AIMAN Seeks Stakeholders’ Meeting On AIS Automation As NAMA Assures Workers

The President of Aeronautical Information Management Association of Nigeria (AIMAN), Mr. Williams Ngerem has called for a stakeholder’s meeting to be triggered by Management of Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) in collaboration with other sisters’ agencies to seriously deliberate on the issues surrounding the AIS automation.
Ngerem who made this call in his welcome address at the just concluded Aeronautical Information Management day in Abuja, said this will speed up the completion and eventual commencement of AIS automation, urging the management of NCAA and NCAT to bring their AIS personnel up to speed with the transition from AIS to AIM.
The AIMAN president said significant progress had been made by various managements in the recent past with regards to provision of a conducive working environment for AIS personnel and acknowledged the efforts so far made.
“We will not fail to put on record that the situation is still far from the acceptable global standards. Permit me, therefore, to once again advocate for greater investment in the welfare and suitable working environment of AIS personnel across board at all our installations nationwide.
Still on the subject of welfare, it is gratifying to note that the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) for NAMA Staff has finally come to fruition and is being implemented effective April 2022. It is our hope that this will help to ameliorate the undue losses of lives the Agency has faced in the recent past”
Ngerem urged AIMAN to take quality assurance very seriously and ensure its application in the process of collection, collation and dissemination of safety critical aeronautical information to airspace users in order to achieve effectively, training of personnel in the process of AIS Automation was crucial adding that the long expected Automation of AIS in Nigeria needs to be accelerated if we must be able to compare favourably with our counterparts globally.
He however described as unfortunate that though they were glad that the NHIS was being implemented and on a sad note that “we lost one of our senior colleagues recently in the person of Mr. Edward Eromosele Osimen.”
Ngerem raised concern over the issue of none payment of gratuity and entitlements to NAMA retirees describing it as very sad with many of those who retired as far back as 2018 are yet to be paid their retirement benefits.
“How do we expect them to survive in the face of the many economic challenges in the country today? This is most disturbing especially when you consider that some of them have died over the years.
May we, therefore, propose as an interim measure of succor and support to our retirees that Management should consider making a payment of One Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira (N150,000) non-refundable allowance to retirees on a monthly basis while their gratuities are being processed and pending the disbursement of their full entitlements to them”
According to him, the payment should commence after one year of retirement which he said will go a long way in encouraging our retirees as well as ensure that management lived up to its responsibilities.
He congratulated all retirees who recently completed over three decades of meritorious service to the nation with efforts, sacrifices and contributions to the AIS profession and the growth and development of AIMAN in general.
In his speech, NAMA’s Managing Director, Mr Lawrence Patrick Pwajok said the management of the agency had given all the necessary support and push required to ensure the approval and implementation of the new Conditions of Service.
He said the management of NAMA would also implement the consequential adjustment as soon as the necessary approvals and directives were received in NAMA at the end of the ongoing processes. He urged all NAMA staff to continue to be patient while the process progresses towards eventual conclusion.
On pension, the NAMA boss explained that the management has also taken steps to ensure that accrued pension benefits were paid regularly to retired staff.
“In addition, in order to clear the outstanding accrued pension payments, the Management has increased monthly payments significantly. I will like to assure you that NAMA management is fully committed to the off-setting of all outstanding pension payments as quickly as possible while handling any future retirements in timely manner”
Pwajok called on AIM staff in NAMA to continue to support and cooperate with the agency and further called on AIS personnel to rededicate themselves to the cause of discipline and professional ethics. He advised them to hold themselves accountable in their quest for excellence in service delivery to the teeming customers.
The theme of this year’s World AIS Day Celebration is “The Significance of Quality Management System in Aeronautical Information Dissemination”.