Flight Data Centre a commitment to aviation safety —Captain Najomo

The Director-General, Civil Aviation, Capt. Chris Najomo, has described the establishment of the Flight Data Centre by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) as a clear declaration of the nation’s commitment to aviation safety.

Najomo made this assertion on wednesday while declaring open a one-day training workshop for frontline managers for the Flight Data Centre held at the agency’s headquarters in Abuja.

He highlighted that the data centre was so significant that it was personally commissioned by the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr Festus Keyamo.

According to Capt. Najomo, the centre represents not just infrastructure, but a clear declaration of Nigeria’s commitment to aviation safety.

“We are investing in your capacity and competence. This is more than a training programme—it is an investment in our collective future and a clear statement of our commitment to excellence,” Capt. Najomo said.

He affirmed that the centre allows for proactive collection, flight data analysis and identification of potential safety deficiencies with a view to addressing them before they escalate into serious incidents or accidents.

Capt. Najomo recognised the need to move oversight methodology from compliance-based to performance-based (from being reactive) to being proactive and predictive.

He commended the Director of Special Duties, Mr Horatius Egua and his team for their dedication to making the vision of NCAA —becoming one of the world’s leading Civil Aviation Authorities —a stark reality.

In his goodwill message, Mr Egua, recollected how the project which had been in limbo since 2016 became a reality following the approval of the DGCA.

While commending Capt. Najomo for his unwavering support for the ongoing training for the managers to manage the centre, he highlighted the significance of the facility in the areas of Safety Management System (SMS) and hands-on training.

Other key benefits include enhancing safety oversight, regulatory compliance, incident investigation, tracking patterns and operational performance monitoring, trend analysis and risk management, improving stakeholder collaboration, routine and investigative analysis of flight data, cost savings and efficiency and global credibility.

In attendance were the Executive Director of Banjul Accord Group Safety Oversight Organisation (BAGASOO), representatives of the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB), International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), APS facilitators, and a cross section of participants drawn from the aviation ecosystem.

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