There was a time when Nigerian airspace was categorised as one of the worst in Africa comparable with many others put in that bracket. This was a horrible period in the history of aviation in the country. The years between 1999 and 2005 were horrendous for the country as aircraft were falling off the sky. Air travel became nightmarish. Many had their hearts in their mouths any time they were billed to travel. It was not that the lack of effective coverage of the country’s airspace with efficient radar was the problem but it was part of the infrastructure decay of the country’s airspace at the time.
For several years, most navigational facilities were obsolete and grossly inadequate and posed a danger to air travellers. Pilots were visibly angry over poor navigational aids at most of the airports. Aerodromes suffered from a long period of neglect, poor planning, and wanton corruption that left the sector in a precarious situation.
Not that all the navigational issues had been tackled, but the country has made appreciable progress in that area, and the recent N40 billion intervention fund made possible by the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr Festus Keyamo (SAN), would go a long way to tackle some of the rot the administration inherited.
The safety of Nigeria’s airspace or otherwise has always been on the front burner of media discourse, even when the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency has continued to assure the country that there is no cause for alarm.
One of the biggest achievements in boosting air safety in Nigeria was the installation of Total Radar Coverage of Nigeria in 2011. The Total Radar Coverage of Nigeria, otherwise known as TRACON, was conceived as a key requirement for the modernisation of the Nigerian air traffic management infrastructure.
It has automated approach area control components such as Primary Surveillance Radar STAR 2000, Monopulse Secondary Surveillance Radar RSM 970S, Integrated Flight and Radar Data processing Eurocat C and other associated equipment at the four major airports- Lagos, Kano, Abuja and Port-Harcourt- as well as stand-alone MSSR RSM-970 at five other locations like Maiduguri, Ilorin, Numan, Obubra and Talata Mafar. Other deliverables are VCCS, VRS, MF-TDMA VSAT, fibre optics, and power ancillaries.
The completion of TRACON makes it impossible for any aircraft to enter Nigerian airspace without the knowledge of the air traffic controllers. The project ensures effective monitoring of the Nigerian airspace. When the equipment was installed in 2011, Nigeria was one of just four African countries that achieved total radar coverage. The other countries were South Africa, Angola and Egypt. Lagos, which has the busiest airspace in the country, is the hub of TRACON.
A self-styled investigative journalist, David Hundeyin, had made an allegation claiming Nigeria has had no primary radar coverage in its airspace since 2021, meaning that when an aircraft in Nigeria’s airspace turns off its transponder (like any aircraft smuggling guns, drugs, or conflict minerals would do), Nigerian air traffic controllers have no way of identifying the aircraft. Hundeyin was relying heavily on a letter from the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority dated April 16, 2024, disclosing that the National Security Adviser reported sighting an unknown aircraft flying over the Presidential Villa. The NCAA letter warned all aircraft owners and all airline operators to seek a weather briefing and to adhere to ATC instructions to avoid flights into restricted or prohibited areas.
The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, in a swift reaction, issued a statement that was personally signed by its Managing Director, Umar Farouk, who affirmed that the country’s entire airspace is covered by radar, dismissing claims that the country lacks adequate radar coverage as false and misleading. Farouk, in a statement at the weekend, disclosed that the radar stations in Nigeria (Kano, Lagos, Abuja, and Port-Harcourt) are serviceable, stressing that radar services for terminal and en route flights are positively identified and provide air navigation services to airspace users.
He stated that TRACON, like any other electronics system, is undergoing an upgrade of software and modernisation to meet the ever-growing demand for efficient, effective and seamless air traffic management services but saying that the Nigerian airspace is not covered by radar, he noted, is misleading. The TRACON project is a major facility, which has eased air navigation and the surveillance of the Nigerian airspace and also enabled real-time search and rescue operations within the country’s airspace.
Farouk stated that the reported “unidentified” aircraft is a security terminology. In real terms, the aircraft in question is known, but only to the air traffic controllers, stressing that the violation was in the interest of safety, as a result of adverse weather (serious thunderstorm) on the said date. His words, “It is obvious that the journalist in question does not understand the workings of the surveillance systems, hence his misconstrued and misguided information on primary and secondary radar. The agency shall wilfully volunteer information on her services to anyone who requires them at any time.”
He said NAMA remains committed to its responsibility to provide safe, effective, economical, and efficient air navigation services in Nigeria. The existence of robust, effective civil/military coordination and collaboration guarantees secure airspace and air navigation, adding, “We are pleased to say that the Nigerian airspace is safe and secure.”
The introduction of a new air traffic management system deployed under the TRACON project by NAMA, in addition to the en-route phase of flight, enabled reduced separation minima for aircraft. While it is true that the TRACON project was indeed good for Nigeria, the lack of spare parts and modernisation of the equipment 13 years after it was installed threatened to draw back the gains made over the years and Farouk admitted those challenges.
He decried many of NAMA’s obsolete facilities, stressing that the average lifespan of electronic systems is between 15 and 20 years, stating that most of these electronics have been working for more than 20 years.
“You will expect the performance to be below the standard. We are replacing them; we have commenced replacement of all these facilities. If not for funding, we would have finished replacing all of them. But for now, we have done almost 80 per cent but the contractors are still working. The level of patriotism in them is highly commendable. They have understood us and are working hard to ensure they complete the project.
“Here, we have the surveillance. This is where I have a serious challenge. The Total Radar Coverage of Nigeria has been having challenges. I will categorically tell you that since 2014, we have not had enough spare parts. The cost of spares is the issue and the obsolete state of the equipment. The Federal Executive Council has approved the modernisation of the TRACON system. Fifteen per cent of the fund has been paid and we are hopeful when the presentation from Thales, they will commence installation as soon as other things are put in place.
“We are hopeful that at the end of it, at least, the system will go back to optimal performance. That is as far as surveillance is concerned. The other one is the power system is also part of the approval that we got. All these things I am saying, there is a tremendous improvement and the hindrance to working effectively is squarely on the power issue. If they get this N40 billion presidential intervention, I am telling you that in the next few months, we will be able to conquer these challenges,” Farouk added.
Recall that Keyamo met with renowned France-based global air surveillance radar provider, Thales, in January over the upgrade of the country’s radar system.
In 2022, it was estimated that the planned upgrade of TRACON commissioned 13 years ago would cost N23bn while the Safe Tower Project and the Wide Area Multilateration System, a surveillance facility to cover the Gulf of Guinea, would cost N13bn and $12.9 million respectively. Thales has played a pivotal role in radar system installations globally, integrating its services into France in the early 1950s and in Germany in 1963. The firm installed the country’s multi-billion naira TRACON. Thales has been instrumental in radar installations for major international airports such as London Heathrow and Charles de Gaulle, among others.
The Vice President of Thales in charge of the Civil Radars Segment, Lionel DE Castellane, highlighted the urgent need for the upgrade of Total Radar Coverage of Nigerian airport facilities, especially at major airports such as Lagos, Abuja, Kano, Enugu, and Port Harcourt.
Castellane informed the minister that phase 1 of the TRACON project, initially signed with the NAMA in 2022, is 80 per cent complete and scheduled for completion by May 2024. He disclosed that discussions on financing arrangements for the second and third phases are underway.
