Nigeria Remains Committed to ICAO’s Ideals, Says Sirika

Kasim Sumaina in Abuja

The Minister of Aviation, Mr. Hadi Sirika, has restated the Nigeria’s commitment to the ideals of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).

Sirika gave this assurance when members of the global aviation community gathered together to celebrate the 2022 International Civil Aviation Day in Abuja with the theme “Advancing Innovation for Global Aviation Development.”

He noted that the theme aligned with the belief of the Nigerian government that aviation is a channel to achieving the development of other sectors as it remains the fastest and safest mode of domestic and international movement.

This belief, he said, informed the federal government’s commitment to the development of the aviation sector with the launching of the aviation roadmap at the inception of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.

He noted that the implementation of the roadmap has led to a number of record-breaking achievements in the nation’s aviation industry, which have been variously acknowledged and applauded by the ICAO.

Sirika said: “Globally, it is a well-known fact that aviation doubles every 15 years but in the case of Nigeria, it has more than doubled and will quadruple in another 15 years.”

He said that figures from the National Bureau of Statistics reinforced  the continuous commitment of Nigeria to the ideals and aspirations of the ICAO, whose regulations have continued to guide the industry in ensuring the safety records that the country has established.

The minister, on behalf of President Buhari and the government and people of Nigeria, congratulated the President of the ICAO Council, Salvatore Siacchitano, 20 and members of the global aviation community presently in the country for the ICAN22 event and hoped that Nigeria would continue to have the privilege of hosting more ICAO events in the future.

The purpose of International Civil Aviation Day is to help generate and reinforce worldwide awareness of the importance of international civil aviation to the social and economic development of states, and of the unique role of ICAO in helping states to cooperate and realise a truly global rapid transit network at the service of all mankind.