Why God should not be taken for granted in 2018

To usher in the new year, the staff of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, (NCAA) on the resumption of work embarked on a spiritual exercise to appreciate God for making the outgone year, 2017,  an accident-free year.

The prayer session also witnessed the workers including the Christians and Muslims praying for better and safer operations in the new year, 2018.

Apart from praying against plane crashes in the new year, other prayer points offered included prayer against security attack on the Aviation Industry, prayer for the Management of the NCAA for God to continue to give them wisdom, knowledge and understanding to pilot the affairs of the organisation and prayer for the good health of all staff.

In his Goodwill message, the Director-General, NCAA, Captain Muktar Usman ably represented by the Director of Consumer Protection, Malam Adamu Abdullahi, wished the staff a happy New Year and urged them to work assiduously this year to achieve another accident-free year in 2018.

There is no doubt that the NCAA has started the new year in a good way by committing everything into the hands of God who is the owner of heaven and earth where all activities including aviation are taking place.

While everyone particularly those in the sector should join the NCAA to thank God for an accident-free 2017, there is, however, the need for all key players that are directly involved in making the country’s airspace safe and secure to ask themselves if they are sincerely up to their responsibilities.

The stakeholders include those at the ministry of aviation, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB), the Airlines and other players directly or indirectly connected to safety issues in the sector.

Therefore, while everyone should join in blessing God for the privilege, the truth is that while God has played and still playing his role of showing the sector his mercies and loving kindness, the relevant authorities should not just sit down in the new year waiting for manna to fall from the above for them.

There is the need for all players particularly the NCAA and the FAAN to be more up and doing in the new year in the areas of aviation and airport security.

The need to be more proactive becomes pertinent in view of the December 2017 incidents of the poaching and robbery of passengers’ luggage from two private jets while taxing on the Runway 18 Right at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport.

As the stakeholders are thanking God for playing its own role well by preventing a more catastrophic event, the stakeholders’ responsibility of protecting the airports’ vicinities is nothing to write home about in this case.

The NCAA was able to celebrate an accident free year because there was no record of any crash, but what if the unknown assailants who successfully beat all the security apparatus at the Lagos airport to burgle two aircraft had had plans to blow up the two private jets or even the airport; perhaps, the story would have been different.

At this point, the truth must be told that the stakeholders should not drag their luck too far in this year by taking God for granted, that he will come down from his place above to stop intruders and terrorists from accessing the airport through man-made negligence.

The fact is, let those responsible for making the airports safe and secure put on their thinking caps this year and find ways of protecting lives, properties and the airport.

To achieve this, there is an urgent need to carry out a background data check on the airports and airlines’ workers who may be colluding with criminals.

Besides this, nobody knows if the CCTV security cameras installed around the airports are functioning or if they are mere decorations.

Above all, the Lagos airport, in particular, is very porous in view of the many unlimited and unguarded roads through where people of different motives come into the airport.

Agreed, God has been merciful to the country’s aviation sector, but this should not be taking for a ride in the new year. Let all those concerned do their own beat very well so that 2018 will also be accident-free.