Sen. Hadi Sirika, the Minister of Aviation has challenged domestic airline operators to upgrade their onboard equipment and trained their pilots to Category III weather equipment in order to minimise flight delays and cancellations in the industry.
This is as the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) has unveiled the 2022 Seasonal Climate Prediction (SCP) for Nigeria, predicting the various growing season for the Southern and Northern parts of the country.
Speaking on Tuesday in Abuja at the public presentation of the 2022 SCP, Sirika said that the Nigerians Government has continued to invest in critical aviation infrastructure in order to boost safety in the sector.
According to him, with the level of equipment at some of the nation’s airports, airlines can take off and land under poor visibility, but said the carriers needed to have equal equipment on onboard their aircraft to utilise the ground facilities.
Also, Sirika noted that pilots of airlines needed to be trained and certified by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) before they can land or take off on the Category III weather equipment.
He said: ”Under this adminstration, we have improved our equipment, which will allow us to land or even take off in poor visibility, but, it’s a two-way thing. Most of the domestic airlines don’t have the required equipment that will make their pilots to land or take off.
”We have Cat. III weather equipment. We have done our bits, the airlines too should train their pilots on this in the interest of safety in the sector.”
Sirika explained further that aviation was the fastest growing industry in Nigeria before the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, but assured that the government would continue to enhance its performance on the sector.
Also speaking at the occasion, Prof. Mansur Matazu, the Director-General, NiMET, in his welcome address, said that SCP was one of NiMet’s flagship products.
He said the SCP had helped lots of farmers improve their yields, adding that it has also helped increase and improve the level of preparedness by emergency management agencies, complement the flood prediction by Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA), and served as an advisory tool for many stakeholders at the Federal, State and Local Government levels.
He declared that in Nigeria, one of the pathways for economic recovery is agriculture after the Covid-19 pandemic had crippled the economy.
But, noted that many of the agricultural practices are climate dependent and largely rainfed.
He added: ”It is important to recognise the position of the Federal Government of Nigeria on developing the agricultural sector for sustainable green economy, focusing on food system development agenda that will lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty within a decade.
”The government aims to prioritise healthy diets and affordable nutrition through inclusive, efficient, resilient, and sustainable agriculture which will contribute to job creations and sustainable economy growth.
”NiMet is excited to push this vision and help in the recovery of the economy after the trying phase where the global pandemic affected some of the gains made previously through agriculture.”
Source: independent
I Must say, Sen. Hadi Sirika Took a Great Step. Really Appreciate Your Efforts sir.
This will have a great impact on the Nigerian agricultural sector.
Thanks for the information, very informative and useful.
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