Nigeria received 70% of the mark in the recent aviation safety audit – Nigeria received a score of 70 percent in the recently ended Universal Safety Audit Programme Continuous Monitoring Approach (USOAP)-CMA conducted by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). This is reportedly three percent higher than the country’s score of 67.1 percent in the 2016 audit, which took place at that time.
The audit, which took place from August 30 to September 11, 2023, examined whether the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, as the State in this instance, was capable of providing safety oversight by determining whether the State had consistently and successfully implemented the essential components (CEs) of a safety oversight system.
The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) claims that this gives the State the ability to guarantee the application of ICAO’s safety-related Standards and Recommended Practises (SARPs), along with related protocols and guidance materials. It also gives ICAO a way to continually track the States’ compliance with their safety oversight responsibilities.
Analyses of specific audit reports in Effective Implementation (EI) reveal that the Civil Aviation Authority received a 90 percent score in Legislation—a lower score than the 95 percent it received in the previous audit—and an 83 percent score in Organization—a lower score than the 100 percent it received in the previous audit.
The Civil Aviation Authority received 84 percent for personnel licencing and 62 percent for operations—a rise from its previous score of 57 percent.
The Civil Aviation Authority received a 94 percent score for airworthiness, up from 90 percent in the previous audit, and an overwhelming 89 percent score for accident investigation, up five points from the previous 84 percent score.
The nation received a 56 percent score for aerodrome and ground aids and a 44 percent score for air navigation services.
The eight Critical Elements’ audit report CE-1: Laws; CE-2: Organisation; CE-3: Rules; CE-4: Technical people with the necessary qualifications; CE-5: Technical guidelines; CE-6: Certification and approvals; CE-7: Surveillance; and CE-8: Resolving safety concerns were also accessible.
In the area of legislation, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority maintained its previous score of 89.66 percent; in the areas of organisation, regulations, and qualified technical personnel, it scored 89.87 percent, 78.33 percent, and 60.98%, respectively.
It received approvals and certifications for technical guidance material of 88.24 percent and 49.7 percent, respectively, while it received 42.22 percent and 56.76 percent for surveillance and resolution of safety concerns.
