The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) and Nigeria’s civil aviation authorities are moving to deepen cooperation on aviation safety, airworthiness, certification and training following the crash of an NAF aircraft in Igbokoda, Ondo State.
The development followed a meeting between the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, and the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Aneke, during a condolence visit by the minister to the NAF chief in Abuja.
The two officials agreed on the need for a structured framework that would allow the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and NAF to exchange technical expertise and strengthen safety standards across both the military and civil aviation sectors.
Keyamo said the crash had reinforced the importance of closer cooperation, noting that aviation accidents could affect both military and civilian personnel.
“It is one country, one people. When disaster happens, it affects everybody,” the minister said, adding that the government would leverage expertise available in both sectors to improve aviation safety.
He said the proposed collaboration would include a joint committee involving the NCAA and NAF, with discussions covering airworthiness, certification, training and other safety-related areas. Keyamo also said he had contacted the Director-General of Civil Aviation, Chris Najomo, to facilitate direct engagement between the NCAA and the Air Force leadership.
According to the minister, the collaboration would allow NAF personnel to participate in relevant civil aviation training programmes, while the military’s specialised knowledge could also be made available to the civil aviation sector.
“There is no reason why we cannot take some names from the Air Force. We have a lot of training we go for,” Keyamo said.
Aneke welcomed the initiative, saying discussions had already begun on a framework that would enable civil aviation professionals to contribute their expertise to the Air Force, particularly in areas such as airworthiness and certification.
He said NAF personnel would equally be available to support the civil aviation sector where their expertise was required.
“We have both agreed that we need to move the aviation industry, whether military or civil, to a higher level,” Aneke said.
The Chief of Air Staff added that both institutions had the same fundamental responsibility of protecting Nigerian lives, describing the proposed relationship as a blend of civil and military aviation expertise.
The push for closer cooperation comes as recovery operations continue at the Igbokoda crash site, where the NAF ATR-42 aircraft went down while on a routine flight from Benin to Lagos.
The aircraft lost contact with air traffic controllers at about 9:13 a.m. before crashing in a swampy area near the Naval Base in Igbokoda, Ilaje Local Government Area. Search and recovery teams have faced difficult terrain and high water turbidity, with the main body of the aircraft believed to remain submerged.
Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, who visited the crash site, said eyewitness accounts indicated that the aircraft appeared to be descending towards the community before the pilot manoeuvred it away from populated areas and into the swamp.
Aiyedatiwa said the manoeuvre may have prevented a larger disaster, although the circumstances surrounding the aircraft’s final moments remain subject to investigation. He said parts of the aircraft and personal effects had been recovered from the site, while the main wreckage had yet to be located at the time of his assessment.
The difficult terrain has prompted the deployment of additional equipment to improve access to the crash site. The state government has also directed the deployment of amphibious equipment to support recovery operations.
Meanwhile, the Flag Officer Commanding, Western Naval Command, Rear Admiral Abubakar Mustapha, and the Air Officer Commanding, Logistics Command, NAF, Air Vice Marshal Abubakar Abdul Suleh, have inspected the crash site as recovery efforts entered their third day.
The military delegation received updates from personnel at the Forward Operating Base in Igbokoda before travelling by boat to assess the site and provide technical guidance for the recovery operation.
A side-scan sonar survey has commenced to map the underwater area and determine the location of the submerged aircraft. Nigerian Navy divers and NAF drone pilots are also supporting the operation, while the Nigerian Navy Hydrographic Department has deployed specialised equipment to obtain a clearer underwater picture of the crash location.
The recovery effort is expected to support the eventual retrieval of the aircraft and its contents and provide investigators with access to critical evidence needed to determine the cause of the crash.
The Chief of Defence Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede, and the Service Chiefs have expressed appreciation to the Ondo State Government, host communities, emergency agencies and other stakeholders assisting the operation.
The crash investigation is expected to run alongside the recovery effort, while the proposed civil-military aviation framework could provide a longer-term mechanism for improving cooperation and technical capacity across Nigeria’s aviation system.
