Following about four incidents of contaminated Jet A1 fuel in the country in 2023, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has inaugurated a joint audit committee on Aviation fuel activities.
While inaugurating the committee in Abuja on Thursday, the Director General of NCAA, Captain Musa Nuhu said the primary responsibility of the Agency is to ensure the safety of aviation activities in Nigeria.
Represented By Capt. Ibrahim Bello Dambazau Director, Operations, Licensing & Training Standards, the DG stated that “we are all aware the aviation industry is the most scrutinized and regulated industry in the world.
“Recently, there have been a series of incidents relating to fuel contamination, in particular, that of Max Air fuel contamination in Yola that has generated a lot of attention in the country and all over the world.
“This has created negative publicity in the industry and a level of fear amongst the public which is justified. I want to assure the Nigerian public and the world at large that the Nigerian aviation industry and our skies are safe as the NCAA has always been thorough in granting approvals in addition to our oversight responsibilities which include surveillance and audits of all operators involved in the aviation industry to ensure the highest level of safety in our skies.”
He further explained that the authority has not been sleeping and have taken steps in the aftermath of the incidents which included the investigation of all the incidents that have been reported, collaboration with sister agencies in the aviation industry like the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB), Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) that issue licences, and Department of State Security (DSS).
“This collaboration with NMPDRA has yielded positive results so far as the collaboration has led to the identification of all non-licensed fuelers and those with expired licences in Nigeria and has led to the suspension of all their activities in the airport in Nigeria.
“Furthermore, an All Operators Letter (AOL) has been _ issued mandating all Operators to comply with all requirements for fueling as approved. The Authority has also heightened its surveillance to ensure complete and full compliance.”
Nuhu noted that “considering the gravity of the situation and the seriousness that the authority is pursuing this matter, the authority has set up a joint committee and mandated the committee to conduct a wholistic review and audit all fuelers, fueling facilities and equipment from the initial source of the fuel to the point of fueling into the aircraft.
“This committee has membership drawn from the NCAA, NSIB, FAAN, DSS, NMPDRA, and the Association of Fuel Marketers in Nigeria. The committee has been mandated to identify all the root causes, proffer solutions and recommendations that would improve the level of safety in the aviation industry in Nigeria.
“The Terms of Reference (TOR) has been clearly spelt out that would see the committee members tour all over the country to ensure compliance with all regulatory and safety requirements” he stated.
He charged the committee to give the national assignment all the seriousness that it deserves. “You must not leave any stone unturned and come up with recommendations that would help prevent future occurrence and improve the level of safety in the industry.”
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