AFIT REGISTRAR PRESENTS SPECIALISED CRITICAL STUDY, RECEIVES COMMENDATION FROM NAF SAFETY REVIEW BOARD
The Chief of the Air Staff and Chairman, Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Safety Review Board (SRB), Air Marshal HB Abubakar, has commended the Registrar of the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT), Air Commodore MS Lawal, for his rare display of commitment to critical safety standards at the presentation of the report of a data driven study titled, “Analysis of Trends and Causes of Aircraft Accidents in the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) from 1980-2024.” The presentation which took place during the biannual meeting of the NAF SRB on 22 July, 2025, was a detailed data analytic study carried out based on information extracted from the recently publishedCatalogue of NAF Aircraft Accidents Investigation Report (1980-2024). The presentation focused on previously ignored salient points about analysed data on trends of aircraft accidents and their causal factors.
Air Mshl HB Abubakar stated that “it was the first time someone has taken time to conduct detailed analysis of aircraft accidents in the NAF covering a 44-year period, highlighting data and trends of root causes and systemic issues causing the accidents.” He appreciated the study for highlighting that NAF Safety performance across 4 decades were within the global average. It would be recalled that the incumbent Chief of the Air Staff, upon assumption of duty, placed high premium on aircraft safety and standards having served as the Branch Chief incharge of Standards and Evaluation. His experience and subsequent application of safety measures significantly redressed the trend of aircraft accidents in the NAF from year 2024 till date due to various interventions put in place by the current administration.
According to Air Cdre MS Lawal, neglecting the safetygap “could lead to incomplete understanding of root and systemic causes of aircraft accidents in the NAF and common lessons learned across 4 decades” as these gaps could “limit identification of components of NAF operations where safety performance is more challenging”. The study revealed hidden patterns, systemic weaknesses and actionable insights. The aim of the study, according to the Registrar, was to “facilitate data driven-decision making towards continuous improvement of NAF safety performance”. The study proposed a “NAF Safety Risk Profile, which categorised various root causes and systemic issues causing aircraft accidents in the NAF according to their risk levels.” The approach adopted by the research method had the capacity to facilitate hazard categorization and safety risk management in the NAF.
The CAS, who was impressed by the quality of the study, promised to implement the recommendations as that would have far reaching impact on the NAF, the Armed Forces of Nigeria and the nation at large.
Bassey Ibiang Okon
Wing Commander
Director of Public Relations
Air Force Institute of Technology
