Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, NAMA, is to
deploy its newly procured N1.7 billion mobile air
traffic control towers to Muritala Muhammed Airport
Lagos and Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport,
Abuja.

The Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika who
made the disclosure in Lagos while commissioning the
two mobile control towers procured for NAMA, said
that the control towers will also be deployed to other
locations where the Nigerian airspace lacks
conventional control towers as contingency .

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulation Part 14
demands that Air Traffic Management Agencies should
have contingency strategies and plans in the event of
malfunction of conventional control towers as flights
cannot be stopped. This is also in compliance with
ICAO Annex 11.

Speaking at the commissioning of the two control
towers, Sirika said: ”The cost of these two mobile
towers is N1.7 billion and it is geared towards
improving the safety of our operations which we take
as key activity here in our ministry. The intent and
purpose of the ministry and what we are doing is to
ensure safety and efficiency of our sector without
degrading and de-emphasizing issues of security and
comfort”.

“How very safe you depart point A and land at point B
is our primary concern and is of primary importance.

So this is an extension to that intent and purpose and
so the amount of 1.7billion has been spent to procure
these mobile towers, we would use it in Lagos and
Abuja and if need be we would take them to locations
where they do not have conventional control towers.”

” They are so equipped, so modernized, so efficient and
so very alive. It has everything that a control tower
should have, it has real-time weather, we have all of
that approach and departure procedures and
everything else and overflight that ensures smooth
flight operations and air traffic management”.



While thanking the President for approving the
procurement, the minister said: “So I am glad that
NAMA has been proactive on this request and that Mr
President has been gracious and generous enough yet
again to allow us to do this procurement and spend
this amount of money in the interest of safety”.

Sirika further said that, “In addition, the Managing
Diirector of NAMA just reminded me of the fact that
during unusual times such as pandemics, this will
come in handy when you have to create physical
distancing and so on and so forth or when you have to
operate in difficult circumstance; this is the solution to
that.”

” You know we have been approving money and
procuring things for air traffic management the last
time we did about 13bn on other aspects so we are
working but some of these things are things
passengers don’t see but are very important for our
operations and very important for safety of our
passengers.

“ All of the monies and energies expended in things
that passengers don’t see because they are not
terminal buildings and are remotely positioned but this
is what keeps us going and keeps us all safe,” the
Aviation Minister added.

https://www.vanguardngr.com/2021/06/nama-to-deploy-1-7-bn-naira-mobile-air-control-towers-to-lagos-abuja-airports/

God bless nigeria. Mynd44