Following a preliminary report released by the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) which reportedly indicted three crew members of Air Peace airline of alcohol consumption and cannabis substances after the incident recorded at the Port Harcourt International Airport (PHIA), Omagwa, a call has gone to the minister of Aviation Mr. Festus Keyamo(SAN) to liaise with the NDLEA so routine drug and alcohol tests can be conducted on crews of airlines including pilots to forestall a reoccurrence.
Making the call is the civil Rights advocacy group HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) which commended the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) for showing the highest levels of transparency and accountability by issuing a public report of their findings following the incident recorded at the Port Harcourt International Airport involving an Air Peace airline plane.
The report, which was released on Friday by the NSIB, claimed that initial toxicological tests conducted on the flight crew revealed positive results for certain substances, including indicators of alcohol consumption.
To forestall a reoccurrence, the agency said it has issued immediate safety recommendations for Air Peace Limited to strengthen its Crew Resource Management (CRM) training, particularly in handling unstabilised approaches and go-around decisions.
However, in a swift response, Air Peace claimed that it was unaware of the safety recommendations by the NSIB, adding that the first officer had been reinstated into active flying duties, with full approval from the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).
The report, signed by Director, Public Affairs and Family Assistance, NSIB, Mrs. Bimbo Oladeji, said that a cabin crew member also tested positive for Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive component in cannabis.
Tetrahydrocannabinol is a primary psychoactive compound in cannabis responsible for the high or euphoric feeling associated with marijuana use.
Against the backdrops of the far-reaching implications of letting crew members of airlines to fly passengers in unclear mental conditions due to suspected drug or alcohol addictions which endangers the lives of passengers, the HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) said it is necessary that the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) is involved in conducting routine drug and alcohol tests on crew members of both private and commercial airlines to keep aviation safe in Nigeria.
In a statement endorsed by the National Coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, HURIWA warned that letting this very grave incident of crew members of Air commercial airline who tested positive for alcohol and for hard drug to slide or rather to attempt to sweep under the carpet this very significant issue of drug and alcohol abuses by crew members of Air peace is unethical and criminal just as the Rights group said those who tested positive for drugs and alcohol must be made to go for rehabilitation and then get another job to do outside of flying passengers which is a very complex affair that demands emotional and psychological soundness devoid of traces and influences of hard drug or alcohol.
HURIWA further stated ways in which alcohol or hard drug impedes safety in the aviation industry also asserted that
Drugs and alcohol have no place in the cockpit or in any aviation safety-sensitive role. This is because, the consequences of impairment are magnified in aviation, where a single lapse in judgment can affect hundreds of lives in seconds. The safest approach is a zero-tolerance mindset combined with awareness of the hidden risks posed by both legal and illegal substances. For aviation professionals, the rule is simple: If in doubt, don’t fly, HURIWA concluded.
