Following the consistent air mishaps in the country, Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar, the Chief of Air Staff, CAS, has called for the implementation of suitable measures to curb the accident chain in the service.
On Monday, a drone belonging to the Nigerian Air Force, NAF, crashed in Kaduna, making it the 19th air mishap recorded by the Air Force since 2015.
A statement on Tuesday by NAF’s spokesperson, AVM Edward Gabkwet, following the 2024 meeting of NAF Safety Review Board, SRB, said: “The Chief of the Air Staff stated that the actions or inactions of all Nigerian Air Force personnel will help to either propel or break the accident chain sometimes experienced in the course of NAF activities or operations.”
Abubakar then called for the emplacement of appropriate actions to break the accident chain and enshrine a good safety culture that transcends all levels in the NAF
He said accidents occur as a result of service activities, noting that the Air Force can’t treat the matter with levity.
While noting that accidents are the results of a sequence of events, beginning with deliberate decisions taken, he also stated that NAF cannot afford to pay lip service to issues relating to safety and called for the determination of all personnel to improve safety in the various areas units
Abubakar also emphasised the need to improve the service’s safety culture following the Federal Government’s decision to acquire modern aircraft for the service.
Earlier, the Chief of Standards and Evaluation, Air Vice Marshal Michael Onyebashi, revealed that NAF has commenced the introduction of safety education at all entry points and training institutions.
He noted that with the reactivation of NAF platforms as well as the induction of additional platforms, the need for SRB, commands and units to work assiduously to ensure that safety standards are maintained in all NAF activities is imperative.
He then reminded the board of its responsibility to propose strategies and ideas that would enable NAF to experience continuous improvement in safety in all its operations.