NUSA Unveils Interim Leadership, Names Mozimo Caretaker Chairman

NUSA Unveils Interim Leadership, Names Mozimo Caretaker Chairman ■Drone operators seeks nationwide expansion, prioritises regulatory engagement, professional standards, capacity building, others James Emejo in Abuja The Nigeria Unmanned Systems Association (NUSA), has elected Mr. Okosubide Mozimo as chairman of its caretaker committee. The body represents drone operators and other stakeholders in the unmanned aviation sector. The committee has a mandate to stabilise the association, reconcile stakeholders and organise a credible elective Annual General Meeting (AGM). According to a statement signed yesterday by Mozimo, the committee emerged at a stakeholders’ meeting and election held on October 31. The meeting also elected Capt. Damilola Olufemi Adelana as Vice President, while Femi Adekoya emerged Financial Secretary. The new leadership succeeds the administration of retired Air Vice Marshal Femi Idowu, who led the association from its inception. In his acceptance speech, Mozimo said the committee would prioritise internal reconciliation, membership revalidation and the organisation of an elective AGM within its tenure. He thanked members for their confidence in the committee, and paid glowing tribute to AVM Idowu for his visionary leadership and his service to the association and the nation. He also pledged to expand the association’s membership nationwide by bringing more government agencies, drone operators and other stakeholders into its fold. Mozimo said the committee would strengthen engagement with regulators, promote professionalism and invest in capacity building to support the development of Nigeria’s unmanned aviation industry. He also identified collaboration with government agencies, oil and gas operators and the agricultural sector as key to unlocking the economic potential of drone technology. The new chairman expressed appreciation to members for the confidence reposed in the committee and commended Idowu for providing the association’s initial leadership and laying the foundation for its growth. He called on members, regulators and other stakeholders to support the committee in building a safer, more professional and commercially viable drone ecosystem. Mozimo is an electrical and electronics engineer with a master’s degree in project management and an MBA from Robert Kennedy College, University of Cumbria, Switzerland. He is Managing Director of ARCO Worldwide Services Limited, a commercial drone operator certified by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), and was involved in establishing ARCO Aviation Academy, described by NUSA as Nigeria’s first NCAA-approved drone pilot training academy. However, Adelana, a former offshore helicopter pilot with Bristow Helicopters Nigeria, is the founder and chief executive of U.F.O. Aerials Services Ltd. He is also identified by the association as Nigeria’s first NCAA-designated remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) inspector and has contributed to the development of the country’s RPAS regulatory framework. Similarly, Adekoya, popularly known as “The Flyingfarmer,” is the founder and managing director of Integrated Aerial Precision, an agritech company. He is a two-time Commonwealth Scholar and Nigeria’s country representative to the International Society of Precision Agriculture. The caretaker committee is expected to use its tenure to strengthen the association’s internal structures and broaden participation across the country’s unmanned aviation industry.