By Omoyeni Ojeifo
In a historic milestone for the country’s aviation sector, Nigeria has achieved a record-breaking 91.4% score in the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) safety oversight audit.
The rating represents the nation’s highest score since 1960 and comes on the heels of major sector reforms, airport concessions, and ongoing airline expansion.
Mr. Festus Keyamo (SAN), the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, announced the audit results during a Thursday night appearance on Channels TV monitored by Persecondnews.
Keyamo attributed the landmark score directly to key reforms introduced under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
He noted that the new rating marks a drastic improvement over Nigeria’s previous record of roughly 70%, signaling a major leap forward for national air safety standards.
“Since 1960, it is under President Bola Tinubu’s administration that we have scored the highest in terms of ICAO audits. We scored 91.4 per cent this year. Before, the highest was about 70 per cent,” the minister announced.
Keyamo said recent runway excursions should not be interpreted as evidence of an unsafe aviation sector, describing them as isolated incidents recorded in every aviation system worldwide.
He said the incidents accounted for less than one per cent of Nigeria’s air traffic, adding that only two or three runway excursions had occurred within the last four years.
“If you take the volume of air travel that happens in Nigeria, these are isolated incidents of less than one per cent that did not result in fatalities. We have had about two or three runway excursions in four years.”
He said preliminary reports suggested possible human error in some incidents rather than failures of navigational infrastructure, while final reports would be issued after investigations by the appropriate authorities.
Keyamo said reforms had also restored international confidence, with Nigeria’s Cape Town Convention(CTC) compliance rising from 49 per cent to 75.5 per cent, making aircraft leasing easier for local operators.
He disclosed that 15 of the 30 aircraft offered by Southwest Airlines in the United States had already been earmarked for Nigerian operators because of renewed confidence in Nigeria’s aviation market.
He said airport concession arrangements succeeded because government protected workers’ jobs, pensions and conditions of service, preventing labour disputes that frustrated previous concession efforts.
“I had to dig deep to ensure that jobs were protected, pensions protected and terms of service protected. This is the first time workers have not gone to court to challenge airport concessions, ” Keyamo added.
The minister said domestic airfares had reduced significantly as competition increased amongst airlines.
“What did you pay during Christmas? ₦400,000, ₦500,000. What is it now? About ₦100,000. We are forcing prices down by competition. Enugu Air has come on, Bayelsa has started, Caliphate is about to start, Kano is coming and Binani is coming.”
While responding to concerns about ageing aircraft operated by local airlines, Keyamo said maintenance history, not age, determines whether an aircraft is safe to fly.
He stressed: “Aircraft 40 years old can still fly safely with proper maintenance, while aircraft less than 10 years old can crash if maintenance is poor. It is the maintenance record that determines safety.”
He reaffirmed that passenger safety would remain the government’s top priority as reforms continue across Nigeria’s aviation industry.
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