The House of Representatives Committee on Aviation Technology has called for improved funding for the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) to make Nigeria’s airspace safer for all
The Chairman of the committee, Rep. Abiodun Akinlade (APC-Ogun) made the call at an oversight visit to the bureau on Friday in Abuja.
Akinlade said that the NSIB was handicapped as a result of limited resources available to carry out its mandate.
According to him, the committee will explore all legislative means to ensure that the investigative bureau is well funded due to the critical position it occupies in Nigeria aviation sector.
The lawmaker said that efforts will be made to resolve the age-long disagreements between the bureau and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA).
He said that the Act that established NISB mandated the NIMASA to be remitting certain amount of money to the bureau, which is not implemented.
It could be recalled that NIMASA, had however, argued that the Act establishing NIMASA does not make any provision to fund the bureau.
“NSIB was established to prevent and also investigate accident on air, marine and rail transport systems.
“They have limited resources, they are being handicapped by financial challenges and we have discussed that with the director-general.
“When we go back to National Assembly we will discuss with the leadership of the House, we will let them understand why NISB should be properly funded.
“We will engage NIMASA and other relevant committees to ensure that whatever is due to NSIB is given to them.,” he said.
Earlier, the Director-General of NSIB, Capt. Alex Badeh, sought legislative intervention of the members of the National Assembly to address the issues of insufficient fundings and other challenges facing the bureau.
The NSIB boss said that funding had been number one issue for the expanded mandates of the bureau.
According to him, the bureau lacks the manpower and the technical abilities to add needed value to the aviation industry.
He, however, said that the bureau was getting more responses from partners and the other modes of transportation saying that more can still be done.
Badeh told the lawmakers that the bureau was executing more of sensitisation programmes and training of relevant partners and stakeholders.
He attributed a reduction of major fatal crash in the country to the successes of stakeholders training in the aviation industry. (NAN)
