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NAMA to reduce airlines’ operational cost with SBAS implementation
The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) has said that it’s resolve to constantly upgrade navigational infrastructure in the country was borne out of the determination to enhance safety, improve operational efficiency of airlines and increase their profitability in the long run through reduced operational costs.
The Acting Managing Director of NAMA, Matthew Lawrence Pwajok who made these remarks in Abuja after a successful test flight of the Satellite Based Augmentation System (SBAS) flight procedure using the agency’s calibration aircraft expressed confidence that the implementation of SBAS would not only enhance safety, efficiency and capacity of the Air Traffic Management system but would also increase the efficiency of the airlines through reduced flight time and turnaround time, reduced fuel consumption, reduced workload for both pilots and air traffic controllers and increased profitability over time.
He recalled that NAMA had earlier implemented PBN in 32 airports including military, private, state government as well as federal government airports, adding that “the whole essence of the SBAS is to improve on the integrity, accuracy, availability and continuity of the PBN signals by deploying a ground infrastructure or a master station that receives signals from several satellites, triangulates them and takes the best location and then broadcast it through a broadcast media globally to be received by any aircraft within that airspace.
So, we have done PBN that provides lateral guidance needed to locate an airport but we have gone a step further to improve on it by implementing precision approaches using the satellite provided by Nigerian Communications Satellite (NIGCOMSAT).”
Explaining further, Pwajok said, “while PBN provides lateral guidance for the aircraft to locate an airport, SBAS would provide improved accuracy, improved integrity of the signals, improved availability and continuity of the signals as it collects information from several signals or satellites rather than an aircraft using just one signal from a GPS to fly.
So, the samples from several satellites would improve on the indication of accuracy.
Aircraft can then use it for improved accuracy in approach and landing, improved accuracy in flying en route, and improved accuracy in even descent profile as it provides us with the capacity to give aircraft lateral guidance, and vertical guidance either for approach and landing or take-off and climb for enroute flight. By this, it has helped us to maximize the use of limited airspace and that reduces what we refer to as controlled flights into terrain.”
The NAMA helmsman said, “the SBAS would be a win-win situation for airlines because over time they have been focusing attention on reducing cost and increasing profitability and this innovation will surely be of immense benefit to them in that regard.”
He maintained that an aircraft would not require more than a retrofit for those that have been flying PBN and that it will not be capital-intensive for an airline to acquire a retrofit, stressing that given the cost-effectiveness of satellite navigation, SBAS would improve the economies of airlines in the long run.
He also allayed insinuations that the agency will be phasing out Instrument Landing Systems (ILS).
“In aviation, it is required that every critical service must have redundancy. For us, it is an improvement in terms of the availability of service.
When we had the ground-based navigational facilities we still went ahead to implement PBN. This is because the ground equipment are susceptible to power fluctuations, weather changes, technical errors and maintenance issues as well.
The ILS is a system and can go off. If the equipment goes off due to power failure or any other reason and an aircraft is trying to land, the pilot can switch to satellite navigation.
We must have a contingency and that is required by the NCAA regulations Part 14, and by ICAO Annex 11, that every service you provide must have redundancies,” he said.
He expressed satisfaction with the SBAS test flight saying that, “the guidance was very impressive, the system was fully aligned, the level of deviations was very minimal.
The pilot was able to bring the aircraft even further down than the ground equipment. And when an aircraft is able to come to a lower decision altitude that means the pilot had more access to the runway.
“The ability of a guidance system to bring an aircraft to a lower altitude enables the pilot to have more visibility to be able to make a successful landing.”
The Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi has been summoned to the Nigerian Po,ice Force headquarters to face criminal investigation.
In a letter dated 4th April and signed by Commissioner of Police in Charge of Operations, Olajide Rufus Ibitoye, said he was directed by the Inspector General of Police to invite the Emir for questioning for violating Durbar ban.
A copy of the letter sighted by CAPITAL POST indicated that Sanusi led a Durbar processing to the Government House to pay homage despite the ban which the Police expressed security concerns.
The urged Emir Sanusi Lamido to appear on Tuesday,b8th April, 2025.
Sanusi reportedly led a procession in car as against the usual horses in which a 20-year old in the entourage was arrested and detained.
