MD NAMA receives in audience ATACA Exco … Says with primary radar facility, Nigeria will achieve total coverage
Mariam Anyebe
Director General of the the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Mr. Lawrence Pwajok on Thursday received in audience the Executive Members of The Abuja Transport and Aviation Correspondents Association (ATACA).
Speaking during the meeting the NAMA Boss who was elated about the visit used the opportunity to explain trending issues on the aviation infrastructure development by the President Muhammadu Buhari’s regime.
He disclosed that NAMA is procuring a primary radar facility that can detect unauthorized helicopters and other aircraft even when they turn off their transponders.
“The facility already being procured will complement the current secondary radar which doesn’t have the capability to detect low flying aircraft and aircraft that turn off their transponders to avoid being detected”, Pwajok said.
He further added that with the facility Nigeria would have the capability of achieving total radar coverage and no part of Nigeria will be blind to security watch.
According to him: The primary radar has the capacity to detect every flying object, whether it wants to be seen or not but unfortunately, it requires a whole lot of power and energy which makes it expensive. So, for civil aviation, they are deployed within very busy and complex airspace like Lagos, Abuja, Kano, and Port Harcourt.
He further explained that in 2008/09 when the Total Radar Coverage of Nigeria (TRACON) was installed, the military was supposed to also have its own using the Primary radar system but the huge costs involved made implementation almost impossible.
“The civil and military aviation would appreciate the funding of primary radar that would be total as both can interface on its usage and the benefits are humongous”, MD NAMA concluded.
Also speaking, the ATACA Chairman, Mr Oru Leonard Oru who led the Exco team, applauded the NAMA Boss for his passion, zeal and commitment in managing the Agency, the national airspace infrastructure and operations.
Mr Oru said ATACA has come to identify areas of collaboration and join hands with Mr Lawrence Pwajok led NAMA, to achieve or surpass It’s mandate.
ATACA Chairman therefore requested for closer regular updates, interactions and urgent technical training for ATACA members to enhance information dissemination and proper reportage.
In the last two months of assuming office the New ATACA Executive Team has been engaging stakeholders to seek ways of enhancing collaboration and building capacity.
