NCAA Rejects Proposed Funding Cut, Warns of Aviation Safety Risks

The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has reiterated its opposition to a proposal before the National Assembly seeking to reduce its statutory share of the five per cent Ticket Sales Charge (TSC), warning that the move could weaken aviation safety oversight and jeopardise Nigeria’s performance in future International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) safety audits.

Speaking on the development, the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection of the NCAA, Michael Achimugu, said the Authority remains firmly opposed to the proposed amendment, which seeks to reduce the NCAA’s share of the TSC from 56 per cent to 40 per cent while increasing the allocation to the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) to 40 per cent.

Achimugu argued that the NCAA is already underfunded and that any further reduction in its revenue would undermine the regulator’s ability to carry out critical safety oversight functions, including airline certification, inspections, surveillance, and the training of aviation safety inspectors. He warned that the proposal could expose Nigeria to poor ICAO audit outcomes and possible international sanctions.

According to him, “You cannot fix NAMA by destroying NCAA,” stressing that no country funds its air navigation agency by reducing the resources of its aviation safety regulator. He maintained that the Authority requires stronger financial support to sustain Nigeria’s aviation safety record.

By Oshuniran Sheriff Ola