The Accident Investigation Bureau, AIB, has confirmed that the Bureau had enough technical staff to handle incident and accident investigations in the industry. The spokesman of the bureau, Mr. Tunji Oketunbi told our correspondent that the agency was ready to investigate any incident or accident in the sector, stressing that it had always carried out its duties with high professionalism.
He dismissed a report that it only had five technical staff for incident and accident investigations, saying that apart from those the management took over from the former Accident Investigation and Prevention Bureau, AIPB, in 2007, it had also trained several other personnel in various aviation colleges to enable it cope with the current challenges in the sector.
He also hinted that the new employees recruited to boost the technical department and meet its succession plan were currently on training at the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology, NCAT, Zaria, saying that manpower capacity building is a continuous exercise in the agency. Oketunbi disclosed that as presently composed, it had about 14 technical staff, both contract and regular staff who were enough for the sector at the moment.
He noted that both regular and contract staff were full time workers of AIB producing accident reports that had been receiving commendation from within and outside the country over the years and assured that it would continue to discharge its duties with utmost professionalism it deserves.
He said: “AIB at inception in 2007 inherited from AIPB few staff, majority of who were without aviation background. To bridge the gap, experienced aviation experts, including pilots, engineers, air traffic controllers and weather specialists were quickly recruited while the staff without aviation background were sent to NCAT, Zaria for sound professional training. “All technical staff were thereafter sent to Cranfield University in United Kingdom to be trained as professional accident investigators putting them on same footing with their counterparts in other parts of the world. The ‘five regular technical staff’ have since been receiving several training that can positioned them to be Accident Investigator In Charge, IIC.
“The new staff recruited to boost the technical department and meet our succession plan have been put on training at NCAT, Zaria. This is a medium/long term plan. Recruiting staff is a continuous exercise in AIB. The bureau may further recruit certain categories of experienced aviation professionals to further boost the technical department and prepare us for the future exit of the contract staff.”
By Tunji Oketunbi at 5 Aug 2015, 08:59 AM