6th December, 2022
By Gabriel Agbeja
Nigeria has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on accident investigation to promote air safety.
Mr Akin Olateru, the Nigeria Commissioner of the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB), disclosed this on Monday in Abuja.
He said the signing of the MoU indicated that the Bureau had attained international recognition for its effectiveness and efficiency to conduct investigations on aircraft accidents across the globe.
“There is one aviation in the world. And the role of the game in today`s world is a corporation. There is no country that is a highland. We need to work together as a team to enhance safety.
“Yes, we are both well established. We both have the equipment and human capacity, but there are a lot of lessons we can learn from each other.
“In the area of human capital development, Saudi Arabia is going to help us. In one of those areas, we can exchange ideas. This is all about improving safety, “ he said.
According to him, the MoU will create an opportunity for a training exchange programme in which both parties will discuss further.
Speaking, Mr Abdulelah Felimban, Director-General, of the Aviation Investigation Bureau (AIB), Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, said the MoU would strengthen cooperation between the two countries in the area of safety and security.
According to him, the job of the AIB is to put up recommendations to make the sky safer.
“Our business is the investigation of aircraft accidents and incidents with the intention of promoting safety and prevention of recurrent mishaps.
“We came to meet our counterpart in Nigeria AIB, Nigeria, to open the channel for cooperation, sharing of experiences , and benefiting from the capabilities that each of us has.
“We do the investigations in order to ensure the safety of the nation and to promote the safety of the nation, “ he said.
He said it was the duty of the AIB, if something went wrong, to find out by collecting the evidence, collecting data for analysis to find out what went really wrong.