FG Yet To Categorise Drones Usage In Nigeria – NCAA by Emmanuel Olisemeke

The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has said that despite the huge number of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) otherwise known as drones, none of the equipment falls under the certified category in the country.

Speaking at a drone technology expo and conference held in Lagos recently, Engr. Godwin Balang, the Director, Aerodrome and Airspace Standards (DAAS), NCAA, however, said that the authority was working on applicable standards to regulate the use of drones in Nigeria.

According to him, while conventional aircraft undergo type certification, drones were still evolving and lack harmonised global standards for evaluation.

Balang expressed that some countries that came up with certification for the equipment a few years ago, were reversing them and mentioned South Africa as one of those countries.

He said: “There is no single drone that falls under the certified category in Nigeria. The implication of that is that you now have to set the rules, know how to control the operations of that category of that aircraft that are not certified and because they are not certified, there are no written standards anywhere.

“If we do understand that, then, some of the things that are happening will not come as a surprise. The difficulty in certification, the difficulty in getting pilots certified and the security challenges that come with that, they all fall within that category of context. But, as a country, we have the responsibility to do something about it.

“As of seven to eight years ago, the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Annex on drones has not yet come up. However, coming of the annex does not make any difference because the annex is targeted at certified aircraft.

“When we came in, we had an advisory circular to help do something about this. Before laws are written, people are already doing what they are doing. Some of the countries that were already issuing licenses are in reverse. For instance, South Africa used to issue, but they have reversed it now.”

Also at the same expo, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) indicated its readiness to play a more role in the emerging vertiport sub-sector, which allows for landing and takeoff area for Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) of aircraft.

Mrs. Olubunmi Kuku, the Managing Director of FAAN, said that the global aviation industry was moving towards vertiport for easy movement of travellers, rather than the conventional airport environment.

Kuku who was represented at the occasion by Mr. Henry Agbebire, Director, Special Duties, FAAN, said that global airport authorities were looking at a special landing and takeoff system for smaller aircraft, while future operational protocols were still being developed in accordance with the new trend.

According to Kuku, airports were beginning to take this matter seriously in their design and redesign to have a comprehensive handling capacity for the Advanced Air Mobility (AAM).

She insisted that vertiport was presenting an interesting option for airports worldwide, warning that Nigeria should not be caught napping the global development.

Vertiport is a designated area for the takeoff, landing, and servicing of vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft, including air taxis, drones, and other Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) vehicles.

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Keyamo Eases Aircraft Leasing For Domestic Airlines With Manufacturer

Emmanuel Olisemeke

In his push to ensure easy aircraft leasing arrangement for Nigerian airlines, Mr. Festus Keyamo, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development has visited Embraer, the regional aircraft manufacturer at its headquarters at São José dos Campos, São Paulo State, Brazil.

Keyamo is also in discussion with the Brazil government on the possibility of reviewing the existing Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA) arrangement with the South American country, which would lead to direct airlink between the two countries.

A statement by Mr. Tunde Moshood, Special Adviser, Media & Communications to the minister, said that Keyamo was accompanied on the trip by Capt. Chris Najomo, the Director-General Civil Aviation (DGCA) and representatives of indigenous airline operators from the country.

The statement hinted that Keyamo was exploring a beneficial mutual collaboration with Embraer to strengthen Nigeria’s aviation ecosystem through enhanced access to modern aircraft, favourable leasing options, and a network of credible financiers.

According to the statement, the team has had extensive discussions with Embraer on how it could support the Nigerian aviation sector with its vast network of lessors and financial institutions.

“The goal is to empower Nigerian operators with the tools and partnerships necessary for growth and expansion,” he added.

Besides, the statement said that in aligning with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda to boost regional connectivity, expand international trade, and foster closer diplomatic and economic ties between Nigeria and South America, the minister was planning direct airlink with Brazil.

“Central to the agenda is the review and adjustment of the existing Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) between Nigeria and Brazil to allow for the immediate commencement of direct flight operations between the two countries,” the statement added.

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Experts Seek Visa Waivers Between Nigeria, Turkiye

Emmanuel Olisemeke

Travel experts in Nigeria and Turkiye have jointly called on the governments of the two countries to introduce visa waivers for travellers between the countries.

The experts also canvassed relaxed entry regimes for the citizens of the two countries, in a bid to enhance trade and tourism.

A statement by the National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies (NANTA), recently, stated that the association presented this position during its collaboration meeting yesterday in Istanbul, Turkiye with the Association of Turkish Travel Agencies (TURSAB).

Mr. Yinka Folami, the President of NANTA, appealed for the intervention of its Turkish sister body to use her influence to pressure the Turkish government to relax the strict visa regime for Nigerian travellers, particularly those who are in possession of valid visas from United Kingdom, Schengen countries, Canada and the United States.

Folami suggested that these valid visas should enable that category of Nigerian citizens to have access to visa on arrival without stress or the electronic visa.

Folami further expressed happiness at the reception and hospitality of TURSAB leadership and subsequently gave an open invitation to the entire leadership of the Associations of Turkish Travel Agencies to the 50th anniversary of NANTA scheduled to hold in 2026

He said: “We are pleased to be here and greatly appreciate your hospitality to my team. This meeting is hugely successful and impactful and we assure you that we will reach out to our home government over the visa challenges experienced by the good people of the republic of Türkiye.

“Again, we will use this opportunity to announce that Turkish Airlines is the official partner carrier for our 50th anniversary next year. Likewise, we also graciously invite you and your leadership to the event.”

