HORIZONS
One-on-One with Rabiu Muhammad Sani, President of National Airtraffic Communicators Association of Nigeria
The efficiency, safety, security and sustainable development of air navigation services are contigent upon the availability as well as the efficient and timely communication of time-critical and safety-critical aeronautical and non-aeronautical information. Communications centres (COM CENTRES) the world over, staffed by trained, competent, and duly certified air traffic communicators in ICAO Contracting States, incur this huge responsibility under Volumes II and III of Annex 10 to the Convention on International Civil Aviation, otherwise refered to as the Chicago Convention. Rabiu Muhammad Sani is the President of the National Association of Airtraffic Communicators Association of Nigeria (NACAN), an affiliate of the International Federation of Airtraffic Communicators Associations (IFACA). Air Traffic Safety Electronics International recently caught up with Rabiu and here’s what he had to say:
For starters, could you paint a picture of what the National Airtraffic Communicators Association of Nigeria (NACAN) stands for today as a critical stakeholder in ICAO Annex 10, Volumes II and III?
The National Airtraffic Communicators Association of Nigeria (NACAN) is a professional association at the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Nigeria’s air navigation service provider. Its members are saddled with the great responsibilities of communicating and/or exchanging all air traffic service messages with all aviation stakeholders concerned in accordance with the standards and recommended practices laid out in ICAO Annex 10 Volumes II and III.
What are the major agendas of NACAN under your watch?
The Major Agendas of NACAN under my watch include ensuring the welfare and wellbeing of all the members without any form of discrimination whatsoever. One other critical area of focus, of course, is the facilitation of the timely and regular training of all Aeronautical Communications (Aero-Comms) personnel engaged with the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency. Collaboration and advocacy are another focal points as we aim to continue to collaborate with the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency management in providing modern communications equipment across all communication centres and offices nationwide.
From your perspective as the President of NACAN, what major challenges are you seeing today regarding the air traffic communications working environments both in Nigeria and the African continent?
As far as I am concerned, the current leadership of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency under Engr. Ahmed Umar Farouk has done and continues to do so much for the Aero-Comms department of the Agency’s Air Traffic Services directorate in terms of staff welfare, manpower development, renovations and furnishing of operational centres. However, I must admit that more need to be done to improve the working environments and make the atmosphere more conducive for seamless operations.
And how is NACAN responding to these challenges?
NACAN has been engaging all stakeholders such as the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), and the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT). These engagements are aimed at identifying some of the challenges and proffering proper solutions to them. And to God be the glory, the managements are gearing up towards addressing most of the issues raised during any interactions.
What strategic and policy interventions would you advise that the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) should put in place in order to adequately and sustainably respond to these challenges?
NAMA needs to adopt a multi-pronged strategy focusing on modernization, safety, and funding as well as human capital development through leveraging technology, partnerships and policy reforms. By so doing, NAMA can sustainably overcome its challenges and align with global best practices in terms of aviation standards.
How would you describe NACAN’s relationship with sister professional associations in Nigeria as well as external aviation agencies and organizations?
NACAN has for long established a strong bond and excellent working relationships with all the sister professional associations, aviation unions and organizations. We have been actively strengthening these relationships through workshops, seminars and collaborative meetings.
One would recall with nostalgia those good old times when the then visionary executive governors of Kano and Yobe states, His Excellency Engr. Rabiu Musa Kwankawaso and His Excellency Mai Mala Buni, sponsored many airtraffic communicators to the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology. Do you foresee a reenactment of these good old times?
That initiative was highly commendable. It has since been enacted into law by the two governors mentioned and will likely be sustained by any forward-thinking administration. The policy revitalized the Aero-Comms department of NAMA, which had gone 20 years without new hires. Under the leadership of the late Philip Aderosoye of blessed memory, NACAN appealed to state governors across Nigeria for sponsorship of communications trainees at the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology. Kano, Yobe, Bauchi, Kaduna, and Gombe responded by sending their indigenes for training, thus effectively reviving the Aero-Comms department.
The airtraffic communications landscape is no doubt changing globally with the increasing adoption of innovative technologies in the air navigation domains. How prepared, in your view, are Nigerian airtraffic communicators in terms of coping with the changing technological terrains?
I must admit that the level of preparedness of Nigerian airtraffic communicators is contingent upon and will be directly proportional to the timely deployment of ATS Message Handling System, provision of a modernized HF radio and staff trainings on those modernized equipment. However, the AMHS installation project is ongoing across major Nigerian airports.
One area of significant concern in NAMA remains the delay in completing the AIS automation project, the contract for which was perfected sometimes in the early 2000’s. How would you describe the operational status of ATS Message Handling services in Nigeria today?
Unfortunately, the ATS Message Handling System is not yet operational, but we are optimistic. The current NAMA administration is doing everything possible to actualize the implementation and service commencement this year or next.
And what would you say about the readiness of Nigerian airtraffic communicators to operate the systems in terms of training and competence?
Many officers have obtained trainings and competencies to man those systems. As we speak, three batches of officers are set to proceed to Cairo and Germany for their AMHS foreign courses.
What are your guiding principles as you continue to oversee the affairs of NACAN?
My guiding principles are strictly based on transparency, accountability, fairness, inclusivity, and effective governance.
Overall, how would you assess the future of airtraffic communicators within the framework of the Nigerian air navigation system?
The future would be brighter than what we are seeing today. The current Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority boss has come to fully understand the safety-critical functions performed by Air Traffic Communicators and he is presently doing everything possible to integrate those functions into the Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations and provide all the necessary requirements for the oversight and technical expertise for communications operations. ◙
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