Posted by Sade Williams
The Nigeria Unmanned Systems and Robotics Association (NUSA), has said that it will continue to liaise with the appropriate Nigeria’s licensing authorities to ensure that safety is not compromised while operating drones.
Speaking at a safety Seminar held at the NIGAV Centre Murtala Mohammad International Airport Ikeja, with the theme ‘Safety and risk management for unmanned aircraft operations’ , President of NUSA, Air Vice Marshal Olufemi Idowu (retd), explained that NUSA will ensure that interested members or would be members were duly licensed by the the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) in order to sustain safety in the airspace while fostering development on private unmanned system.
“Today, NUSA as part of its commitment to the safe and responsible use of unmanned aircraft in Nigeria, is hosting this seminar to better educate members on safety and risk management in unmanned aircraft operations”, he said.
He revealed that the association was also targeting non members of NUSA ,especially the unlicensed ones whose operations may likely constitute safety hazard in the airspace, adding that NUSA will not deliberately encourage unauthorised operators to thrive.
“We serve as a body of knowledge on unmanned systems for government regulatory bodies as well as interested stakeholders and end users of unmanned systems especially remotely piloted aircraft systems”
Earlier in his welcome address, the Chairman of Drontecx and host of the seminar, Mr. Fortune Idu, said NUSA is an NGO duly recognised by the NCAA as a body founded to foster, develop and promote unmanned vehicle systems and robotics technologies in the country.
Idu said the UAS and the autonomous vehicle industry has continued to grow in an exponential rate with the country left behind adding that the emerging industry remained a game changer with huge potential to create jobs in software and hardware engineering while empowering other sectors to deliver speed and efficiency.
Idu however lamented that drones entrepreneurship has continued to pose major safety challenges worldwide, adding that the vertical control which comes from regulation and monitoring was not completely firmed and harmonised with regular aviation or manned aircraft system.
“This is a very sensitive window that can lead to disaster which should be a safety concern to all. As this industry continues to grow fast, so also the risk that comes with unsafe operations”, he said.
