The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has warned that a proposal to reduce its statutory funding could weaken its regulatory capacity and pose risks to aviation safety across the country.
The warning follows the consideration by the National Assembly of a Bill seeking to reduce the NCAA's share of the five per cent Ticket Sales Charge (TSC) in favour of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA).
Under the current arrangement, the NCAA collects the five per cent TSC and remits portions of the revenue to NAMA, the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), and the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB).
Addressing journalists in Abuja on Tuesday, the NCAA's Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Michael Achimugu, said any further reduction in the Authority's funding would hamper its ability to carry out effective safety oversight.
According to him, weakening the regulator's financial capacity would ultimately compromise aviation safety and expose all air travellers to greater risks.
Achimugu explained that NAMA was originally established to be self-sustaining, while the NCAA was expected to receive government funding before the introduction of the Ticket Sales Charge as a cost-recovery mechanism.
He noted that despite the TSC, a substantial portion of the Authority's revenue is already shared with other aviation agencies, while additional deductions are made by the Federal Government.
"The NCAA requires more funding, not less. As the country's safety regulator, we must ensure our inspectors receive continuous training and possess superior technical expertise to effectively regulate service providers," he said.
He added that Nigeria's improved performance in international aviation safety and security audits, as well as the protection of passengers' rights, was largely due to the NCAA's regulatory oversight.
Achimugu urged stakeholders to recognise the critical role of aviation regulators and ensure they are adequately funded to safeguard lives, stressing that agencies with independent revenue-generating mandates should focus on strengthening their own funding sources rather than seeking a larger share of the NCAA's allocation.
He also disclosed that the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has intervened in the dispute and is engaging all parties to find a resolution.
While appealing to stakeholders to refrain from making inflammatory public statements, Achimugu said the minister was already addressing the matter through consultations.
The NCAA spokesman also dismissed reports that the Authority owed NAMA, explaining that statutory remittances are processed directly by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) rather than by the NCAA.
According to him, the Authority does not operate a separate account for such remittances, adding that checks confirmed the payments were being processed by the CBN.
He maintained that the issue of the NCAA owing any aviation agency did not arise under the existing remittance framework.
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