevant training opportunities by civil aviation authorities, stating, “There is no reason why we cannot take some names from the Air Force. We have a lot of training we go for, so there is no reason why we cannot.” He added, “This is a kind of cross-pollination and symbiotic relationship we have decided to build for the safety of the lives of Nigerians.”
Responding, Air Marshal Aneke thanked Keyamo for the condolence visit and support, saying the two institutions had agreed to move aviation safety to a higher level. “We have both agreed that we need to move the aviation industry, whether military or civil, to a higher level,” he said.
The Chief of Air Staff said the proposed collaboration would allow expertise from both sectors to be shared, particularly in airworthiness, certification, training and safety. He said, “We are serving the same government; we are protecting the same Nigerians. So we are just a blend of each other.”
Boluwatife Enome
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