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…agency say ageing infrastructure threatens airspace safety

…AAAU call for statutory funding to build aviation workforce

By Gloria Ikibah

The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) has urged the National Assembly to increase its share of the statutory five per cent aviation revenue pool from 22 per cent to 56 per cent, warning that the current funding structure is no longer sufficient to sustain the country’s air navigation infrastructure.

At the same public hearing organised by the House of Representatives Committee on Aviation on Thursday, the African Aviation and Aerospace University (AAAU), Abuja, also wants inclusion as a statutory beneficiary of the five per cent Ticket Sales Charge (TSC), proposing that at least 10 per cent of the fund be reserved for aviation education, research and manpower development.

Speaking before lawmakers, NAMA Managing Director, Engr. Farouk Ahmed Umar, said the responsibilities of the agency  had expanded significantly over the years while its funding had remained inadequate, despite the critical role it plays in ensuring the safety of Nigeria’s airspace.

He stressed that aviation safety depends on well-funded institutions across the sector, including the regulator, accident investigators, meteorological services and training institutions, but argued that NAMA’s operational burden deserved greater financial support.

According to him, the agency currently receives just 22 per cent of the statutory revenue pool, despite being responsible for managing Nigeria’s air navigation services.

Umar clarified that NAMA was not asking for an increase in the existing five per cent charge on air tickets but a review of how the available revenue is shared among aviation agencies.

“Long before a passenger boards an aircraft, NAMA’s personnel and systems are already at work. A flight plan must be processed, aeronautical information must be current. Radios must be clear. Navigation aids must be serviceable. Surveillance must be available. Controllers must be at their positions. Engineers must be ready to respond. Power and backup power must hold.

“When the aircraft takes off, all these elements must come together, not later that day, not after a supplementary release, but at that very moment.

“That is the nature of air navigation services. They are continuous, technology-intensive and unforgiving of delay. A broken office printer can wait until morning. A degraded safety-critical communication link cannot. A postponed meeting may be inconvenient. Deferred radar support, navigation-aid calibration or controller training can reduce the resilience of the national system”, he said.

The NAMA chief revealed that the agency spent more than N43 billion on its operations in 2023, including about N21 billion on personnel costs, over N12 billion on capital projects and more than N10 billion on overheads.

He lamented that the agency’s navigation charge had remained at N11,000 per flight since 2008 despite rising inflation, exchange rate pressures, higher energy costs and increasing expenses associated with maintaining modern aviation technology.

“These are not abstract numbers. Behind them are controllers, engineers, communication systems, navigation aids, surveillance platforms, power systems, spares, software, calibration, training and facilities spread across our country.

“At the same time, a navigation charge as low as ₦11,000 per flight had remained unchanged since June 2008.

“Consider what has happened to the cost of fuel, electricity, foreign exchange, imported components, software licences and specialist training since 2008. The service has had to absorb today’s costs with yesterday’s tariff base.

“The dedication of our workforce has helped bridge that gap, but dedication is not a substitute for a sustainable funding system”, he added.

Umar also drew attention to the ageing Total Radar Coverage of Nigeria (TRACON) system, warning that maintaining obsolete surveillance equipment was becoming increasingly difficult due to limited availability of spare parts and changing manufacturer support.

He added that Nigeria must also invest in emerging technologies such as performance-based navigation, satellite surveillance, digital aeronautical information systems and cybersecurity to remain globally competitive.

The NAMA boss further appealed to lawmakers to recognise obstacle assessment and WGS-84 aeronautical surveys as chargeable technical services undertaken by the agency.

He explained that NAMA was uniquely positioned to carry out the specialised technical work linking aeronautical surveys, obstacle analysis, flight procedure design and airspace management.

While insisting that the regulatory aspect of Aviation Height Clearance should remain with the appropriate authority, he argued that NAMA should be paid directly for the technical components of the service.

Umar also called for the harmonisation of existing aviation laws, noting that while the Civil Aviation Act allocates 22 per cent of the revenue pool to NAMA, the agency’s enabling Act provides for 23 per cent.

“The law should speak with one voice. The beneficiaries should be named correctly; the percentages should total 100 per cent; collection and remittance responsibilities should be unambiguous; and the effective date should be clear”, he said.

Although he acknowledged that redistributing the statutory revenue could affect other aviation agencies, he argued that future allocations should be based on operational realities rather than historical arrangements.

“A regulator and an Air Navigation Service Provider are both indispensable, but their cost structures are not identical. The law should recognise those differences while ensuring that every safety institution remains viable”, he said.

Making a final appeal, Umar urged lawmakers to consider the critical infrastructure and skilled workforce behind every safe flight within Nigerian airspace.

“When a pilot calls an air traffic controller over Nigerian airspace, that voice is more than a radio transmission. It is the sound of a national safety system working.

“Behind it are years of training, towers and centres, antennas and links, radar and navigation aids, engineers and procedures, generators and batteries, software and vigilance. The country expects that voice to be clear, confident and continuously available.

“I respectfully pray the National Assembly to approve a 56 per cent allocation to NAMA from the existing five per cent pool; harmonise the affected enactments; recognise obstacle assessment and WGS-84 aeronautical survey as chargeable NAMA technical services; establish transparent, automated remittance; and pair the enhanced allocation with firm accountability and oversight.

“Give us the means and hold us to the result. Give Nigerian airspace the resilience it requires and require us to demonstrate that resilience. In doing so, this National Assembly will not simply amend a percentage. It will strengthen the safety, efficiency, sovereignty and future competitiveness of our nation’s airspace”, he stated.

Also addressing the hearing, Acting Vice-Chancellor of the African Aviation and Aerospace University, Prof. Mustapha Abdullahi, argued that sustainable growth in the aviation industry will not be possible without consistent investment in training and research.

He said the university, established as Nigeria’s specialised aviation institution, should be recognised as a statutory beneficiary of the Ticket Sales Charge to support the development of skilled aviation professionals.

According to him, aviation safety ultimately depends on a steady supply of competent air traffic managers, aeronautical engineers, aviation managers, meteorologists, aerospace scientists, airport managers and other specialists.

Earlier, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, reaffirmed the commitment of the 10th House to strengthening the financial framework of Nigeria’s aviation industry.

Represented at the hearing, the Speaker said the proposed legislative reforms were aimed at improving the capacity of aviation agencies to safeguard the country’s airspace while boosting investor confidence in the sector.

Chairman of the House Committee on Aviation, Rep. Abdullahi Garba, said the bills under consideration were designed to strengthen the financial and institutional foundations of Nigeria’s aviation industry, improve transparency and enhance service delivery across the sector.