The federal government has inaugurated a joint audit committee on Aviation fuel activities following about four incidents of contaminated Jet A1 fuel in the country in 2023.
The Director General of Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Captain Musa Nuhu, while inaugurating the committee on Thursday in Abuja said the primary responsibility of the agency was to ensure the safety of aviation activities in Nigeria.
Nuhu, who was represented by the Director, Operations, Licensing and Training Standards, Capt. Ibrahim Dambazau, said recently, there had been a series of incidents relating to fuel contamination, in particular, that of Max Air fuel contamination in Yola that has generated a lot of attention in the country and all over the world.
This, he said, has created negative publicity in the industry and a level of fear amongst the public which is justified.
Nuhu noted that the authority has not been sleeping and have taken steps in the aftermath of the incidents which included the investigation of all the incidents that have been reported.
The director-general stressed that the agency was in collaboration with sister agencies in the aviation industry like the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB), Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) that issue licenses, and Department of State Security (DSS).
He stated: “I want to assure the Nigerian public and the world at large that the Nigerian aviation industry and our skies are safe as the NCAA has always been thorough in granting approvals in addition to our oversight responsibilities which include surveillance and audits of all operators involved in the aviation industry to ensure the highest level of safety in our skies.
“We are all aware that the aviation industry is the most scrutinized and regulated industry in the world.
“This collaboration with NMPDRA has yielded positive results so far as the collaboration has led to the identification of all non-licensed fuelers and those with expired licences in Nigeria and has led to the suspension of all their activities in the airport in Nigeria.
“Furthermore, an All Operators Letter (AOL) has been issued mandating all operators to comply with all requirements for fueling as approved. The Authority has also heightened its surveillance to ensure complete and full compliance.
“Considering the gravity of the situation and the seriousness that the authority is pursuing this matter, the authority has set up a joint committee and mandated the committee to conduct a holistic review and audit all fuelers, fueling facilities and equipment from the initial source of the fuel to the point of fueling into the aircraft.”
Nuhu stressed that the committee has membership drawn from the NCAA, NSIB, FAAN, DSS, NMPDRA, and the Association of Fuel Marketers in Nigeria.