The Nigeria Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) have begun discussions on strengthening cooperation to improve support for victims of aircraft accidents and their families.
This comes as Nigeria seeks to align its emergency response framework with international aviation standards.
The discussions took place in Abuja during a meeting between the National Family Assistance Coordination Committee, coordinated by the NSIB, and officials of the NCAA.
Both organisations stated that “the engagement focused on improving institutional coordination, capacity building and the implementation of Family Assistance programmes within Nigeria’s aviation sector.”
The NSIB delegation was led by the Director of Public Affairs and Family Assistance, Mrs Funke Adebayo-Arowojobe, while the NCAA team was headed by the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Mr Michael Achimugu.
During the meeting, Mrs Adebayo-Arowojobe explained that “the National Family Assistance Coordination Committee operates within a multimodal transportation framework, covering aviation, marine, rail and other transport sectors.”
She e noted that the engagement with the NCAA focused specifically on strengthening collaboration in aviation disaster victim and family assistance.
Mrs Adebayo-Arowojobe said discussions covered the objectives of the Family Assistance Programme, the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) policy on assistance to aircraft accident victims and their families, the mandate of the National Family Assistance Coordination Committee, the statutory role of the NSIB in aviation disaster victim and family assistance, the complementary role of the NCAA, and areas for future collaboration.
She described Family Assistance as a vital component of transportation safety, saying “it ensures coordinated support for victims and their families.”
She added that effective implementation depends on sustained collaboration among transportation agencies and adherence to international best practice.
Responding on behalf of the NCAA, Mr Achimugu welcomed the initiative and expressed the Authority’s readiness to work closely with the NSIB in advancing Family Assistance within Nigeria’s aviation sector.
He identified continuous training and retraining of personnel as a key requirement for successful implementation, noting that capacity development is necessary to ensure agencies remain prepared to provide professional and coordinated support whenever the need arises.
The meeting also identified practical areas for collaboration, including joint capacity-building programmes, knowledge sharing, stakeholder sensitisation and the development of sustainable mechanisms for implementing Family Assistance initiatives in line with international standards.
Edited by Jack Acheme
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