NEMA sensitises COSPAS-SARSAT beacon users to safety, noves to curb false alerts
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 enhancing 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, the Director-General of NEMA, Hajiya Zubaida Umar, said the initiative was designed to equip beacon users with the knowledge and skills required to effectively operate the life-saving devices across land, sea and air domains.
Umar, who was represented by the Director of Search and Rescue at NEMA, Air Commodore B.A. Usman, described the COSPAS-SARSAT system as a vital component of Nigeria’s national safety infrastructure, noting that its efficiency largely depends on proper usage and understanding by subscribers.
She explained that the programme would expose participants to an overview of the COSPAS-SARSAT system, the role of emergency beacons in search and rescue operations, best practices for installation and maintenance, strategies for reducing false alerts, and standard emergency procedures.
According to her, the sensitisation forum was also aimed at strengthening collaboration among government agencies and private sector stakeholders to ensure timely response to distress signals and ultimately save lives.
Earlier, the Head of the Mission Control Centre at NEMA, Navy Capt. A.O. Oriyomi, said the sensitisation was a statutory requirement mandated by relevant coastal and aviation safety authorities.
He attributed the campaign to the growing number of false alerts received from unregistered or poorly managed beacons, stressing the importance of proper registration of devices used on aircraft, vessels and for personal purposes.
“Registration ensures that in the event of an emergency, we can quickly identify and locate users for prompt response,” Oriyomi said.
Also speaking, the Managing Director of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA),
Mr Ahmad Umar-Faruk, described the campaign as timely and critical, particularly in an era where technology and coordination determine the effectiveness of emergency response systems.
Umar-Faruk, who was represented by his Senior Special Assistant on Operations, Ibrahim Haske, reaffirmed NAMA’s commitment to collaborating with NEMA and other stakeholders to build a resilient, technology-driven search and rescue ecosystem, while calling for regular training of personnel.
At the forum, Mr Ogba Emmanuel presented a paper on the overview of the COSPAS-SARSAT system, while the Chief Technical Officer of NEMA Search and Rescue, Mr Toyin Ogunleye, spoke on the prevalence of false alerts from 406MHz beacons, revealing that 40 false alerts were recorded in 2025.
One of the participants, Mr Olakunbi Abiodun, Airport Services Manager of Qatar Airways in Kano, commended NEMA for organising the sensitisation, though he noted that such engagements should have commenced earlier to improve communication and integration of emergency response plans within the aviation industry.
However,stakeholders at the event included officials of NEMA, the Kano State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), the Nigerian Red Cross Society, the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMET), and other relevant agencies.