The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has reaffirmed its commitment to safety, with the Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar, chairing the 2024 NAF Safety Review Board (SRB) meeting in Abuja.
The CAS emphasized the importance of collective responsibility in ensuring safety and urged personnel to take proactive measures to break the accident chain.
The SRB meeting, held on July 2, 2024, aimed to review safety issues, enhance safety culture, and implement policies to ensure safe operations. The CAS noted that accidents result from a sequence of events and stressed the need for determination and objective ideas to improve safety.
“As members of the Safety Review Board, it is vital that we thoroughly examine all the safety issues arising from this meeting and come up with objective and innovative ideas that would enhance safety in the NAF,” the CAS said. “While we all know that safety is a collective responsibility, this Board is primarily accountable for safety administration in the NAF.”
The Air Chief assured that the NAF will intensify efforts to enhance safety as it transforms into a modern and agile force. “The need for a proactive and enhanced safety culture is thus critical in ensuring that the usage of our modern platforms is maximized,” he said.
He further emphasized the importance of senior management in safety management and urged leaders to promote open reporting through non-punitive disciplinary policies while encouraging incentives for promoting safety.
The NAF has introduced safety education at all entry points and training institutions, and is leveraging online learning infrastructure to sustain safety education. The SRB is responsible for giving direction and guidelines to entrench a healthy safety culture in the NAF.
Chief of Standards and Evaluation, Air Vice Marshal Micheal Onyebashi, highlighted the significance of the Safety Review Board (SRB) as the pinnacle of the NAF’s safety management structure. AVM Onyebashi reported that the NAF has implemented safety education at all entry points and training institutions, as directed by the previous SRB, and is utilizing the Air Warfare Centre’s online learning infrastructure to sustain safety education across the force.
With the reactivation of NAF platforms and the introduction of new ones, he emphasized the importance of the SRB, commands, and units working together to maintain stringent safety standards in all NAF operations. He encouraged the Board to develop strategies and ideas that would drive continuous safety improvement in all aspects of NAF operations
A paper presented by Dr. Iteke Ifeanyichukwu Chukwunonso, of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, emphasized managing safety by controlling risks and encouraged a business-like approach to safety management. He commended the NAF’s safety standards and urged leadership to retain responsibility and accountability for safety.
“Managing safety entails managing risks and reactively, proactively, and predictively controlling risks to an acceptable level,” Dr. Chukwunonso said. “Safety management should have a business-like approach and be woven into the fabrics of an organization until it becomes a part of their culture.”
The meeting aimed to ensure safe operations and maximize the usage of modern platforms. The CAS noted that more interesting and auspicious days lie ahead for the NAF, with the government’s commitment to equipping the force with modern platforms.
The SRB meeting is a biannual event that deliberates on major policy, resource allocation, and regulatory issues relating to safety in the NAF. The Board is responsible for ensuring that safety standards are maintained in all NAF activities.
By prioritizing safety, the NAF reaffirms its commitment to protecting lives and property and ensuring the effective execution of its constitutional responsibilities.
