NCAA warns funding cuts could harm aviation safety

The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has raised concerns that plans to cut its share of the five percent Ticket Sales Charge (TSC) could put aviation safety at risk and weaken its ability to regulate Nigeria’s aviation industry effectively.

This warning comes as the National Assembly looks at a bill that aims to reduce the NCAA’s share of the TSC to benefit the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA).

Currently, the NCAA collects the five percent Ticket Sales Charge and shares the money among key aviation agencies. These agencies include NAMA, the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), and the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB).

Michael Achimugu, the NCAA’s Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, spoke with journalists in Abuja on Tuesday. He said any cut in the authority’s funding would affect its ability to regulate and could compromise passenger safety.

"The NCAA needs more funding, not less. If you weaken the regulator financially, you weaken safety oversight. Aviation regulators all over the world are adequately funded because they are responsible for protecting lives," he stated.

He noted that while the NCAA is the industry’s safety regulator, it already shares a large part of the revenue from the Ticket Sales Charge with other aviation agencies.

The five percent charge was created to lessen the Federal Government’s burden of funding the regulator.

"The idea behind NAMA was that it should be self-funded and not reliant on government funding," he added.

He continued, "The NCAA, as the safety regulator, was expected to get funding from the government, but the Ticket Sales Charge was brought in to relieve the government of that responsibility. Even from that funding, a big portion still goes to other agencies."

Safety oversight

Mr Achimugu emphasized that good funding is crucial to ensure aviation inspectors are better trained than the operators they supervise.

He pointed out that regulators must keep updating their technical skills to stay in line with changing aviation technology and international safety rules.

"The reason aircraft are not falling from the sky today under this administration, unlike in the past, is because of the NCAA," he said.

"The staff of the regulatory agency must be better trained than the service providers they oversee. If inspectors do not have superior technical knowledge, they cannot enforce safety standards properly."

He added that the NCAA’s oversight has greatly helped Nigeria perform well in international aviation safety and security checks, along with improvements in passenger rights protection.

"The reason Nigeria continues to perform well in safety audits is because of the NCAA. The reason passengers’ rights are better protected today is because of the NCAA."

Minister intervenes

Mr Achimugu mentioned that the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, is already talking to stakeholders about the proposed funding changes.

He urged everyone involved to let the minister's discussions run their course instead of escalating the issue through the media.

"The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development is already discussing the matter with all parties. There is no need for continued public statements aimed at swaying opinion while those discussions are ongoing," he said.

NCAA dismisses debt claims

The NCAA also rejected claims that it owes NAMA outstanding statutory payments.

Mr Achimugu explained that these payments are handled directly by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), not by the NCAA.

"The NCAA does not make payments directly to any agency. The CBN takes care of those payments, and from our checks, they are being processed. So, the issue of the NCAA owing anyone does not arise," he said.

He stressed that agencies with their own revenue-generating capabilities should work on strengthening their funding sources instead of seeking more from the regulator’s allocation.

According to him, keeping the NCAA financially strong is vital for maintaining aviation safety, independence in regulation, and public trust in Nigeria’s aviation sector.