Follow Us on Google
By Chinelo Obogo
Acting Managing Director of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Mathew Pwajok, has revealed that the agency is set to replace its ageing workforce by employing more Air Traffic Controllers (ATCs) and air traffic engineers that would replace those retiring before the end of the year.
In a chat with aviation reporters recently, he also revealed that the agency would invest N36.2 billion and $12.9 million in overhauling the air space security architecture.
On ageing workforce, he said: “We are expecting to have a good number of Air Traffic Controllers (ATCs) and air traffic engineers that would be retiring before the end of the year. And before now, we have made concerted efforts to bridge the gap. We currently have three batches of ATC in training at Zaria. We recruited some this year and we had two batches that were recruited last year and in training at Aviation College in Zaria at various stages. For ATC, it is partly addressed for a number of them would be retiring.
“We have made formal requests to the Minister of Aviation to recruit 100 ATC in preparation for the shortfall that will arise as a result of retirement expected this year. We are awaiting that approval to be able to commence recruitment and training. I have also noticed that we have new airports coming on stream nationwide and we are thinking strongly of that by doing manpower requirement for technical personnel.
“At a glance, we have over 10 new airports and we are hoping they will come on stream. That is manpower requirement and it comes with a cost. So, we have to be prepared. We are quite mindful of these requirements and the need to fill up the gap. As an agency of government, we cannot recruit without the approval of the government. We are very certain that we will get approval from the minister very soon for us to recruit and train ATC. “Certainly, next year again, we will also make a request, it is a yearly thing and the number may not be much because when you recruit, you have to train. You have to balance your intake and the capacity of the training institutions. So, that is a major prerequisite for the intake. So, on that I can say, yes, we are preparing to replace the ageing workforce that are expected to retire and also provide adequate manpower staffing for the airports that are coming up.”
He said NAMA has undertaken a holistic approach to improve the country’s airspace by committing N36 billion for the overhaul of the country’s air traffic management system, including the Safe Tower Project (STP). Included in the STP is the upgrade of the air traffic management system, surveillance system, and meteorological system in the four major airports in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, and Kano. The breakdown shows that the agency through the Federal Government had approved N13 billion for the Safe Tower Project (STP), N23.2 billion for the upgrade of the soft and hardware of the Total Radar Coverage, otherwise known as TRACON. The agency is at the completion stage of its pet project, the Wide Area Multi-“lateration (WAM) system, which is a surveillance system to cover Nigeria’s delta region and whose cost was put at $12.9 million.
