The Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Mashal Hasan Abubakar, has said that the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) is committed to enhancing its Safety Management Systems across all its units, especially, the operational and engineering units.
A statement by Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, said Abubakar disclosed this while declaring open the 2023 Safety Review Board (SRB) meeting of the force on Thursday, at its Headquarters Abuja.
He said safety management in the NAF is a major priority and core function in view of the technical and complex nature of assigned tasks.
The statatement quoted the CAS, saying, “The NAF is fully committed to developing, implementing, and reviewing policies to ensure that NAF operations and other activities are conducted in a safe environment.”
He added that his resolve “to transform the NAF into an agile and resilient force that effectively meets the airpower demands of national security in all operational environments can best be achieved with safety as the bedrock.”
The CAS reiterated his commitment to ensuring continuous improvement in safety standards through deliberate programmes aimed at enhancing flight safety as well as occupational and domestic safety in the NAF.
He commended the commitment of President Bola Tinubu-led administration towards equipping the NAF with modern platforms to further enhance efforts against terrorism, insurgency and other forms of criminality in various parts of the country.
He disclosed that some of the platforms acquired by the federal government had arrived the country and will soon boost the NAF’s combat capabilities as well as help in increasing its operational tempo for safety vigilance.
“We are aware that increase in operational tempo will lead to increase in hazards associated with our operations in line with ICAO’s postulation that hazards are the by-products of production or operational activities,” the CAS said.
Abubakar called for a proactive management of safety in all units and commands.
He directed operational units where newly acquired NAF aircraft would be domiciled to commence the process of aggressively identifying hazards associated with the arrival and operations of the new platforms and find ways to manage the risks involved.
The CAS, who is also the Chairman of the NAF Safety Review Board further emphasized the need for field commanders to ensure that the safety trainings translate to the development of positive safety culture, improvement in safety practices as well as creation of awareness that safety is the responsibility of all personnel.
“I expect us to redouble our commitment in this regard to ensure that as an organisation and as individuals, every NAF Unit and personnel have the responsibility to ensure that safety practices and standards are maintained in all activities,” he said.
Earlier in his remarks, the NAF Chief of Standards and Evaluation, Air Vice Marshal Micheal Onyebashi noted that the SRB was designed to discuss and review issued related to safety policies and regulations as well as allocate resources for enhanced safety standards.
He also revealed that the Board is expected to provide appropriate directives and guidelines that would ensure the entrenchment of a positive safety culture in the NAF.
