Montréal, 21 November 2017 – On the eve of ICAO’s Third World Aviation Forum (IWAF/3), being hosted by Nigeria this year in its capital Abuja, ICAO Council President Dr. Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu held high-level bilateral meetings with the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency Muhammadu Buhari, and Nigeria’s Minister of State, Aviation, the Honourable Hadi Sirika.
Discussions between ICAO and President Buhari focused on the importance of investment in modernized aviation infrastructure to safely accommodate forecast traffic growth, and related capacity building efforts including the need to establish new educational and training capacities to ensure that any new equipment invested in by the State today will be effectively operated and managed in decades ahead.
President Aliu also welcomed Nigeria’s recent efforts in certifying two international airports, and reviewed more generally with President Buhari the significant progress Nigeria has achieved over recent years in enhancing compliance with ICAO’s safety and security Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs). He presented the State with a certificate concerning the recent recognition of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology, Zaria, as an ICAO Regional Training Centre of Excellence.
In addition to President Buhari and Minister Sirika, the ICAO-Nigeria high-level meetings were also attended by Nigeria’s Minister of Industry Trade and Investment, Dr. Okechukwu Enelamah, who welcomed suggestions regarding future air traffic growth and the positive impacts that would lead to for the local economy and producers.
Also present was the Chief of Staff to the President of Nigeria, Mr. Mallam Abba Kyari, the Permanent Secretary of Nigeria’s Ministry of Transportation, Alh. Sabi'u Zakari, the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, the Secretary General of the African Civil Aviation Commission, Ms. Iyabo O. Sosina, and the Vice President of the African Development Bank, Mr Pierre Guislain.
President Aliu also welcomed Nigeria’s hosting of IWAF/3 and thanked the country’s leadership for its vision and generosity. 2017 was the first time an ICAO IWAF event has been hosted outside the UN aviation agency’s Headquarters in Montreal, and would serve as an important contribution to the development of air connectivity regionally and globally.
Affirming the critical importance of aviation to Nigeria, President Buhari declared his total support and commitment to continued progress on air transport issues at the national and international levels, and in support of Nigeria’s achievement of the goals set out under the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
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