Fresh Rewrite: NCAA Reveals NAMA’s TSC Share Was a Temporary Fix That Outlived Its Purpose
The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority has dropped a bombshell in the ongoing Ticket Sales Charge controversy: the percentage of the five‑per‑cent levy that goes to the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency was never meant to be a permanent arrangement. It was a stopgap measure devised to help NAMA get off the ground, and it was supposed to have expired long ago.
In a detailed interview, NCAA spokesman Dr Michael Achimugu told *The Punch* that the TSC, which passengers pay as five per cent of their airfare, is collected by the NCAA and shared among several agencies. The NCAA keeps 46 per cent; the rest is distributed to NAMA, the NSIB, NCAT, and NiMET.
Achimugu stressed that, under global aviation norms, the regulator alone is entitled to the charge. NAMA was given a slice only because it lacked startup funding when it was created under General Abdulsalami Abubakar’s administration. The committee that drew up the arrangement was in a hurry to secure approval before the handover, and in that rush, the "sunset clause" that would have terminated the sharing after five years was never written in.
“It was not supposed to be permanent. Nowhere else in the world does the air navigation service provider take money from the regulator,” Achimugu said.
He added that the arrangement later metastasised, with NSIB and NCAT also carved into the sharing formula, progressively shrinking the NCAA’s share. Today, TSC accounts for over 80 per cent of NCAA’s revenue, while NAMA, which already collects 16 different ICAO‑recognised charges and receives government funding, continues to draw from the pot.
“NAMA does not provide any direct service to passengers. The NCAA does. The logic is questionable,” he said.
Meanwhile, the National Aviation Stakeholders Forum has called on the House Committee on Aviation to broaden its inquiry beyond the percentage split. NASF argues that Nigerians deserve to know how much TSC has been collected over the years, how much airlines have remitted, and how the funds have been spent.
“This is not just about who gets what,” said NASF coordinator Yahaya Yusuf. “We need full transparency on the entire chain.”
The forum also recommended a real‑time digital tracking system to monitor ticket sales and TSC remittances, arguing it would close loopholes and reduce disputes.
NASF was equally blunt about the regulator’s handling of the dispute. It faulted NCAA Director‑General Capt. Chris Najomo for failing to step in before the disagreement escalated into last week’s industrial action, which left passengers stranded and flights cancelled nationwide.
The forum called for Najomo’s resignation, but commended the National Assembly and the Federal Government for their swift intervention to restore normal operations.
The ongoing TSC review, the forum said, must produce a transparent, accountable framework that prevents future industrial breakdowns and ensures that passengers are not forced to bear the cost of institutional failures.