The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority has confirmed that the Nigerian airspace is safe and secure.
This announcement comes after certain online publications raised concerns about the security of the airspace due to a supposed lack of radar coverage.
In a press statement signed by the Acting Director-General, Capt Chris Najomo, the NCAA firmly denied these claims. “THE NCAA firmly aligns with the statement from the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) on the total radar coverage of Nigeria,” Najomo stated.
Najomo explained that the NCAA had investigated two recent incidents involving violations of the prohibited flight zones in Abuja. Both cases involved controlled flights that strayed into restricted airspace due to adverse weather conditions.
According to Najomo, “The NCAA investigated two recent cases of violations of the prohibited flight zones in Abuja and established that both violations comprised controlled flights in controlled airspace, but strayed into restricted airspace as a result of adverse weather.”
The NCAA also confirmed that NAMA had complete radar footage of these incidents, identifying the aircraft and operators involved.
This was possible due to the functional primary and secondary surveillance radars in Abuja. Similar radar installations are also in place in Kano, Lagos, and Port Harcourt.
To further enhance Nigeria’s aviation infrastructure and radar coverage, the NCAA announced the addition of five new MSSR (Monopulse Secondary Surveillance Radar) stations in Obubra, Ilorin, Talata Mafara, Maiduguri, and Numan. These new stations will support the four existing radar centers to achieve total coverage of the country.
