The Director General, Nigeria Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB),Engr.Akin Olateru has been voted for as the ‘2023 Public Servant of the Year’ by Nigerians both at home and in Diaspora.
He emerged first place following his online nomination and voting by members of the general public as monitored and confirmed by the Nigeria Service Awards panel of jury which commenced on the 31th August through 4th September, 2023.
Consequently, this prestigious Award will be presented by the COA Media Group; organizers of the Nigeria Service Awards at a ceremony slated for 17th November, 2023 at the Abuja Continental Hotel, Abuja.
Engr. Akin Olateru is a multi-talented, resourceful Aviation industry professional with vast Airline and Air Transport management expertise. He acquired his industry experience and pedigree in more than 30 years of versatile work exposure, crisscrossing the Aviation Industry in the UK, Europe, and Nigeria, at hands-on operational, management and top executive levels.
He began his career in engineering maintenance with Pan African Airlines and the Nigerian Police Air Wing after which he left Nigeria for further studies abroad. He has also worked with multiple airlines in Europe including KLM, Martin Air in Holland, British Aerospace Engineering and British Midland Airways.
He attended City University, London and graduated with an M.Sc. in Air Transport Management, amongst other specialties.
He was appointed by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to head the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB-Nigeria) as the Commissioner/Chief Executive Officer in January 2017 and was reappointed in January, 2021 following the recommendation of the Minister of Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika.
Since his appointment, several Reports (including outstanding accident/incident reports) right from 2007 has been released to the public.
Under his administration, the Bureau’s infrastructural facilities, such as the Bureau’s Flight Safety Laboratory in Abuja and Lagos, Wreckage Hangar, Metallurgical Science Laboratory, Regional offices in Enugu and Kano states, and the Command and Control Center, were developed and rehabilitated to enhance efficiency.
His focus on human capacity development has ensured that all investigators received training in accident investigation from prestigious institutions. He has propelled the reactivation and upgrade of several of AIBs facilities in order to improve the Bureau’s capabilities. The Bureaus Flight Safety Laboratory has been equipped and its software upgraded to the latest technology available, which allowed it to simulate animations based on data from the Flight Data Recorders (FDR) and Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR).
He also initiated collaborations and cooperation agreements with several countries and institutions such as the Republic of Benin, US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), Singapore Transport Safety Investigation Bureau (TSIB), Bureau d’Enquêtes et d’Analyses pour la sécurité de l’aviation civile (BEA- France), University of Ilorin (UNILORIN), and University of Lagos (UNILAG).
He is a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society, UK, United Kingdom Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport, Nigerian Society of Engineers and a member of the prestigious Chatham House, UK.
The prestigious Nigeria Service Awards; Third in a row, is held annually and It recognizes, honours and promotes outstanding individuals and institutions across both the public and private sectors, scoring excellence and outstanding performance in the political, social and economic spheres of the country particularly by those whose endeavors have largely impacted the country positively in the year under review.
