Mamaj's Aviation Blog Travel News, Events, Trends, Jobs, Gossip and Inspiration
In a searing indictment of the current state of Nigeria’s aviation sector, the Nigerian Air Traffic Controllers’ Association (NATCA) has warned that the nation’s airspace is being held together by a thread.
In a joint statement crackling with urgency, NATCA President Mr. Amos Edino and General Secretary, Umar Fahad declared that the era of taking airspace safety for granted is over, as controllers are being pushed “beyond acceptable limits.”
The picture painted by the association is one of a high-stakes profession under siege.
Controllers, tasked with split-second precision, are reportedly battling a “psychological strain” fueled by crumbling infrastructure and a system that seems to have forgotten them.
NATCA described a harrowing reality where “obsolete” communication and surveillance tools force professionals to “work around system weaknesses” that have no place in modern aviation.
The human cost of this neglect took center stage as the association revisited the recent fire at Murtala Muhammed International Airport.
In a scene described as nothing short of traumatic, controllers were forced to escape the tower by “dangerous means” and were eventually rescued by crane, only to be ordered back to their stations immediately after to resume operations under immense duress.
The crisis extends into the very pockets and career paths of the workforce. NATCA revealed a “demoralizing” stagnation where senior officers have languished on the same grade level for up to 13 years, their professional allowances frozen since 2012 despite a skyrocketing cost of living.
To add insult to injury, the association highlighted a bizarre administrative irony: highly experienced controllers are now being forced to serve under junior officers in other departments, a move NATCA says has “damaged the dignity” of the profession.
“We are not asking for luxury,” the statement emphasized, framing their demands as a matter of national security rather than mere industrial agitation.
NATCA is calling for an immediate overhaul of CNS infrastructure, a review of long-dormant professional and aeromedical allowances, and a strategic policy to reabsorb retired controllers to bridge a widening manpower gap.
As morale hits rock bottom, Mr. Edino and Fahad say, the safety of every passenger and aircraft in Nigerian skies depends on the mental and physical readiness of the people in the tower. Neglecting the guardian, they warn, is an invitation to catastrophe.
Credit: https://newsbulletinng.com/why-nigerias-airspace-safety-can-no-longer-be-guaranteed-natca/
