Chinedu Eze
Air Traffic Controllers (ATC) have said the major reason why there is inefficiency in the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) is due to the paucity of technical personnel, insisting that the parastatal has failed to adequately train the core staff of the organisation over the years.
The controllers expressed fear that the widening training gaps might ultimately jeopardise safety and impair ratings from the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
The National President of the Nigerian Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA), Abayomi Agoro, who made this known, said that technical, operational trainings for relevant personnel have not been given the much-needed attention they deserve by the agency.
Speaking at a one-day interactive session in collaboration with Flight Crew Association of Nigeria (FCAN) and National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE) held in Lagos recently, Agoro said many Air Traffic Controllers (ATCO) hardly go for On-The-Job-Trainings (OJT) because of paucity of funds.
He said NAMA, the agency saddled with the responsibility of providing Air Traffic Control services and ensure safety has not been able to deliver on her core operational trainings, rather, attention is continuously being given to the support staff.
“So much confidence had been reposed on our aviation industry and we cannot afford to fritter resources away, considering the goodwill the sector has built over the years. In my candid opinion, the time is right to reflect on some salient issues, one of which is the training of operational/technical staff in the sector.
“Our personnel need training and re-training. We have to draw the attention of the relevant aviation authorities to the deficit in training and requisite exposure that has been lacking lately.
“These training programmes are important so as to meet up with ICAO recommendations and ultimately give our staff the knowledge, skill and technical exposure to tackle whatever challenges, may come up in the course of duty.
“As we all know, NAMA is the recognised aviation agency saddled with the responsibility of providing Air Traffic Control services and ensure safety, but sadly NAMA, with all due respect, has not been able to deliver on her core operational trainings.
“We are all living witnesses to the very fact that Technical / Operational trainings for relevant personnel have not been given the much-needed attention they deserve. Rather, and ironically too, priority attention is continuously being given to support staff. The training fund allotted to Technical/Operational staff are grossly inadequate, while NAMA expends a lot to train support staff on administrative courses abroad,” Agoro said.
He said it was sad to note that Air Traffic Controllers are not exposed to the requisite training regime and the few training programmes that were done were inadequate to meet the set target.
“Note also that many ATCs hardly go for On-The-Job-Trainings (OJT) as and when due for reasons of paucity of funds. These trainings are standard operational requirement and in conformity with global best practices. This is an unwholesome development and if care is not taken, the widening gap in what is supposed to be a regular training programme could ultimately jeopardise safety and impair our ICAO/FAA ratings,” Agoro said.
