Sade Williams/Business a.m.

Rabiu Mohammed Sani, the president of the National Air Traffic Communicators Association of Nigeria (NACAN) is canvassing cooperation aero-communications capacity building training for its members under the employment of Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA)

Sani said more cooperation from the management NAMA is required for this to happen, adding that a conducive work environment should also be in place for its members.

Sani, acting general manager with responsibility for aero communications at NAMA, in a paper he delivered to mark the Communications Day in Abuja, also appealed for increased budget allocations for both local and foreign training for NACAN members.

He wants to also see the strengthening and modernising of voice and data communication systems to enable the professionals to perform optimally in conformity with ICAO international standards.

“[The] Agency can leverage on the opportunities and connections aero-comm has established with organisations within and outside the aviation industry to enhance knowledge and information sharing. Key partners include: the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC). Aero-Comms is beyond the transmission and reception of ATS messages,” he said

According to Sani, Aero-Comms is about connecting NAMA to a global ecosystem of professionals across various fields.

Appreciating Ahmed Umar Faruk, NAMA’s managing director, for his efforts in supporting Aero-Comms to regain its glory, Sani, however, called for intervention of the management on the AMHS system Contract, which appears to be taking far longer than expected.

He lamented that the project has been ongoing for more than twenty years, long before they joined the Agency adding that it continued to be a mirage as every inquiry is met with the same response: “90% completed”.

The NACAN boss then appealed for a comprehensive review and investigation into the project to end the long-awaited project delivered for the benefit of Nigeria’s airspace safety and the global aviation community.

Sani further noted that the High Frequency(HF) radios across the country have become obsolete and further appealed to NAMA’s management to provide all 29 Aero-Comms centres/offices nationwide with modernised HF radio systems to ensure seamless transmission of flight safety messages, meteorological reports, flight information messages, emergency traffic, search-and-rescue