A fresh dispute has emerged in Nigeria’s aviation sector over a Federal Government proposal to review the revenue-sharing formula among aviation agencies, with the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) taking opposing positions.
The proposal before the National Assembly seeks to amend the sharing formula for the statutory five per cent Ticket Sales Charge and Cargo Sales Charge.
Under the current arrangement, the NCAA receives 56 per cent of the revenue, while NAMA gets 22 per cent, with the balance shared among the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT) and the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB).
Speaking on the development, NCAA Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Michael Achimugu, warned that reducing the Authority’s allocation would weaken its capacity to carry out critical safety oversight and could affect Nigeria’s performance in international aviation safety audits.
He argued that the NCAA is already underfunded and urged NAMA to explore alternative revenue sources rather than relying on increased allocations from regulatory funds. Achimugu also noted that delayed budget approvals had affected staff training and other operational activities.
However, officials at NAMA maintained that the agency requires increased funding to sustain air navigation, communication and surveillance infrastructure amid rising operational costs.
They backed the proposed review, saying a more sustainable funding arrangement is necessary to enable the agency to effectively discharge its responsibilities.
Commenting on the issue, aviation safety expert, Engr. Segun Oni, said any review of the revenue-sharing formula should be guided by transparency, fairness and the need to safeguard aviation safety while addressing the financial challenges facing the sector.
