Air Traffic Controllers call for confirmation of NAMA MD

The Nigerian Air Traffic Controllers’ Association (NATCA) has entreated the Minister of Aviation, Senator HadiSirika to accelerate the confirmation of the Acting Managing Director of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Mr Matthew Lawrence Pwajok as the substantive Managing Director/Chief executive of the agency.

This came just as the agency in its bid to tackle the shortage of controllers manning the country’s airspace has unveiled plans to recruit additional 100 ATC to handle the impending shortage of controllers in the country.

Speaking at the association’s 51st Annual General Meeting/conference held in Ibadan, Oyo State, the President of NATCA, AbayomiAgoro said his association was impressed by the performance of the new management team in NAMA led by Pwajok put in place by Sirika.

According to Agoro:  “we speak for majority of our members in soliciting that the Minister of Aviation graciously extend his usual Midas touch in seeking the confirmation of Mr Matthew Lawrence Pwajok as the substantive Managing Director/Chief Executive of NAMA.”

Agoro who lauded the new management team under Pwajok for the progress being made in the upgrade of navigational infrastructure across the country, noted that “the Air Traffic Controller remained the centerpiece in the changes and improvements being made in NAMA with the introduction of new procedures and even the deployment of newer solutions.”

Earlier in his remarks, the Acting Managing Director, Pwajok said as part of management’s response to the unacceptable increase in mortality rate among Air Traffic Controllers and as a measure to arrest incidences of fatal health issues among controllers, the agency recently implemented the health insurance scheme for workers just as it was committed to increasing the medical allowances of NATCA members.

Pwajok, who was represented by the Acting Director of Operations, MrHaskeJibrin revealed that despite the challenging fiscal environment, the NAMA management had conducted more professional, operational and specialised trainings for controllers lately.

He recalled that 16 Air Traffic Controllers (ATCOs) were trained in Basic Procedure Design and Airspace Planning in Cairo in the first quarter of 2022, just as 12 ATCOs were also trained in Nairobi, Kenya in Search and Rescue Mission Operation at about the same time, while another 8 ATCOs were in Czech Republic for the Multilateration (MLAT) operational training much earlier in the year (2022).

The NAMA boss said all these trainings were part of the requirements for the development of capacity for the production of maps and charts including Visual Flight Rules (VFR) charts, in an effort to achieve a seamless conduct of the ICAO Universal Oversight Audit Programme (USOAP).

Pwajok also noted that as part of the agency’s strategic plan to ensure total voice and data communication coverage for the oceanic and remote continental parts of the Nigerian airspace, as well as sequential management of arrival and departure of air traffic at terminal phase of flight, NAMA had trained 16 ATCOs in the Phase II of Controller-Pilot Data Link Communication (CPDLC) in Paris, France while an additional 12  are to undergo Search and Rescue Mission Coordinators’ Training course in Nairobi, Kenya.