Senate President, Godswill Obot Akpabio has accused Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan and Elisha Abbo of being united I coordinated attacks against him lately.
He stated this following Natasha’s claims during a rally in her Kogi Central Senatorial District that he recruited the former Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello to assassinate her outside Abuja.
At the rally on Tuesday 1st April, 2025 which was monitored by CAPITAL POST in Lokoja, Natasha accused the former Governor Yahaya Bello, having been contacted late in the night of March 12, 2025 to orchestrated ‘recall and assassination’ of her outside Abuja.
Natasha said she has intelligence reports that when she is killed in her Constituency, “it will look as if it’s her people that killed her.”
Though Bello was yet to issue a statement debunking the allgations or otherwise, Senate President on his part denied the allegation and described it as falsehood and inflammatory.
Reacting in a statement by the Special Adviser on Media and Publici, Hon. Eseme Eyiboh on Friday, Akpabio accused former Senator representing Adamawa North Senatorial, Elisha Abbo of toeing the similar part of blackmail, saying barely 24 hours later, on April 2, 2025, Elisha Abbo appeared on Arise Television to revive a previously withdrawn claim that Senator Akpabio “manipulated the judiciary” to secure his removal from the Senate.
The statement said: “Nigerians will recall that Mr. Abbo, in 2023, publicly retracted this same accusation and tendered an apology after acknowledging that his claims were founded on incorrect assumptions.
“His removal from office was the outcome of a constitutionally grounded judicial decision by the Court of Appeal, which independently determined that he was not duly elected to represent Adamawa North.
“In a further twist, Mr. Abbo also alleged that he was denied his entitlements by the Senate President. This, too, is categorically false. Entitlements such as salaries and allowances are processed strictly through administrative and legal procedures.
“The Senate President does not and cannot unilaterally approve or deny such requests. Any delays or rejections would have been based solely on due diligence and compliance with established protocols.
“The timing, tone, and striking similarity of these coordinated attacks point clearly to a politically motivated smear campaign. These individuals—backed by undisclosed interests—appear united in a desperate effort to undermine the credibility of the Senate and its leadership and intended to distract from their own personal and political shortcomings and failings.
“Senator Godswill Akpabio remains undeterred. As a statesman devoted to national unity, institutional integrity, and the rule of law, he will not be distracted by malicious falsehoods or inflammatory rhetoric.
“Regardless of the necessity for legal redress, formal letters of demand, seeking immediate public retractions, apologies, and compensation for reputational harm, are underway to be served on both Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan and Mr Elisha Abbo.
“We call on the Nigerian public in particular and the International Community to reject these baseless and provocative narratives. The Senate, under Senator Akpabio’s leadership, remains focused on its constitutional mandate: to promote legislative excellence, safeguard democratic values, and deliver meaningful progress for the Nigerian people”, the statement concluded.
Kogi State Governor, Ahmed Usman Ododo, has expressed heartfelt sympathy over the demise of Hon. Suleiman Muhammed, the Kogi East Zonal Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
In a condolence message to the family of the deceased and members of the APC in Kogi state, described the sudden passing of the APC Zonal chairman as a loss not only for the party in Kogi East but the entire APC family in the state.
According to the Governor “The late Hon. Suleiman Muhammed was a man of peace, humility, and one who demonstrated commitment to the service of the state and the APC as a party. He carried the aspirations of his people with dignity; his leadership was widely respected and his contributions deeply valued within and beyond the APC in Kogi East”.
“He was instrumental in strengthening party cohesion and promoting inclusive dialogue. His presence in every party engagement brought stability and thoughtful leadership to our consultations in the zone.”
Governor Ododo further noted that Hon. Suleiman’s calm temperament, sense of fairness, and ability to listen distinguished him as a unifying figure in the party.
The Governor also extends condolences to the family of the deceased, the leadership and members of the APC in the state, the people of Dekina local government area and the entire Kogi East Senatorial District.
He prayed that Almighty Allah (SWT) forgive his shortcomings and grant him Aljanatul Firdaus.
The late APC zonal chairman who served as the APC coordinator in Odu Ward 2 before becoming the zonal chairman of the party in Kogi East died at the age of 45 and has been laid to rest according to Islamic rites.
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