The Aeronautical Information Service Association of Nigeria, AIMAN, is grieved over the lopsidedness in the official structure of the Nigeria Airspace Management Agency, NAMA, with regards to the management of AIS and Aero Chart Services departments in the organization.
The Association is also hurt that seniority is no longer a consideration for acting appointment.
The immediate past President of AIMAN, Mr. Babatunde Shittu in his address of welcome at the World AIS Day in Ibadan, said this development was dangerous and could cause the morale of staff to diminish in a critical sensitive organization like NAMA.
He appealed to the NAMA management that was need to upgrade and fill the vacancies in AIS and Aero. Charts Services organogram, adding that, the Organogram of AIS and Aero Chart Services shown that there were positions that exist which could be filled by a crop of experienced AIS officers that were currently available in the system.
“This will help to stabilize the departments particularly when the AIS Automation is on ground”.
Shittu harped on the training, re-training and licensing of AIS/AIM personnel as this was critical to the successful actualization of the changes taking place with the transition from AIS to AIM.
“Which involves operational shift from manual operations to automated processes and data is easily and quickly exchanged. We therefore employ the management of NCAT, NCAA and NAMA to embark on effective training and re-training of AIS staff and instructors to meet the present day technological development, he added.
“Licensing of AIS/AIM personnel is worthy of higher consideration by the state now than ever, due to the critical nature of the data we handle. We need to be responsible to our data. This can be achieved by licensing of AIS/AIM staff which will in the long run improve our productivity”
The former AIMAN president urged Government of Nigeria to ensure that the AIS automation project does not become an elephant project.
“Ever since 1998 in Nigeria we have been hearing and reading on the pages of the newspapers of AIS automation and it is yet to be completed. In the last 5 years, a lot of progress has been made in this regard. Before now, fund has been the recurrent impediment of this project. However, since 2016, the story has changed. In my address in 2015 I said ’I happened to attend a seminar where we were told not to expect the completion of the project even in 2016.” That has come to pass. At the user’s end, i.e. in AIS nationwide the effect of the project is yet to be seen in our day to day operations”.
“Today we live in a world in constant motion where time and information are becoming more precious. No one wants to lose a minute at doing nothing. It is by integrating this reality that ICAO is developing daily, the critical role of AIS/MAP to meet global challenges. The greatest challenges now lie with the Air Navigation Services Providers (NAMA), regulators (NCAA), aviation institutions especially NCAT to accelerate the rate of AIS development to keep abreast of the new requirements arising from global demands, as Nigeria cannot afford to continue to queue behind surrounding smaller African Countries”.
The Aeronautical Information Management (AIM) concept presents ICAO’s vision for the origination, management, sharing and integration of time-sensitive, digital aeronautical information between and among all members of the global Air Traffic Management (ATM) community in a safe, secure and efficient manner.
The highlight of the event was the launch of a book on AIS/AIM titled “Aeronautical Information Management: the pivot of safety in aviation (Nigeria in Perspective)” written by Mr. Babatunde Shittu.
He said, “the idea behind this book is to contribute my quota in creating the awareness of this great profession to the general public for different purposes. I hope that will be achieved”.
