Lagos, May, 14, 2025 – The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) has blamed systemic issues rather than pilot error for the helicopter crash that killed Herbert Wigwe, the Chief Executive of Access Bank, and others in the U.S.
The NSIB gave its own assessment of the accident on Wednesday in a statement signed by Mrs Bimbo Oladeji, its Director of Public Affairs and Family Assistance.
The statement quoted Capt. Alex Badeh Jnr, the Chief Executive of NSiB, as saying that it would be unfair to blame the pilot’s error as the sole cause of the accident.
“It appears there were systemic issues, and the flight risk assessment should have indicated a higher risk. While it’s easy to blame the pilot, there is a system behind the pilot that should have mitigated these risks,” he said.
The NSIB boss, who spoke on Arise Television programme, also said the assertion by the report that the NSIB worked “side-by-side” with the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) was also untrue.
He debunked the claims that NSIB jointly investigated the crash with the American Transport Board, adding that it was only updated with the process.
“We were an interested party, and were kept abreast of the process by the NTSB, who led the investigation in the U.S,” he clarified.
Badeh also responded to recent concerns regarding the unsafety of Nigerian airports after the recent incident in Asaba where an aircraft was reported to have encountered animals on the runway.
He said the claims by the US State Department suggesting that Nigerian airports were generally unsafe, are untrue and unfair.
He said the NSIB would not concur with the assessment that Nigerian airports are generally unsafe as it is crucial to consider the context and metrics used in such evaluations.
Badeh said issues like perimeter fencing and instances of wildlife intrusion existed at some airports.
He said these were not unique to Nigeria and could occur at airports globally, including in the United States.
“It’s unfair to generalise that our airports are totally unsafe.
“We recognise the need for continuous improvement, and we commend the efforts of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) in implementing upgrades,” Badeh said.
