The man, Akin Olateru, new AIB Commissioner
Akin Olateru is the new Commissioner, Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB).
He is a multitalented, resourceful Aviation industry professional with vast Airline and Business Aviation management expertise.
His industry experience and pedigree acquired in more than 27 years’ versatile work exposure crisscrosses the aviation industry in the United Kingdom, Europe and Nigeria at hands-on operational, management and top executive levels.
Akin is passionate, “breaths and dreams aviation and aviation safety” and has strategically grown his career pathway through the core aviation units of aircraft engineering maintenance, ground handling and airline passenger and cargo transport operations in the bid to becoming well-rounded and grounded in the business of air transportation.
An Aircraft Maintenance Engineer with Nigerian, UK, and USA licences, he began his career in engineering maintenance with Pan African Airlines and the Nigerian Police Air Wing from where he left Nigeria for further studies abroad. Along the line, he also worked with airlines in Europe including KLM, Martin Air in Holland, British Aerospace Engineering UK, and British Midland Airways UK.
On his return to Nigeria in 2003 and armed with an M.SC in Air Transport Management from the City University, London (the second Nigerian to bag that degree at the time), where amongst other specializations he studied and made in-depth research and simulations into accident investigations at postgraduate level, Olateru worked with Skypower Aviation Handling Company, a government-owned company prior to its privatization.
There he served sundry roles including Head Safety and Quality Assurance and Group Head Operations, Marketing and Business Development during which time he developed and supervised organization-wide safety and quality management systems bordering more than 10 internal departments with over 1,000 staff strength; drastically reduced incidents and accidents resulting in significant cost savings, through a well formulated, articulated and awareness program initiative of hazard identification and risk mitigation procedures across 19 airports station offices in Nigeria; and increased company revenue generation by over 120 per cent within 18months.
He has successfully set up and managed two airlines, the latter being Omni-Blu Aviation Limited incorporated in 2013 and duly granted an Air Operators’ Certificate by the NCAA in December 2015.
Olateru is also a full member of the Royal Aeronautical Society, United Kingdom and a Chartered Member of the United Kingdom Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport.
