NCAA inaugurates joint audit committee on aviation fuel activities

The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority has inaugurated a joint audit committee on all aviation fuel activities in Nigeria.

The committee was set up against the discovery of fuel contamination in the aircraft tank of Max Air about three months ago, in Yola, which generated a lot of attention in the country and among stakeholders.

Inaugurating the committee today, (Thursday) the Director General, of Civil Aviation, Captain Musa Nuhu, said the committee’s mandate is to identify all the root causes, proffer solutions and recommendations that would improve the level of safety in the aviation industry in Nigeria.

Captain Nuhu, represented by the Director of Operations, Licensing and Training Standards, Captain Ibrahim Dambazau, said the Terms of Reference had been clearly spelt out that would see the committee members tour the country to ensure compliance with all regulatory and safety requirements.

He said, “Considering the gravity of the situation and the seriousness that the Authority is pursuing this matter, the Authority have set up a joint committee and mandated the committee to conduct a wholistic review and audit all fuelers, fueling facilities and equipment from the initial source of the fuel to the point of fueling into the aircraft.”

He disclosed that the collaboration with the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority had yielded positive results so far and had led to the identification of all non licensed fuelers and those with expired license in Nigeria and that all their activities have been suspended in Nigerian airports.

According to him, an All Operators Letter has been issued mandating all Operators to comply with all requirements for fueling as approved as the Authority had also heightened its surveillance to ensure complete and full compliance.

The DGCA, said, “Nigerians should be rest assured that the recommendations from this committee would be fully implemented in the interest of the public and safe air travel in Nigeria.”

Members of the committee are drawn from the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, Department of State Security, the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority and the Association of fuel Marketers in Nigeria.