Keyamo and Air Chief Agree to Deepen Aviation Safety Cooperation

Festus Keyamo, aviation and aerospace development minister, and Air Marshal Sunday Aneke, Chief of Air Staff, have agreed to deepen cooperation between the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and the Nigerian Air Force (NAF). Blueprint reported that the proposed work will cover aviation safety, airworthiness, certification, training and capacity building. The agreement followed Keyamo’s condolence visit to Aneke in Abuja after the NAF aircraft incident at Igbokoda, Ondo State.

In a statement by his media adviser, Tunde Moshood, Keyamo expressed sympathy to the Air Force and described the incident as a national tragedy. He praised service personnel and said civilian and military aviation teams serve the same country and protect the same people. Keyamo said aviation disasters can affect both sectors, making coordination and shared expertise important.

Keyamo said a joint NCAA–NAF committee would be established to advance coordination on airworthiness, certification, training and other safety measures. He also said Air Force personnel would have access to relevant training provided by civil aviation authorities. Keyamo added that he had contacted the NCAA director-general and facilitated direct communication with Aneke.

Aneke said the two institutions had begun discussing a framework for civil aviation personnel to contribute to the Air Force’s safety environment. He added that Air Force personnel could support civil aviation with expertise in airworthiness and certification when needed. The two sides said they would share technical knowledge between military and civilian aviation teams.