The Federal Republic of Nigeria is among the 16 out of 193 member nations who was recently presented with the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), known as “ICAO Council President’s Certificate”.
The award was given to the country because of its achievement and progress in solving aviation security and oversight deficiencies and its commitment to the effective implementation of ICAO Standards and recommended practices.
Presenting the certificate to the Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, during the opening ceremony of the 40th Triennial Assembly of the International Civil Aviation organisation (ICAO) in Montreal, Canada, President of the ICAO Council, Dr Olumuyiwa Bernard Aliu, said the certificate was in recognition of the contribution of deserving member- states to the marked improvements in global aviation safety and security.
Accorsing to Olumuyiwa, the recognition was meant to encourage the countries to do more, while spurring others to step up their own efforts in promoting the security and safety of their respective airspaces which will ultimately translate to better global aviation security standards.
Reacting to the award, Sirika expressed delight over the fact that the modest achievements recorded by Nigeria in the area of aviation security and oversight deficiencies has been recognised and applauded by the world aviation governing body, saying that the recognition was a challenge to him and all the players in the nation’s aviation industry to do more.
He credited the achievements to the unwavering commitment and support of President Muhammadu Buhari to the transformation of the country’s aviation industry, noting that the government’s focus on safety and security since its inception had started yielding the desired results.
Sirika, commended the ICAO Council for monitoring and giving recognition to developments in member states and promised that Nigeria would remain committed to the ideals and objectives of the Organization.