25th August, 2010
The Director-General, Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Dr. Harold Demuren, on Tuesday said that all airports in the country were undergoing renovation in preparation for Nigeria’s 50th independence anniversary.
Demuren made the disclosure during a visit to his office in Lagos by members of the House of Representatives Committee on Aviation.
“All efforts have been put in place to make sure we have a hitch-free celebration. If you go to the Abuja airport, there is a lot of renovation going on.
“The international wing of the airport is also under renovation. Nigerians may be expecting not less than 50 heads of state. This will be a major event in the country, so we do not want to fail,’’ he said.
The DG said that the aviation minister was inspecting the airports and evacuation vans would be stationed at the airports nationwide for emergencies during the celebration.
On the recent attainment of Category One status in the aviation industry, Demuren said that Nigerians should also celebrate for being among the league of nations with the Category One status.
“Nigeria is now in the premier league and we must do everything to stay there. We are now in Category One; we should not be behaving like Category Two.
“I want to assure you that this is a thing we got together for our country and most importantly Nigeria’s 50th anniversary, that we are one of the Category One nations in the world.
“This is where our industry should belong in aviation status,’’ he said.
In his remarks, the Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Aviation, Mr. Berthle Amadi, commended the NCAA for working assiduously to improve safety in the aviation sector.
“Safety regulations as you know are a continuous process and must be sustained; in fact we have to urge the NCAA not to relent in any way so that we will improve even further on the standard that we have achieved today,’’ he said.