The Nigeria Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) have begun discussions on strengthening cooperation to improve support for victims of aircraft accidents and their families, as Nigeria seeks to align its emergency response framework with international aviation standards.
According to a statement signed by Mrs Funke Adebayo-Arowojobe, the NSIB Director, Public Affairs and Family Assistance, the discussions took place in Abuja during a meeting between the National Family Assistance Committee, coordinated by the NSIB, and officials of the NCAA. Both organisations said the engagement focused on improving institutional coordination, capacity building and the implementation of Family Assistance programmes within Nigeria’s aviation sector.
The NSIB delegation was led by the Director of Public Affairs and Family Assistance, Mrs. Funke Adebayo-Arowojobe, while the NCAA team was headed by the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Mr. Michael Achimugu.
During the meeting, Mrs Adebayo-Arowojobe explained that the National Family Assistance Coordination Committee operates within a multimodal transportation framework, covering aviation, marine, rail and other transport sectors. She noted that the engagement with the NCAA focused specifically on strengthening collaboration in aviation disaster victim and family assistance.
She said discussions covered the objectives of the Family Assistance Programme, the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) policy on assistance to aircraft accident victims and their families, the mandate of the National Family Assistance Coordination Committee, the statutory role of the NSIB in aviation disaster victim and family assistance, the complementary role of the NCAA and areas for future collaboration.
Mrs Adebayo-Arowojobe described Family Assistance as an essential component of transportation safety management and emergency response.
She said the programme is designed to provide coordinated institutional support that preserves the dignity of victims, ensures families receive timely and accurate information, facilitates access to essential services and promotes compassionate engagement throughout the post-occurrence process.
She added that effective implementation requires sustained collaboration among transportation agencies and adherence to international best practices.
Responding on behalf of the NCAA, Mr Achimugu welcomed the initiative and expressed the Authority’s readiness to work closely with the NSIB in advancing Family Assistance within Nigeria’s aviation sector.
He identified continuous training and retraining of personnel as a key requirement for successful implementation, noting that capacity development is necessary to ensure agencies remain prepared to provide professional and coordinated support whenever the need arises.
The meeting also identified practical areas for collaboration, including joint capacity building programmes, knowledge sharing, stakeholder sensitisation and the development of sustainable mechanisms for implementing Family Assistance initiatives in line with international standards.
Family Assistance has become an increasingly important aspect of aviation safety worldwide. The cooperation between NSIB and NCAA is expected to help establish clearer institutional procedures for supporting families affected by aviation accidents while strengthening Nigeria’s preparedness to respond to future emergencies in line with international best practice.
The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau is the multimodal transport agency charged with the mandate of promoting transport safety and conducting objective, comprehensive, and accurate investigations into transport accidents and incidents in Nigeria with the aim of identifying the probable causes and advocating for safety improvements based on our findings.
