The National Association of Air Traffic Engineers (NAAE) has voiced deep concerns over the lack of essential tools, inadequate working conditions, and minimal operational support that continue to hinder their effectiveness.
NAAE President, Mr. Seizling Miri, emphasized the challenges during the association’s Lagos Branch Annual General Meeting, stating that the absence of critical test equipment and modern tools significantly impedes their duties.
Miri, who spoke at NAAE’s Lagos Branch AGM, said even though the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, NAMA, has made commendable strides, much more was needed to empower engineers and technical personnel to deliver optimally.
He said: “In the field, I have seen our foreign partners bring out tools that seem magical in the way they solve problems. But they aren’t performing miracles; they simply have the right equipment.
“We have been crying for operational vehicles. My predecessor fought this battle for five years as NAAE president, but we couldn’t achieve that. This is my third year as NAAE president, it has been the same cry. I went to Jos to work, and the only operational vehicle they brought to carry me to site even animals you wouldn’t want them to enter that kind of vehicle. I am not exaggerating and worse still the vehicle did not start, the driver had to open the engine trying to cross a lot of cables before they move that vehicle to site, I was ashamed of myself, I was ashamed of the station, I felt so bad, this is how bad we can be and today, no vehicles in Jos and many other places.”
On staff shortages, Miri lamented that many engineers were overstretched, saying cases of continuous shifts and repeat of duty rosters were a norm.
He said without the right work environment, including tools, transportation, functional workshops, adequate staffing, and fair remuneration, engineers would not deliver the level of excellence the aviation sector demands.
He said: “No one can think straight on an empty stomach,” he said, noting that engineers must be in the right frame of mind to problem-solve and innovate. To make a lasting impact, the management must play its part by providing the right environment for us to thrive.
“The management has a part to play in ensuring that we are given the rightful environment to thrive, the rightful environment to make that lasting impact and I must also add that, a good remuneration is good for an engineer.”
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