PSYCHOACTIVE SUBSTANCE: ADARANIJO DEMANDS REGULAR CHECKS ON PILOTS, CREW MEMBERS

Agegepulse Magazine

The House of Representatives, yesterday, raised concerns on the dangers of pilots flying under the influence of alcohol and drugs and ordered the relevant aviation authorities to carry out comprehensive checks to avert any air mishap.

That was consequent upon a motion sponsored by Member, representing Agege federal constituency, Hon. Taofeek Adaranijo, calling on the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, (NCAA), to routinely subject members of crew and pilots to various tests before and after flights to determine their fitness before they can fly.

. In adopting the motion, the lawmakers urged airline owners to carry out due diligence to ensure only responsible pilots and crew members were allowed to fly aircraft and as matter of importance do it regularly to reflect when they were first employed by the airline management.

While leading debate on the motion, the lawmaker expressed worry over the rate at which aircraft crew members were addicted to drug use and abuse. He informed that in 2016 and 2017 medical certificates of five crew members suspended because they tested positive to marijuana during a drug test conducted on participants of cabin crew training basic course at the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology in Zaria.

 “In May 2017, when NCAA conducted random test on 87 personnel from Air Peace, Med-View and Air Traffic controllers of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) as they were about to embark upon flight operations and air traffic control duties, a member of crew tested positive to a psychoactive substance- Tetra hydro can animal(THe) which is known to be the chemical responsible for most marijuana’s psychological effect”.

Adaranijo explained that psychoactive drugs worked by manipulating the synapses in between nerves in the central nervous system, thereby distorting thought processes and causing a variety of side effects such as anxiety, psychosis, moods swings, depression and sleep problems, all of which are not suitable to the job demands of pilots and member crews.

Hon Adaranijo's motion was overwhelmingly supported by  Hon. OGHENE EGOH EMMANUEL, Amuwo Odofin, Lagos; Hon. ABDULRAZAK SAAD NAMDAS Jada/ Ganye/Mayo Belwa/Toungo, Adamawa State ; Hon. PWAJOK EDWARD GYANG, Jos South/ East, Plateau State and  Hon. Diri Douye Kolokuna -- Opokuma/Yenagoa, who described it as apt and imperative towards the safety of airlines passengers and Nigerians.