Also, TURSAB in its position, lamented the constraints experienced by Turkish investors and tourists wishing to visit Nigeria.

Mr. Davut Gunaydin, Vice President, TURSAB, decried that “the very Nigerian stringent visa” ecosystem had impacted negatively the desire of Turkish people to visit the country.

Gunaydin, also wished to see more Nigerians visit Türkiye, and expressed worries by the low visitor traffic from Nigeria to the Middle East country, saying that the country welcomes close to about 36 million visitors annually from all over the world.

He said: “We have about 6,000 visitors from Spain, about the same number visitors from Italy, but we are worried at the near zero tourism traffic from Nigeria with over 200 million population and noted all over the world for being one of the nations with the most travelled people.

“We want NANTA to help us change the tide, while we too will drive similar campaigns in our country for visits to Nigeria since we share strong bonds in culture, heritage tourism, and hospitality.”

Speaking more on the poor visa approvals for Nigerians wishing to visit Turkey, Gunaydin regretted that some Nigerians abscond after the expiration of their visa.

He requested NANTA to properly profile and recommend Nigerian visitors wishing to visit Turkiye to stem the tide of such Nigerian visa seekers from absconding once inside Turkey, stressing that such incidents in the past contributed to the present challenge in assessing visas to Turkey by Nigerians.

The two influential trade groups, after extensive deliberations covering mutual trade opportunities and challenges, agreed to table the feedback to their relevant and appropriate focal authorities, the statement added.

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Wigwe Helicopter Crash: We’re Aware Of Process By American Agency – DG NSIB

Emmanuel Olisemeke

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) informed Nigeria on the process of the helicopter crash of late Mr. Herbert Wigwe, the Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of Access Holdings Plc, his wife, son, and three others, Capt. Alex Badeh Jr., the Director-General of the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) has said.

Badeh Jr. also debunked the claim in some quarters that Nigerian airports were generally unsafe, saying that the sector operates to global standards.

Badeh Jr. made the statement in an interview with journalists in Lagos.

Badeh Jr. however said that the NSIB did not work “side-by-side” with the NTSB during the investigation into the accident, but said Nigeria as an interested party was kept abreast of the process by the safety board.

He also clarified that the NTSB led the investigation into the crash as a state of occurrence.

The NTSB in its report mentioned spatial disorientation as the probable cause of the accident.

This, Badeh noted, highlighted deficiencies in the company’s oversight and safety management processes.

He said: “It appears there were systemic issues, and the flight risk assessment should have indicated a higher risk. While it’s easy to blame the pilot, there is a system behind the pilot that should have mitigated these risks.”

On the safety of Nigerian airports, Badeh insisted the Nigerian aviation industry is generally safe and operates to global standards.

He, however, said that there are rooms for improvement, saying that it was crucial to consider the context and metrics used in such evaluations.

He acknowledged that some of the airports are faced with perimeter fencing and instances of wildlife intrusion challenges, but insisted these were not unique to Nigeria alone.

He said these occur at other global airports, including the United States.

He said: “It’s unfair to generalise that our airports are totally unsafe. We recognise the need for continuous improvement, and we commend the efforts of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) in implementing upgrades.”

On the Asaba Airport runway incident involving Air Peace and an antelope, Badeh declared that there was no damage to the aircraft, stressing that the aircraft continued its journey to Abuja the same day.

The Director-General NSIB explained that the incident was immediately reported to the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), stressing that since there was no significant issue, it was not reported to the NSIB.

He also said that such occurrences involving animals on runways are rare in Nigeria.

Badeh further stated that the NSIB planned to reach out to the management of the Asaba Airport Company to discuss best practices.

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Poor Wages Reason For Poaching Of NCAT Technical Staff – Dr. Danjuma Ismaila

Emmanuel Olisemeke

Dr. Danjuma Ismaila, the Rector of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria has mentioned poor wage profile as one of the major reasons for the continuous poaching of the college’s technical staff by sister agencies and other organisations.

Ismaila lamented that this had contributed to the slow growth noticed in the college in the last few years and appealed to the government to intervene in the situation in order to save the college from collapse.

A statement by Dr. Jude Amadi, Director of Information, NCAT, said that Ismaila made the appeal in Zaria during the oversight function tour of the House Committee on Aviation Technology, led by Hon. Tajudeen Kareem, its Chairman to the college.

The rector expressed that the staff are enticed with higher salary remunerations.

He also seized the opportunity to appraise for the team, the strategic position of the college in churning out a great percentage of the aviation industry workforce and professionals in the country.

He lauded the commitment shown by Mr. Festus Keyamo, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development and other predecessor administrations in the success story of the institution.

Ismaila appealed for the continued kind assistance of the committee in ensuring the improvement of budgetary allocations and funding for the college.

“The rector assures the committee of his administration’s plans to harnessing the college immense potential to gain maximum benefits for the College and the aviation industry,” the statement added.

In his comment, Kareem, commended the contributions of NCAT to the growth of the Nigeria and global aviation industry.

He assured of his committee’s commitment to supporting the college in addressing its major challenges, especially poor funding.

He restated the commitment of his committee to carefully study the detailed presentation made by the rector; with a view to ascertaining priority areas of interventions.

The statement added that the committee members were impressed with the facilities and infrastructure in the college.

“The chairman further assures of the committee’s regular interface with the rector to meet necessary needs of the college,” the statement added.