A behind-the-scenes disagreement between the Nigeria Airspace Management Agency and the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority has surfaced over how the five per cent Ticket Sales Charge should be divided between them a dispute that’s stirring broader debate about where Nigeria’s aviation sector is headed.
At issue is a bill before the National Assembly that would give NAMA a larger cut of the statutory charge. NCAA labour unions have pushed back, warning that trimming the regulator’s share could undermine safety oversight.
But those backing the bill argue the debate needs to account for how much operational weight NAMA carries daily.
The core question dividing the two sides is whether the current funding split still matches each agency’s actual responsibilities, and a growing number of industry voices say it doesn’t.
The case for NAMA rests on the nature of its work. Unlike the NCAA, which focuses on certification and regulatory compliance, NAMA runs the country’s air navigation infrastructure; every flight in Nigerian airspace depends on it, from flight-plan filing through landing.
That work stays largely invisible to travelers but is essential to keeping air traffic moving. Supporters of the funding change also point to the technical demands of the job.
Air navigation today relies on a complex web of communication, navigation, and surveillance systems: instrument landing systems, VOR and DME equipment, radar, ADS-B, VHF stations, and automation platforms, much of it installed in remote, hard-to-service locations.
Meeting international aviation standards means constantly calibrating and upgrading this equipment, often running it on diesel power where the electricity grid can’t be relied on, and keeping technical staff stationed nationwide.
Advocates for revisiting the formula say the funding model hasn’t kept pace with how much aviation technology has changed; advances in satellite navigation, digital systems, cybersecurity, and automated air traffic management all require heavy, continuous investment.
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Falling behind on upgrades, they argue, risks widening the technology gap between Nigeria and more developed aviation markets, with safety and reliability the real stakes rather than mere efficiency.
NAMA’s round-the-clock model its controllers, engineers, and technicians can’t simply stop working when money is tight is central to that argument.
Retired pilot and industry stakeholder Mohammed Badamosi framed the dispute as one that should start with an honest comparison of what each agency actually does.
He pointed out that NAMA maintains a much larger nationwide workforce spread across nearly every airport, compared to the NCAA’s smaller regional footprint, and that NAMA alone bears the cost of buying, installing, and maintaining navigation equipment to ICAO standards across the country.
He also cited the burden of powering critical installations amid rising diesel prices, sustaining 24-hour operations, and continuously training staff to keep up with fast-changing technology.
