Nigeria Trains Airport Inspectors to Defend 95.16% ICAO Score

Nigeria's aviation regulator has begun a structured ACI-ICAO training programme for its aerodrome inspectors, aiming to hold the country's 95.16 percent Effective Implementation score in Aerodromes and Ground Aids (AGA) through the 2026 ICAO Coordinated Validation Mission.

The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) split the course into three sets of two batches each. The first set runs November 2 to 6, the second November 9 to 13, and the third November 16 to 20. That is three consecutive weeks of classroom work, practical exercises and site visits for the inspectorate.

What is at stake for Nigeria?

The numbers explain the urgency. Nigeria's AGA Effective Implementation score has climbed from roughly 57.6 percent to 95.16 percent, an increase of nearly 38 percentage points under the 2026 ICVM process. The country's overall Effective Implementation score rose from 70.23 percent to 91.30 percent.

In practical terms, that overall figure moved Nigeria from below the ICAO global average to comfortably above it in a single validation cycle. Sustaining it, rather than achieving it, is now the regulatory problem.

Director-General of Civil Aviation Capt. Chris Najomo, represented in Lagos by NCAA Lagos Regional Manager Mrs Olubukola Teriba, described aerodrome certification as a core component of the state's safety oversight system. Certification, he said, provides a structured process through which the authority validates an aerodrome's compliance with applicable safety requirements for its intended operations.

Five designated international aerodromes in Nigeria have achieved certification. Najomo credited stakeholders for results achieved through collective effort.

How was the improvement delivered?

The Director-General disclosed the specific measures behind the score jump. The authority, working with relevant stakeholders, intensified regulatory engagement, conducted technical inspections, prioritized safety deficiencies, and strengthened corrective action planning and evidence management.

He called for continuous surveillance and sustained competence to maintain the result. He also expressed NCAA's commitment to developing a professional inspectorate capable of discharging its statutory duties and meeting Nigeria's obligations under the international aviation safety framework.

A regulator's score, of course, is only as durable as the inspectors who defend it. A validated mission every several years leaves ample room for drift between visits.

What does the training cover?

Director of Aerodrome and Airspace Standards Alh. Ahmad Abba, represented by General Manager Aerodrome Standards (Ground Handling Oversight) Mr Chukwu Emmanuel, called the programme a special, carefully designed initiative merging ACI and ICAO concepts. Sustaining certification of the five aerodromes, he said, demands competence, knowledge and intentional commitment.

The curriculum includes:

• Aerodrome certification standards and regulatory requirements
• Aerodrome manuals
• Safety Management Systems
• Emergency planning
• Auditing techniques and certification procedures
• Practical exercises and site visits

CRID organizes the programme under its Regional Director for Africa, Mr Nicholas Aitalegbe, in collaboration with ACI, represented by Manager, Airport Solutions, Mr Martins Okeke.

The bet behind the November schedule is straightforward: institutionalize the practices that produced a 38-point gain before the 2026 mission arrives to test whether they survived.