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The Federal Government has acquired and commissioned two mobile control towers worth N1.7 billion in order to enhance safety in the Nigerian aviation industry.
The government said that the two equipment would be deployed to the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA), Lagos and the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja and any other airport that may require the facility.
Sen. Hadi Sirika, Minister of Aviation commissioned the equipment said mobile towers would be used by Air Traffic Controllers (ATCs), a department in the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) at the Lagos Airport for air and ground communication.
Sirika reiterated the commitment of President Muhammadu Buhari to deepen air safety in the country, stressing that apart from this, the government through the Federal Executive Council (FEC) had on numerous occasions approved sums that had boosted safety in the sector.
He said: “The intent and purpose of the ministry and what we have been doing is to ensure safety and efficiency of our sector without degrading and de-emphasising issues of security and comfort.
“So, how very safe you depart Point A and land in Point B is our primary concern and primary importance. So this is an extension of that intent and purpose and so the amount of N1.7 billion has been spent in procuring these mobile towers.
“We will use it in Lagos and Abuja and if need be we take them to locations where they do not have conventional control towers. They are so equipped, so modernised, so efficient and so very alive. It has everything that a control tower can have.”
Some of the features of the control towers according to the minister included real time weather, approach and departure procedures and over-flight facility that would ensure smooth flight operations and air traffic management.
He commended the management of NAMA, led by Capt. Fola Akinkuotu for being proactive on the request to procure the equipment, stressing that President Buhari was once again generous to give the approval for the procurement.
“We do this procurement and spend this amount of money in the interest of safety,” he added.
Also commenting, Akinkuotu said that the mobile towers would be useful during emergency operations.
Akinkuotu also commended Sirika for presenting the request to FEC, maintaining that the minister had partnered with the agencies and other organisations to move it forward since his appointment.
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