Nigeria Steps up Aviation Safety as ICAO WACAF ROST Arrives Ahead of ICVM

On 16 February, the Director-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Capt. Chris Najomo, in Abuja, received Regional Office Safety Team (ROST) from the International Civil Aviation Organization Western and Central African Office (ICAO WACAF) on a technical assistance visit to Nigeria.

The visit, which marked the commencement of an ICAO ROST Assistance Mission to Nigeria, is aimed at strengthening the country’s aviation safety oversight system ahead of the forthcoming ICAO International Coordinated Validation Mission (ICVM) scheduled for April 15 to 22, 2026.

In his welcome address, Capt Najomo described the mission as a critical step in Nigeria’s journey towards global best practices in aviation safety.

According to the DGCA, the purpose of ICAO audits and assistance missions are not about scoring but improving safety, strengthening regulatory frameworks, and ensuring full compliance with international standards.

Hence, Nigeria took the audit findings seriously and developed Corrective Action Plans which were validated by ICAO, and are currently being implemented.

Capt Najomo explained that the ongoing ROST Assistance Mission is strategically focused on four critical audit areas — Personnel Licensing, Flight Operations, Air Navigation Services, and Aerodromes and Ground Aids — which have recorded the highest number of outstanding protocol questions.

While recalling the 2023 ICAO Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme (USOAP) Continuous Monitoring Approach Audit where Nigeria recorded an Effective Implementation (EI) score of 70.12 per cent, Capt. Najomo expressed appreciation to the ICAO Regional Director and the WACAF team for their continued support, assuring them of Nigeria’s commitment to implementing all recommendations promptly.

Responding, the ICAO WACAF Mission Team Lead, Kebba Lamin Jammeh, emphasized that the exercise is an assistance mission, not an audit, and as a result, called for openness and transparency from all stakeholders.

Present at the meeting were senior officials of the NCAA, representatives from Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB), other sister agencies, and technical experts from Banjul Accord Group Aviation Safety Oversight Organization (BAGASOO).