NAMA Commences Audit Of Nigerian Airspace

The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) has commenced a comprehensive audit of the Kano flight information region (FIR), also known as the Nigerian airspace.
Abdullahi Musa, director of public affairs and consumer protection, said the exercise is a self-assessment by the agency to examine overall safety performance, operational efficiency, and regulatory compliance of the nation’s airspace.
He said the audit is targeted at strengthening the agency’s readiness for the Air Navigation Service Provider (ANSP) certification by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and the forthcoming International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) universal safety oversight audit programme, coordinated validation mission, and regional office safety team mission.
“The FIR audit also seeks to evaluate the state of Air Traffic Services (ATS), Communication, Navigation and Surveillance (CNS) facilities, Aeronautical Information Management (AIM),Planning, Research and Statistics (PRS) and Search and Rescue (SAR) operations as well as identify gaps, risks, and opportunities for improvement in accordance with ICAO Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations (NCARs),” he said.
“The audit will cover detailed inspections of Nigeria’s four major international airports — Lagos, Abuja, Kano, and Port Harcourt along with Enugu, Maiduguri, and several state and private aerodromes, including CNS facilities across the nation.”
Farouk Umar, managing director (MD) of NAMA, inaugurated the FIR audit committee, which will be headed by Ahmad Abba, director of special duties.
Members of the committee, drawn from air traffic services, CNS/ATM systems, Aeronautical Information Management (AIM), safety management, and search and rescue departments, will liaise with industry stakeholders, regulatory authorities, and frontline operational staff to ensure a rigorous, transparent, and inclusive process.