Aviation minister Festus Keyamo has solicited international support towards Nigeria’s re-election into part 2 of the International Civil Aviation Organisation council.

The minister made the call in Montreal, Canada, at the ongoing 42nd Assembly of ICAO, a specialised agency of the UN, established in 1944 to manage and standardise the international civil aviation system for safe, secure, and sustainable air travel.

A statement on the minister’s position at the assembly was made on Wednesday. In the statement, Mr Keyamo urged delegates to support all African States endorsed by the African Union for membership in the council.

He expressed Nigeria’s firm commitment to the ICAO’s principles and objectives of safe, secure, and sustainable global air transport. According to the minister, Nigeria has continued to invest in infrastructure modernisation, regulatory reforms, and capacity building to ensure its aviation sector meets global standards.

Mr Keyamo added that Nigeria deepened efforts towards contributing meaningfully to regional and international connectivity.

He disclosed that Nigeria would play host to the regional safety oversight organisation – the Banjul Accord Group Aviation Safety Oversight Organisation.

The minister said, Nigeria remained major contributor to BAGASOO while also supporting the activities of the Regional Accident Investigation Agency.

He assured that Nigeria would continue to fulfil its environmental obligation by submitting its state action plan on carbon emission reduction and voluntarily participating in Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation.

Mr Keyamo urged the delegates to work together to ensure that the goals of ICAO were achieved, despite the differences in geographical location. The minister invited the Council to the Nigerian International Airshow, taking place in Abuja from December 2 to 4, 2025.

The council is divided into three parts for the purposes of elections, not operational functions. These parts reflect different categories of States to ensure geographical and functional representation.

Part 1 of ICAO council election categories: composed of countries that are the major players in global civil aviation, including U.S., China, France, Germany. The Part 2 category, into which Nigeria is seeking re-election, includes countries that make the largest contribution to the provision of facilities for international civil air navigation.

Although the countries may not be the largest in terms of air traffic or geographical size, they contribute significantly to international aviation infrastructure. Examples of countries elected into this category included Canada, Egypt, India, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Spain, and South Africa.

The Part 3 category are for geographical representation to ensure that all regions of the world are represented fairly.

(NAN)