By Adedapo Adesanya
President Muhammadu Buhari has assured that Nigeria will continue to make significant investments in the provision of aviation infrastructure for a safe, secure, environmentally friendly, and sustainable economic development of international civil aviation.
Mr Buhari made this commitment in Abuja when he received a delegation led by the President of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), Mr Salvatore Sciacchitano, on Wednesday in Abuja.
While recalling the long history between Nigeria and ICAO, the President noted that Nigeria has been a member of the group since 1962 and has continued to make valuable contributions to the ICAO Council’s work and its activities.
“This country has been playing a key role in supporting the implementation of ICAO policies and programmes internationally, particularly in the African region.
“To this end, Nigeria has ratified all international air law instruments like the Montreal Protocol and amendments to some articles of the Chicago Convention,” he said.
Mr Buhari told the delegation that Nigeria was championing the cause of aviation safety, security, and facilitation in Africa.
“I have recently signed into law Civil Aviation Act 2022. This is to reposition the industry to ensure continuous compliance with ICAO standards and to meet the challenges of a dynamic and rapidly growing air transport sector,” he said.
President Buhari assured the ICAO leader that the “aviation industry in Nigeria is increasing by leaps and bounds.”
“I have also approved the establishment of Aviation and Aerospace University in Abuja to cater for research and development in the sector as well as the managerial challenges.
”In this regard, Nigeria has already started receiving the support of ICAO members like Qatar under the No Country Left Behind Initiative,” he noted.
He expressed confidence that the aviation sector in Nigeria would continue to grow and affirmed, “the roadmap of the Ministry of Aviation superintended by Mr Hadi Sirika, is on course and together with other reforms of this administration will be sustained.”
While congratulating Mr Sciacchitano on his re-election as President of the ICAO Council for the second term, Mr Buhari also appreciated the support Nigeria had enjoyed under his leadership.
This, according to him, culminated in Nigeria’s re-election during the 41st Session of the ICAO Assembly.
The Nigerian president informed the ICAO President that the aviation sector under this administration had more than doubled, noting that, “It became the fastest growing of our pre-COVID economy, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).”
Mr Buhari also said that passenger numbers were raised from 8 – 30 million, noting that, “The five new airport terminals hHeave added 50 million passengers to our capacity. All these within the time we are in government, namely seven and half years.”
Mr Buhari expressed delight at the post-COVID recovery of the country’s aviation sector, describing it as the second-best in the world.
The ICAO President told Mr Buhari that the meeting offered an opportunity for interaction between the participants from about 160 countries and the Civil Aviation Authorities in the country.
According to him, more than 4,000 agreements are being signed by way of bilateral agreements.
Aduragbemi Omiyale 
Modupe Gbadeyanka