NAMA, NAF TO SYNERGIZE ON AIRSPACE SAFETY

 L-R: Dep. Director, Air Traffic Services,  Gp. Capt. S. Peter, Commander, Nigerian Air Defence Corps, GP. Capt. M. N. Onyebashi, Ag. NAMA MD, Engr. Emma Anasi, Director, Air Traffic Management Services,  AVM. Christopher Gudi and Military Airport Commandant, MMIA, Wg. Cdr. I. E. Imoke during a  visit of NAF team to NAMA hqtrs, Lagos recently.

The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) and the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) are working together to make the Nigerian airspace safer.  The two agencies have held high level deliberations bordering on collaboration and synergy of the two institutions in the areas of security of navigational infrastructure, calibration of navigational aids, training of personnel and exchange programmes. Speaking when he led a high-powered delegation on a courtesy visit to NAMA headquarters in Lagos, the Director of Air Traffic Management Services, Nigerian Air Force, AVM. C. T. Gudi noted that as a dependable ally, NAMA has always collaborated with NAF in critical areas like strategic airspace surveillance, air traffic control, airspace security and training of Air Force personnel. AVM. Gudi stated that the professional and technical expertise provided by NAMA in Air Force operations and training remained invaluable, stressing that their visit was therefore “to deepen this existing cordial relationship and operational synergy especially given the numerous benefits accruing to the nation in terms of safety and security of the airspace.” AVM Gudi who specifically appreciated NAMA for providing on-the-job training for Air Force personnel who graduate from the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT) Zaria, also appealed to the agency to always consider the Air Force while planning for ad hoc trainings and seminars on Performance Based Navigation (PBN) and other such programmes which fall in between the major courses at NCAT, Zaria.  According to him, “the aviation world is very sophisticated and dynamic and is all about who has superior training. Given that NAMA is more acquainted with ICAO calendar and programmes, it has become imperative that the Nigerian Air Force be carried along in some of these trainings so that we can all be speaking the same language.” In his remarks, the Ag. Managing Director of NAMA, Engr. Emma Anasi stated that the complimentary role played by NAMA and NAF in ensuring safety and security of the airspace requires that a coordinated and harmonious civil/military collaboration has to be sustained and improved upon. While appreciating NAF for providing security around navigational facilities across the nation’s airports, Anasi called for uniformity of Communication, Navigation, Surveillance/Air Traffic Management (CNS/ATM) infrastructure between the two organizations which he believes will make for interoperability of systems and seamlessness in airspace management.