The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has urged the Federal Government to introduce routine drug and alcohol tests for airline pilots and crew members, warning that substance use in the aviation sector could endanger the lives of passengers.
The call comes on the heels of a preliminary report by the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB), which allegedly indicted three crew members of Air Peace Airline for alcohol and cannabis use after an incident involving one of its aircraft at the Port Harcourt International Airport.
The NSIB report, released on Friday and signed by its Director of Public Affairs and Family Assistance, Mrs. Bimbo Oladeji, said initial toxicological tests carried out on the flight crew revealed positive results for alcohol consumption, while a cabin crew member tested positive for tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive compound in cannabis.
To prevent a recurrence, the bureau recommended that Air Peace strengthen its Crew Resource Management (CRM) training, particularly in handling unstabilised approaches and go-around decisions.
However, in its response, Air Peace said it was not aware of the safety recommendations and disclosed that its first officer had been reinstated into active flying duties with approval from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).
Reacting, HURIWA commended the NSIB for what it described as “a show of transparency and accountability” but stressed that stronger action was needed.
“It is necessary that the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) is involved in conducting routine drug and alcohol tests on crew members of both private and commercial airlines to keep aviation safe in Nigeria,” the group’s coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, said on Sunday.
He warned against attempts to downplay the findings of the NSIB, stressing that allowing drug or alcohol use among crew members amounted to criminal negligence.
“Letting this very grave incident of crew members of a commercial airline who tested positive for alcohol and hard drugs slide, or sweeping it under the carpet, is unethical and criminal,” Onwubiko said.
“Those who tested positive must be made to undergo rehabilitation and then get another job outside flying passengers. Aviation requires emotional and psychological soundness devoid of traces and influences of hard drugs or alcohol.”
HURIWA emphasised the dangers of impairment in the aviation industry, insisting that the safest approach was a zero-tolerance policy.
“Drugs and alcohol have no place in the cockpit or in any aviation safety-sensitive role,” the statement added.
“The consequences of impairment are magnified in aviation, where a single lapse in judgment can affect hundreds of lives in seconds. The rule is simple: if in doubt, don’t fly.”
