Nigeria’s aviation regulator warns lawmakers: cut our funding, and you risk safety
The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority has issued a blunt warning to lawmakers: tamper with the Ticket Sales Charge formula, and you jeopardise the safety of every flight out of Nigeria.
Director General Capt. Chris Najomo appeared before the House Committee on Aviation in Abuja on Thursday to push back against a proposed reallocation of the 5% levy that would slash the NCAA’s share from 56% to 40%. The authority says it currently relies on the TSC for about 85% of its operating budget, the money that pays for safety inspections, pilot licensing, aircraft certification, and routine surveillance.
“We support adequate funding for all agencies,” Najomo said. “But reducing our allocation will directly weaken our ability to do the job we are legally mandated to perform.”
The proposed revision would bump up the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency’s share from 22% to 40%. NAMA’s unions have argued the increase is needed to expand radar coverage, upgrade navigation systems, and strengthen cybersecurity. But Najomo countered that NAMA already earns significant revenue from commercial air navigation charges and should first look to improve its own efficiency and revenue collection before asking for a larger cut of the passenger levy.
He cited ICAO’s Doc 9082, which encourages funding air navigation services through operator charges rather than passenger taxes.
The NCAA’s warning was echoed by a string of former aviation chiefs, including Capt. Musa Nuhu, Engr. Mahmud Ben Tukur, Dr. Bernard Aliu, and Dr. Harold Demuren. They argued that the regulator’s independence depends on stable, ring‑fenced funding. Treating the NCAA the same as service providers, they said, would compromise impartial oversight.
The hearing comes at a sensitive time for Nigeria’s aviation sector. The Airline Operators of Nigeria recently opposed a planned strike over alleged non‑remittance of the TSC, calling it a distraction. Meanwhile, international bodies like IATA and AFRAA have repeatedly flagged Nigeria for its above‑average ticket taxes, passengers departing the country paid an average of $180 in charges last year, the third‑highest in Africa.
The National Assembly is now weighing the proposed allocation change. The NCAA has made its position clear: any cut to its funding is a cut to safety oversight. Whether lawmakers will heed that warning remains to be seen.