NAF Chief Urges Enhanced Safety Culture to Break Accident Chain
By Matthew Eloyi
The Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar, has called on all safety officers of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) to ensure an enhanced safety culture in all NAF activities and operations.
Air Marshal Abubakar delivered this charge at the NAF Safety Review Board Meeting on Tuesday in Abuja. He emphasized that the actions or inactions of NAF personnel could either prevent or cause accidents during operations.
“The need for appropriate actions to break the accident chain is crucial,” Abubakar stated, urging the board to develop innovative safety ideas. “Safety is a collective responsibility, and this board is primarily accountable for safety administration in the NAF. Accidents result from a sequence of events beginning with deliberate decisions, and NAF cannot afford to neglect safety issues.”
Abubakar highlighted safety as a core function of NAF, committing to policies ensuring all activities are conducted in a safe environment. He assured that the Federal Government’s commitment to equipping NAF with modern platforms necessitates a proactive safety culture to maximize their usage.
The Chief of Standards and Evaluation, AVM Michael Onyebashi, explained that the biannual meeting of the board, the apex body of the NAF Safety Management Structure, focuses on major policy, resource allocation, and regulatory issues related to safety.
Onyebashi noted that the NAF has introduced safety education at all entry points and training institutions, leveraging online learning infrastructure at the Air Warfare Centre to sustain safety education. He urged the board, commands, and units to maintain safety standards, especially with the induction of new platforms.
Dr. Iteke Chukwunonso of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) delivered a paper titled “Senior Managers’ Role in Organisational Safety Management System,” emphasizing the need to manage risks proactively and integrate safety management into the organization’s culture. He praised NAF for its exceptional safety standards and encouraged leadership to maintain responsibility and accountability for safety, promote open reporting, and incentivize safety promotion.