Nigeria’s aviation sector has posted a sharp rise in safety performance, securing a 91.4 per cent rating in the latest audit conducted by the International Civil Aviation Organisation.
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, announced the outcome on Wednesday in Abuja, saying the audit marks a turning point for the industry.
“The International Civil Aviation Organization today concluded its audit of the Nigerian aviation industry,” Keyamo said.
He recalled that the last audit in 2023 returned a 70 per cent score, which he described as inadequate and damaging to Nigeria’s global aviation standing.
“The last time this audit took place was 2023. It is conducted every three years. In 2023, Nigeria scored 70 per cent, which is considered very low in terms of safety, and that affected the rating of our airlines internationally,” he said.
Keyamo stated that the new result represents the highest safety score recorded by Nigeria since independence, attributing the improvement to reforms under President Bola Tinubu and the coordinated efforts of aviation agencies.
“For the first time in the history of Nigeria since 1960, we have recorded the highest score in terms of safety of the aviation industry. We have now achieved 91.4 per cent,” he said.
He added that the milestone was driven by deliberate policies and sustained government support.
“This is because of the deliberate policies of President Bola Tinubu and the support given to the aviation industry, as well as the initiatives introduced within the sector. The International Civil Aviation Organization is very happy with us,” Keyamo said.
The minister commended the leadership of key aviation agencies and disclosed that a central committee was set up to improve Nigeria’s performance after the 2023 audit.
“The heads of the agencies have been hands-on. For more than two years, we had a central committee under my leadership. The ministry set up a committee specifically for this audit because we were not satisfied with the previous score,” he said.
He described the latest rating as a collective achievement involving regulators and airline operators.
“This is to congratulate everyone, including the airlines that were audited. They all contributed to this success,” Keyamo added.
Nigeria’s 2023 audit by the global aviation body had raised concerns over safety compliance and oversight, prompting reforms aimed at strengthening regulatory systems and addressing identified gaps ahead of the latest evaluation.