AVIATION REGULATOR REQUESTS DOT, FAA TECHNICAL

UNCLAS LAGOS 000050 SIPDIS SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED - HANDLE ACCORDINGLY SIPDIS STATE PASS FAA FOR ACONLEY, TRANSPORTATION FOR FAA; TRANSPORTATION FOR KEVIN SAMPLE; DAKAR PLEASE PASS TO FAA REP ED JONES; ROME PLEASE PASS TO TSA REP JOHN HALINSKI SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAIR EINV PREL NI SUBJECT: AVIATION REGULATOR REQUESTS DOT, FAA TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE ¶1. (U) Summary: Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) Director General (DG) Harold Demuren, in a December 14, 2006 meeting with DOT official Kevin Sample, requested assistance in organizing meetings with DOT and FAA in Washington on January 24. Demuren also requested a technical assessment that would precede an international aviation safety assessment (IASA). Sample pledged DOT support for continued aviation reform. End summary. -------------- NCAA Requests DOT Support -------------- ¶2. (U) In a December 14 meeting with Department of Transportation Senior Advisor Kevin Sample, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) Director General Harold Demuren requested DOT assistance organizing meetings with DOT and FAA in Washington in January. Demuren also requested a technical assessment that would precede an international aviation safety assessment (IASA). Specifically, he requested assistance in the areas of airport and airspace certification, weather forecasting, and search and rescue. ¶3. (SBU) Demuren, Sample, and NCAA Director, Operations and Training Captain Kiddie Dare discussed NCAA's autonomy under the new civil aviation legislation. Under the new law, the NCAA would be autonomous from the Ministry of Aviation. The Director General would be appointed by the President and approved by the National Assembly to serve a term of five years. Demuren acknowledged he had presidential backing for a five-year appointment, though he was concerned that his appointment would be jeopardized by political wrangling leading up to the April presidential election. Demuren told Econoff on January 16 that his appoinment as DG of NCAA had been confirmed by the National Assembly. -------------- World Bank Support for Reform -------------- ¶4. (SBU) Sample told Demuren and Dare he held discussions with World Bank officials regarding financing reform in Nigeria's aviation sector. Funds would cover reorganization, including "rightsizing" and retraining staff of NCAA and the Nigerian Aviation Management Agency (NAMA). Demuren expressed interest in meeting with World Bank staff in Washington in January to discuss these plans. -------------- Comment -------------- ¶5. (SBU) Comment: Demuren's reappointment to a five-year term as DG of a newly-autonomous NCAA may signal continuity of reform of Nigeria's accident-plagued aviation sector. While the newly-passed civil aviation legislation ostensibly protects the regulatory body from political manipulation, the extent to which the NCAA will benefit from this legislation will depend on adequate funding and the self-restraint of Nigerian officials. ¶6. (U) Kevin Sample cleared this cable. BROWNE