Reviewing the Civil Aviation Act.

(From This Day (Nigeria) - AAGM)

Byline: Ndubuisi Francis

Giving the nation a befitting Civil Aviation Act is not only desirable but also urgent, writes Ndubuisi Francis

Nigeria's civil aviation has had a rather chaotic history. It has been bedevilled by sudden management changes, loss of badly needed technical manpower and name changes, which were long on style but short on substance.

It all began with the defunct Civil Aviation Department (CAD) managing everything, from airports to airspace. It even managed to regulate! When the Nigerian Airports Authority (NAA), commenced operation in 1978, it naturally relieved the CAD of some of the burdens.

In line with recommendations of the National Policy on Civil Aviation of 1989, the Federal Civil Aviation Authority (FCAA) was established by Decree 8 of 1990 to take over the regulatory functions as well as provide air traffic and aeronautical telecommunications services.

In August 1995, a re-organisation of some government establishments within the industry led to the scrapping of the FCAA and the creation of the Directorate of Safety Regulation and Monitoring (DSRAM) and the Directorate of Economic Regulation and Monitoring (DERAM) in the Federal …