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Rose Ejembi, Makurdi
Chief of Air Staff (CAS) Air Marshal Sadiq Abubakar has charged officers and men of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) to adopt and be updated on global best practices in regards to maintenance activities.
Air Marshal Abubakar gave the charge on Thursday during the opening ceremony of the 2019 Tactical Air Command Safety Seminar held at the Officers Mess, NAF Base Makurdi. He spoke through his representative, Air Vice Marshal RN Ekeh, Chief of Standards and Evaluation, NAF Headquarters Abuja.
According to the NAF chief, continuing airworthiness in operations and aircraft maintenance is a complex discipline that requires constant updates to keep all personnel abreast of changes and a high level of safety knowledge.
He described the theme of the seminar – Imbibing Safety Consciousness For Seamless Air Operation – as “apt considering that air operations and the attendant aircraft maintenance are very complex fields that require high standards to guarantee safety operations.”
Air Marshal Abubakar was confident that the two-day seminar, taking place concurrently in all NAF commands, “is an opportunity to bring all safety concerns to the fore and ponder on them in order to seek reslistic and lasting solution to air safety related issues.”
He urged participants, as safety managers from respective units, to imbibe salient points from the seminar to improve safety consciousness in their respective units.
Earlier in his welcome address, Air Officer Commanding (AOC) TAC Makurdi, Air Vice Marshal (AVM) Charles Ohwo, said the seminar will help to inculcate in participants the needed safety culture both in the workplace and in the operation of NAF platforms.
Participants for the safety seminar, according to the AOC TAC, cut across officers and airmen/airwomen of operational and engineering units under TAC Units, stressing that safety is a shared responsibility that requires synergy between regulators, operators and other stakeholders.
AVM Ohwo expressed hope that the seminar will help commanders to “intuitively seek practicable approach in ensuring best maintenance practices in the field.”
He encouraged all participants to make the best use of the opportunity.
Papers were presented on: Teamwork and Flight Safety: Ramp Operations in the NAF in Perspective; Safety in NAF Air Operations: Considerations for Pilots; Armament Safety Procedures in Operations and Maintenance Environment: An Assessment; and Situational Awareness in Aircraft Maintenance.
