NIGERIA – The Federal Government of Nigeria has acquired two mobile control towers worth N1.7 billion (US$4.13m) in order to further enhance coverage of Nigeria’s airspace and improvement of flight safety.
The mobile towers would be used by Air Traffic Controllers (ATCs), a department in the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) for air and ground communication.
The Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika explained that the equipment would be deployed to the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos and the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja and any other airport that may require the facility.
Sirika who commissioned the equipment at the Lagos airport recently, said the aim of the present administration is to continue to improve safety in the industry.
“They are so equipped, so modernised, so efficient and so very alive. It has everything that a control tower can have.”
Hadi Sirika – Minister of Aviation, Nigeria
Sirika reiterated the commitment of President Muhammadu Buhari to deepen air safety in the country, stressing that apart from this, the government through the Federal Executive Council (FEC) had on numerous occasions approved sums that had boosted safety in the sector.
“The intent and purpose of the ministry and what we have been doing is to ensure safety and efficiency of our sector without degrading and de-emphasising issues of security and comfort,” he said.
“So, how very safe you depart Point A and land in Point B is our primary concern and primary importance. So this is an extension of that intent and purpose and so the amount of N1.7 billion (US$4.13m) has been spent in procuring these mobile towers.
“We will use it in Lagos and Abuja and if need be we take them to locations where they do not have conventional control towers. They are so equipped, so modernised, so efficient and so very alive. It has everything that a control tower can have.”
Some of the features of the control towers according to the Minister included real time weather, approach and departure procedures and over-flight facility that would ensure smooth flight operations and air traffic management.
He lauded the management of NAMA, led by Capt. Fola Akinkuotu, for being proactive on the request to procure the equipment, stressing that President Buhari was once again generous to give the approval for the procurement.
