The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Accident Investigation Bureau of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (AIB-KSA) to enhance aviation safety in both countries.
According to the director-general of the NSIB, Engr. Akin Olateru, the MoU which was signed today by both parties in Abuja will ensure cooperation and assistance in the field of civil aircraft accident and incident investigation.
He added that the cooperation agreement would also allow both parties to assist in the areas of investigation training and sharing information and expertise consistent with the standard and recommended practices of Annex 13 to the Chicago Convention.
“You have to understand that there is only one aviation in the world and the rule of the game is cooperation. No country is an island. We need to work together as a team to enhance safety. Yes, we are both established; we have the equipment and human capital but there are a lot of lessons we can learn from each other. It is all about improving the safety of the flying public,” Olateru said.
In his remarks, the director-general, AIB-KSA, Abdulelah Felemban, said: “We are here in Nigeria to sign an MoU with our counterpart on an executive cooperation programme to promote aviation safety. There are a lot of lessons to be learnt from the accident investigation. The benefit for both of us is that we get to learn from each other, exchange information and exchange knowledge”.
The MoU signing ceremony, which was witnessed by the Minister of Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika, took place alongside the International Conference on Air Negotiations (ICAN) 2022 hosted by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), in partnership with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
The NSIB, under its previous name, Accident Investigation Bureau Nigeria (AIB-N), signed international agreements with safety bureaus of France, Sao-Tome and Principe, Sierra-Leone and the Benin Republic.
Also, the bureau signed local agreements with the Nigerian Airforce, the University of Lagos, the University of Ilorin, amongst others and is currently seeking partnerships with the Nigerian Navy, Nigerian Police Force, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and the Nigerian Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).
NSIB’s general manager, public affairs, Tunji Oketunbi said AIB-N is transiting to the NSIB, a unified investigation agency responsible for investigating accidents and serious incident occurrences in air, rail, marine and other modes of transportation.
