Nigeria Scores 91 Percent in ICAO Aviation Safety Audit, Minister Announces

Nigeria has achieved a 91 percent safety rating from the International Civil Aviation Organisation Coordinated Validation Mission, marking a significant improvement over the country's previous assessment.

Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development Festus Keyamo announced the result yesterday, describing it as one of the highest scores Nigeria has recorded in ICAO aviation safety evaluations. He confirmed that all aviation agencies and domestic airlines were audited and certified safe based on the visiting team's findings.

The validation mission concluded on Wednesday following a week-long on-site safety oversight audit. The exercise was a follow-up to the ICAO Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme conducted between August and September 2023, during which Nigeria scored 70.12 percent in Effective Implementation.

ICVM team lead Mr. Jerome Patoreaux had earlier explained that the mission's objective was to collect, evaluate, and document evidence of Nigeria's progress in implementing Corrective Action Plans from the 2023 audit. While outlining the oversight framework, he cautioned against delays in submitting evidence of safety reforms.

"We have an ICAO team that is here and remotely here to collect, evaluate, and document the evidence of progress made by Nigeria in implementing its corrective action plans," Patoreaux said.

The improved rating reflects the ministry's ongoing efforts to strengthen regulatory compliance and align Nigerian aviation standards with international benchmarks.