Nigeria has been re-elected to Part 2 of the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), a specialised global agency charged with safe, secure, and sustainable air travel.

Ben Tukur was re-elected into the Council in Montreal, Canada, at the ongoing 42nd Assembly of ICAO.

A statement on the re-election of Mr Tukur was made available to journalists on Saturday in Abuja by Tunde Moshood.

Mr Moshood is the special adviser (SA) on media and communications to the minister of aviation and aerospace development, Festus Keyamo.

According to the statement, Mr Tukur emerged victorious after a keenly contested election involving 11 other African nations.

“Tukur, who has been Nigeria’s representative to ICAO, will continue to occupy Nigeria’s seat on the Council.

“This will further strengthen the nation’s role in global aviation governance.

“He was re-elected with an impressive 163 votes out of 185 eligible member states, demonstrating strong international confidence in Nigeria’s leadership and contributions to the aviation sector”, Mr Moshood said

The special adviser said that Nigeria will join 11 other countries re-elected into Part 2 of the ICAO Council, including Egypt and South Africa from the African bloc.

He stressed that the outcome of the election reflected the resilience of Nigeria’s aviation diplomacy and the strength of its global alliances within the ICAO family.

Speaking after the results were announced, Mr Keyamo described the victory as a “proud moment for Nigeria and for Africa.“

He stated that the re-election reaffirmed the country’s commitment to the growth of international civil aviation and the promotion of safety, security, and sustainability in the sector.

“Nigeria’s continued presence on the ICAO Council ensures that the nation will remain actively involved in shaping policies and standards that guide global aviation.

“ Continuous presence of Nigeria on the ICAO Council will also promote the interests of Africa within the international aviation community, “ he added.

The ICAO Council is the governing body of the global organisation, composed of 36 Member States elected by the ICAO Assembly for a three-year term.

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 the ICAO Council election categories: composed of countries that are the major players in global civil aviation, including the U.S., China, France, and Germany.

The Part 2 category, which Nigeria was re-elected into, included countries which make the largest contribution to the provision of facilities for international civil air navigation.

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

(NAN)