The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) on Thursday launched a sensitisation and awareness campaign for users of COSPAS-SARSAT emergency beacons in Nigeria, aimed at improving safety and reducing false distress alerts.
The campaign, organised by the Nigerian Mission Control Centre (NIMCC), was held at the Nigerian Air Force Base in Kano with the theme ‘Keeping Abreast with Emerging Technology’.
Declaring the campaign open in Kano, the Director-General of NEMA, Hajiya Zubaida Umar, said the initiative was designed to empower beacon users with the knowledge and skills required to effectively utilise the life-saving devices across land, sea and air domains.
Umar, who was represented by the Director of Search and Rescue /, NEMA, Air Commodore B.A. Usman, described the COSPAS-SARSAT system as a critical component of Nigeria’s national safety infrastructure.
She stated that its effectiveness depended largely on proper use and understanding by the subscribers.
Umar said the programme would provide participants with an overview of the COSPAS-SARSAT system, the role of beacons in emergency response, best practices for installation and maintenance, strategies for reducing false alerts and standard emergency procedures.
According to her, the forum also aimed to strengthen collaboration among government agencies and private sector stakeholders to ensure timely response to distress signals and save lives.
The Head of the Mission Control Centre at NEMA, Navy Capt. A.O. Oriyomi, said the sensitisation forum was a statutory requirement mandated by the relevant coastal and aviation safety authorities.
He said the campaign was also necessitated by the high rate of false alerts received from unregistered or poorly managed beacons, stressing the need for users to properly register their devices for aircraft, vessels and personal use.
“Registration ensures that in the event of an emergency, we can quickly identify and locate users for prompt response,” he said.
Also speaking, the Managing Director of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Mr Ahmad Umar-Faruk, described the sensitisation as timely and critical, especially as technology and coordination define the efficiency of emergency response systems.
Umar-Faruk, represented by his Senior Special Assistant on Operations, Ibrahim Haske, reaffirmed NAMA’s commitment to working with NEMA and other stakeholders to build a resilient, technology-driven search and rescue ecosystem, while advocating regular training for personnel.
During the forum, Mr Ogba Emmanuel presented a paper on an overview of the COSPAS-SARSAT system, while the Chief Technical Officer, NEMA Search and Rescue, Mr Toyin Ogunleye, spoke on the prevalence of 406MHz beacon false alerts, disclosing that 40 false alerts were recorded in 2025.
A participant, Mr Olakunbi Abiodun, Airport Services Manager, Qatar Airways, Kano, commended NEMA for organising the sensitisation, though he noted that such engagement should have started earlier to enhance communication and integration of emergency response plans across the aviation industry.
NAN reports that key stakeholders, including officials of NEMA, Kano State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Nigerian Red Cross Society, NiMET and other relevant agencies attended the event.(NAN)