Nigerian Air Traffic Controllers’ Association (NATCA) has called for an immediate overhaul of Communication, Navigation and Surveillance (CNS) infrastructure, review of long-dormant professional and aero-medical allowances, among others
This is just as it warned that the nation’s airspace is held together by a thread.
The warning is contained in a statement jointly signed by the NATCA President Mr. Amos Edino and General Secretary, Umar Fahad , and made available to aviation journalists in Lagos.
The statement noted that the era of taking airspace safety for granted is over, as controllers have been pushed “beyond acceptable limits.”
NATCA in the statement that ATCs who are 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 painted a harrowing reality where “obsolete” communication and surveillance tools force professionals to “work around system weaknesses” that have are not a only obsolete but also have no place in modern aviation.
The human cost of this neglect took centre stage as NATCA revisited the recent fire incident at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport(MMIA),Lagos.
NATCA described the scene as traumatic and that ATCs were forced to escape the tower by “dangerous means” and were eventually rescued with crane, only to be ordered back to their stations immediately after to resume operations under immense force
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.
NATCA highlighted a bizarre administrative irony where highly experienced controllers are now forced to serve under junior officers in other departments, a situation NATCA argued has “damaged the dignity” of the profession.
The association said that it was not asking for luxury,” and that its demands should be viewed as as a matter of national security rather than mere industrial agitation.
NATCA called for an immediate overhaul of CNS infrastructure, a review of long-dormant professional and aero-medical allowances, and a strategic policy to reabsorb retired controllers to bridge a widening manpower gap.
The association stated that the safety of every passenger and aircraft in Nigerian skies depends on the mental and physical readiness of the people in the tower, adding that neglecting the guardian, they warn, is an invitation to catastrophe.
About The Author
