The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, SAN, and the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, have agreed to establish a stronger civil-military aviation safety framework following the Nigerian Air Force aircraft incident at Igbokoda.

The agreement will deepen collaboration between the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) in airworthiness, certification, training, capacity building and other areas critical to aviation safety.

Keyamo announced the initiative on Wednesday after paying a condolence visit to the Chief of Air Staff over the Igbokoda tragedy, during which he signed the condolence register and held a private meeting with the Air Chief.

Speaking after the meeting, the minister said the incident had reinforced the need for civil and military aviation authorities to share expertise and work more closely to protect lives.

He said the two sectors, despite operating under different statutory frameworks, ultimately serve the same country and protect the same citizens.

“It is one country, one people. When disaster happens, it affects everybody. There were civilians in that air crash and when there’s an air crash in the civil aviation too, there can be military personnel. And so, it is important that we cooperate in the area of safety,” Keyamo said.

According to him, the Nigerian Air Force already depends on civil aviation infrastructure, particularly air traffic control, making it necessary to build a more structured relationship between the two sectors.

Keyamo disclosed that he had contacted the Director-General of the NCAA and facilitated direct communication between the NCAA leadership and the Chief of Air Staff as part of efforts to strengthen the partnership.

He said a joint committee involving the NCAA and NAF would be established to coordinate cooperation in airworthiness, certification, training and other aviation safety measures, while respecting the statutory responsibilities of both institutions.

The minister also offered Nigerian Air Force personnel access to relevant training programmes organised by civil aviation authorities.

“There is no reason why we cannot take some names from the Air Force. We have a lot of training we go for, so there is no reason why we cannot,” he said.

Keyamo further acknowledged the specialised expertise within the Nigerian Air Force, noting that military aviation professionals could also contribute to strengthening safety within the civil aviation sector.

“This is a kind of cross-pollination and symbiotic relationship we have decided to build for the safety of the lives of Nigerians,” he said.

Responding, Air Marshal Aneke thanked the minister for the condolence visit and continued support for the Nigerian Air Force.

He said discussions had already commenced on a framework that would allow personnel from the civil aviation sector to contribute to the Air Force’s safety environment, particularly in airworthiness and certification, while NAF personnel would also provide expertise to the civil aviation sector where necessary.

“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 welcomed the proposed training opportunities for Air Force personnel, saying stronger professional cooperation would improve capacity and aviation safety nationwide.

He stressed that both institutions had a common responsibility to protect Nigerian lives.

“We are serving the same government; we are protecting the same Nigerians. So we are just a blend of each other,” he said.

The proposed partnership is expected to strengthen information sharing, technical cooperation, professional training and safety coordination between Nigeria’s civil and military aviation authorities.

Labour leaders have honoured the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, SAN, with the “Workers Minister of the Decade Award” for his commitment to workers’ issues.

The award was presented to Keyamo on Thursday during the 2026 National Pre-Retirement Summit at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja.

The presentation was led by the President of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners, Comrade Chief Godwin Abumisi, and the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Comrade Joe Ajaero.

According to the organisers, the award was presented in recognition of Keyamo’s “outstanding leadership and commitment to workers’ issues,” including his contributions to matters concerning workers and pensioners.

The ceremony was part of the activities of NPS 2026, a two-day summit convened by XEM Consultants Limited to address retirement planning, financial preparedness and post-service wellbeing.

More than 100 public and private sector organisations participated in the summit, which brought together stakeholders from government, organised labour, the private sector and other institutions.

The summit was organised under the theme, “Own Your Retirement: From Planning to Action,” with discussions focused on strategies for enabling workers to prepare adequately for life after active service.

Keyamo, who received the award in the presence of labour leaders and other stakeholders, thanked the organisers for the recognition and stressed the importance of safeguarding workers’ dignity, welfare and rights both during active employment and after retirement.

The minister’s media adviser, Tunde Moshood, issued the statement announcing the award.

The Director, Public Affairs and Consumer Protection of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Dr. Abdullahi Musa, has been conferred with the Doctoral Fellowship of the Chartered Institute of Human Resources and Strategic Management (CIHRSM).

Musa received the prestigious professional recognition at an induction ceremony held recently in Lagos, with the institute citing his contributions to public service, human capital development, strategic management and nation-building.

In a statement signed by the Assistant General Manager, Public Affairs, Mr. Stephen Onabe, NAMA said the recognition underscored Musa’s professional contributions to strategic communication, public administration and institutional information management.

The Registrar of CIHRSM, Dr. Minna Abell, said the fellowship represented the institute’s highest membership cadre, adding that Musa’s distinguished background as a scholar and administrator qualified him for the honour.

Abell highlighted Musa’s diverse experience in governance, leadership, public administration and strategic management, noting that these had positively influenced his responsibilities as NAMA’s spokesperson.

He said Musa had applied his academic research and scholarly experience to the strategic management of critical information at NAMA, ensuring that information dissemination within the agency remained strategic, effective, educative and proactive.

“In his current role, Musa has applied the depth of his academic research and scholarly experience to the strategic management of critical information, ensuring that information dissemination within the agency is strategic, effective, educative and proactive,” Abell said.

According to him, Musa’s approach had strengthened the communication of NAMA’s mandate, activities and interventions to stakeholders and the flying Nigerian public.

CIHRSM is a professional institution dedicated to advancing human resource development and strategic management through professional education, research, training and knowledge sharing.

The institute promotes ethical leadership, professionalism, integrity and excellence, which it said provided the context for Musa’s recognition.