EXCLUSIVE: NEMA can’t help during air disasters… ambulance, rescue helicopter grounded for years

Nigeria’s readiness for air emergency is suspect — the air ambulance, and search and rescue (SAR) helicopter belonging to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) are currently grounded, the ICIR can report.

The certificates of airworthiness and insurance for the two aircraft have expired, so they are parked at the hanger of Nigerian Police Air Wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

The NEMA Air Ambulance Service, a 12-passenger aircraft, is marked 5N−EMS, while the helicopter painted in orange colour is marked NEMA rescue with 5N−NEM as its registration number. Launched on February 13, 2015, the air ambulance is meant to deliver emergency healthcare and quick transportation of patients with emergency cases.

NEMA was established in 1999 to manage disasters in Nigeria, with a mission to “coordinate resource towards efficient and effective disaster prevention, preparation, mitigation and response in Nigeria”.

But the ICIR can authoritatively report that the agency is nowhere close to being prepared to prevent or respond to any disaster in any part of the country when the need arises. This is in spite of huge budgetary allocations to the agency in 2016 and 2017: N1.66 billion and N1.41 billion respectively.

NEVER BEEN USED BEFORE

The search-and-rescue helicopter – acquired in 2014 – has never been used for any rescue operation, yet its airworthiness certificate and insurance have expired, the ICIR gathered.

“The air ambulance has never been used before − except for a simulation exercise sometimes in 2015 when it was flown to the NEMA headquarters and the trauma center at the National Hospital. That is all; it has never been used to any rescue,” disclosed an official of the agency, who did not want to be named because he was not authorized to speak to the press.''

“I am speaking to you authoritatively that the helicopter has never been put to use. It has never been put to actual use for any reason at all. You know that there is a publication early in the week that the pilot commercialized the helicopter.

“The air ambulance was put to use between 2014 and 2017… Aircraft is unlike a car where you can insert a key and move it. Once an aircraft is grounded for more than six months, it is not permitted to fly again until it is put through a compulsory maintenance. As it is now, our aircraft have been grounded for more than a year.

READ MORE: https://www.icirnigeria.org/exclusive-nema-cant-help-during-air-disasters-ambulance-rescue-helicopter-grounded-for-years/