The Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) has said that the agency requires hi-tech equipment and other sophisticated tools, as they will help the accident investigation body to carry out its job.
The Chief Executive Officer of the agency, Dr. Felix Abali, said this yesterday while receiving the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi and the Aviation Minister (state), Alhaji Hadi Sirika, during a visit to the agency at the international wing of the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA), Lagos.
Abali stated that though the agency has some well trained professionals and good facilities but that the accident investigation body needed more in this direction. He explained that AIB is funded through the 3 per cent the Ticket Sales Charge (TSC) collected by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and Federal Government allocations through the Federal Budget, adding that the agency can do with more funding.
He said that AIB was silently but diligently work behind the public glare to prevent accidents from reoccurring, adding that the purpose of accident investigation is not to apportion blame or liability but to prevent future re-occurrence.
Abali added that with the recommendations made in the past, AIB has made local and international impacts that has affected aviation safety positively, adding that in doing this, however AIB require well trained, well-motivated and diligent professional investigators.
AIB, he said, became an autonomous agency and effectively started operation in 2007 with the appointment of a Commissioner as a result of the passing into law of the Civil Aviation Act of 2006, adding that prior to this time, the Bureau was a department in the Federal Ministry of Aviation as Accident Investigation and Prevention Bureau (AIPB) and was headed by a director.