By Linus Aleke
“I know that I shall meet my fate somewhere among the clouds above. Those that I fight I do not hate, and those that I guard I do not love,” William Butler Yeats.
The above quote aptly captured the central thought in this intervention as the above lines from the short and scholarly poem, authored by an Irish poet, William Butler Yeats, captured the propelling force that provoked the intense interest of the Chief of Air Staff (CAS), on safety.
In the poem captioned, “An Irish Airman Foresees His Death,” the winner of the 1923 Nobel Prize for Literature, drew the world’s attention to the frightening danger, and challenges associated with air occupation, especially, the Air Force.
But like every other field of human endeavor, these challenges, do not minus from the huge and unimaginable successes and benefits arising from aerial surveillance, interdiction, and bombardment of enemies’ locations during a conventional or unconventional war, as is the case with Nigeria, today.
Earlier this month, precisely on 12 November 2022, two World War II-era aircraft, a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, and Bell P-63 Kingcobra, collided mid-air and crashed during Wing over Dallas air show in Dallas, Texas. Six people died as a result of the crash.
This signposts the challenges inherent in air occupation. Nigeria had also, had its fair share of the air tragedy in the past. But the truth is that the hazard is not restricted to sub-Saharan Africa, it is a global phenomenon. The ongoing Russia/Ukraine war where air power is deciding the might is a case in point.
But in line with the aphorism that everything is local, it is imperative to localize this discussion, especially as it concerns Nigeria, with particular experience of frontline actors and effort being exerted by relevant authorities to mitigate the observed challenges from the practical lessons learnt becomes inevitable.
In a media interview in 2017, the former Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar has this to say about the near-death experience of his military career in the Nigerian Air Force.
The former Air Chief and incumbent APC Governorship candidate in Bauchi State said, “Certainly, I did have a close shave with death. One mission I flew that we almost crashed was the MBB Bo-105 helicopter. On that day, we were flying into Makurdi, Benue State. We were flying at a low level on the river. And suddenly, we went into some problems and I almost crashed into the river.
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“Among other missions, I can still recall was when I flew the Mi-17 from Kaduna to Abuja. Then the helicopter was with the National Emergency Agency. We just landed by the roadside because we saw an accident.
“When we moved close, two men were already dead. We then called our air force control tower in Kaduna and asked them to get an ambulance.
“They did and as soon as we landed in Abuja, we called the families of the injured. President Obasanjo was the leader at that time. That is one mission I always looked back to and thanked God”.
This practical experience, which, validated the poetic view of the Irish Nobel Prize for Literature,
Yeats reminds contemporary military strategists of the innate reality in the words of British wartime Prime Minister, Sir Winston Churchill, who averred, “Not to have an adequate air force in the present state of the world is to compromise the foundations of national freedom and independence.”
To avoid any possible descent into the above state, a retired Presidential fleet pilot and aircraft accident investigator with the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation certificate for aircraft accident investigation and flight safety, Air Commodore Peter Gbujie (retd.), shared his thoughts on essential steps that need to be taken to prevent incessant air mishap that could drive an Air Force into relapsing back to inadequate Air Force as foretold by Churchill.
Speaking on an investigation of air mishap, Gbujie said, it is impossible to determine the cause of an aircraft accident until it is investigated.
According to him, several factors could cause an aircraft accident, which he said are captured in the ‘six M-Factor’, which include Man, Machine, Maintenance, Mission, Management, and Money.
He said, “When investigating an accident, you discover that there are root causes of an accident, these are what are regarded as immediate causes, and then there are contributory factors that are the remote causes that you cannot see until you investigate. Even during an investigation, you may not see all the causes, some of them may not be related to a particular accident but may have led to it.
“So, when an accident occurs, the best thing is for people to hold their opinion and then investigate. The cause of accident A might be different from the cause of accident B, it could also be the same but what is important is that for an accident to occur, there are chains of events.
“This chain could have started long ago, even from the recruitment of pilots, even from the selection and purchase of machines, then up to the point of the occurrence of the accident, so for a particular accident to be prevented, somebody has to break the chain along the line with one intervention or the other, particularly if it has been observed”.
It is nevertheless, on the strength of the above expert opinion and his determined effort to continually minimize or possibly eradicate the hazards associated with air operations, both to the force and the civilian population, that the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Oladayo Amao, said, a committee of officers has been instituted to compile all allegations of accidental air strikes on civilians, as well as review the circumstances leading to such strikes.
Amao, who disclosed this while declaring open the 2022 Air Operations Seminar, which was held at Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, said the committee was instituted to proffer far-reaching measures that would mitigate future incidences of collateral damages to civilians during Nigerian Air Force (NAF) operations.
He noted that the investigation further aims at promoting accountability, allowing the NAF to learn valuable lessons to avoid or mitigate similar cases in the future as well as take extra measures to minimise civilian harm and casualties in conflict areas.
The CAS said, “The efforts to mitigate civilian casualties are not just a reflection of NAF values as a Service, but also strategically imperative to our operations.”
Meanwhile, Amao also emphasised the need to take cognisance of the dynamism and complexities of the ever-changing security environment while adopting strategies that would promote NAF’s retention of credible air power capability to prosecute current and future warfare.
In a related development, the Nigeria Air Force (NAF), last week announced that it is currently examining prevalent and evolving safety challenges to enable it to adopt safety processes to uphold high safety standards in all its activities.
Amao said this at the just concluded yearly routine NAF Safety Review Board (SRB) that met in Lagos.
The Director of Public Relations and Information, Nigerian Air Force, Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet in a statement said the review board meeting chaired by the CAS, is usually held primarily to review safety issues in the NAF to appraise the progress made so far in furtherance of efforts to enhance safety practices.
Amao said the meeting was expected to enable members to proffer realistic and lasting solutions to NAF safety-related issues in operations, maintenance, health, and environmental practices.
The CAS also said, beyond the discussions dwelling on safety in air operations, the year 2022 safety meeting must also deliberate on health and environmental safety measures and strategies, bearing in mind the consequences of neglecting the working and living environments as well as poor personal health management.
He directed the Chief of Standards and Evaluation to ensure that all NAF units have at least a safety-trained officer to mitigate the dangers associated with poor safety management and procedures.
Amao reiterated the need for all NAF pilots and aircrew to continue to be updated with evolving safety measures and ensure they keep abreast with new safety innovations in line with best international practices.
While acknowledging that safety in the NAF remains a shared responsibility that requires synergy amongst personnel, the CAS stressed the need for all to understand that safety demands constant vigilance which the NAF is determined to enforce.
He noted that the NAF has continued to improve safety culture through the enhancement of safety education through the NAF Institute of Safety (NAFIS), which has been reinvigorated to conduct broad-based training and ensure that skilled personnel implements NAF safety strategies and processes.
The CAS enjoined the gathering to continue to accord safety the highest priority it deserves in their deliberation during the meeting.
It is, however, on the strength of the above intriguing circumstances and coordinated effort by the incumbent administration of the Nigerian Air Force to prioritise safety that this intervention will draw the curtain with words of commendation to the CAS and offer advice to him to continue on this safety trajectory, while also not neglecting other specialty.
