Lagos airport
NCAA circular: NAMA dismisses reports of non-serviceable radar stations, says Nigeria’s airspace safe
Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) has dismissed reports of non-serviceable radar stations in Kano, Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt, as it insists the country’s airspace is safe.
NAMA, in a statement signed by the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Engr. Ahmed Farouk, while dismissing the claim that Nigeria’s airspace is not covered by radar as false and misleading, further contended that the report ‘was not only unfounded but also spurious.’
“The claim that the Nigerian airspace is not covered by radar is false and misleading. The radar stations in Kano, Lagos, Abuja, and Port-Harcourt are serviceable. The radar services for Terminal and Enroute flights are positively identified and provide air navigation services to airspace users,” said Engr. Farouk.
Farouk was reacting to the purported circular issued by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) which had asked airlines to be guided from straying into the marked and published prohibited or restricted areas of the Nigerian airspace.
He stated that the reported ‘unidentified’ aircraft is a security terminology, adding that in real terms, the aircraft in question is known, but only to the ATC.
The violation, he said, was in the interest of safety, as a result of adverse weather (serious thunderstorm) on the said date.
He said that the purported circular issued by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) is for airlines to be guided from straying into the marked and published prohibited or restricted areas of the Nigerian airspace.
“It is obvious that the journalist in question does not understand the workings of the surveillance systems, hence his misconstrued and misguided information on Primary and Secondary Radar. The agency shall willfully volunteer information on its services to anyone who requires them at any time,” the MD said.
The NAMA boss stated that though the Total Radar Coverage of Nigeria (TRACON) system, like any other electronics systems, is undergoing an upgrade of software and modernisation to meet the ever growing demand for efficiency it has not the coverage of the Nigerian airspace effective and seamless air traffic management services.
Farouk argued that the welfare of Nigerian Air Traffic Controllers (ATCs) in terms of salaries and allowances is not in contention, as to suggest that it is the lowest in the world and that NAMA, as a reputable agency, prides herself at ensuring sustainable welfare packages for her staff, especially the ATCs.
“We are pleased to say that the Nigerian airspace is safe and secured,” Farouk assured.
