NCAA Defends TSC Allocation, Warns Reduced Funding Could Weaken Aviation Regulation

July 07, () — The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has raised the alarm over a proposal before the National Assembly to reduce its statutory share of the five percent Ticket Sales Charge (TSC), warning that the move could weaken the country’s aviation safety oversight architecture and expose the industry to avoidable risks.

Speaking with journalists in Abuja on Tuesday, the NCAA’s Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Michael Achimugu, described the proposed amendment to the TSC sharing formula in favour of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) as unnecessary and potentially detrimental to aviation safety.

He explained that the NCAA, as Nigeria’s economic and safety regulator, relies largely on the Ticket Sales Charge to fund its operations and meet the standards required by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and other global aviation bodies.

According to Achimugu, the Authority currently collects the five percent Ticket Sales Charge and remits statutory shares to NAMA, the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), and the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB), while additional deductions are also made by the Federal Government.

He argued that any further reduction in the NCAA’s allocation would undermine its capacity to sustain the high level of oversight that has kept Nigeria’s aviation industry safe in recent years.

“The reason planes are not falling from the sky today under this administration, unlike in the past, is because of the CAA”, he said.

He further warned that reducing its statutory revenue would significantly impair the authority’s ability to carry out critical oversight functions, including the certification of airlines and airports, safety inspections, personnel training and enforcement of aviation regulations, all of which are essential to ensuring safe air travel.

Achimugu maintained that effective regulation depends on highly skilled inspectors whose technical competence must exceed that of the airlines, airports and other service providers they supervise.

“The staff of the regulatory agency must be better trained than the service providers they regulate. If inspectors do not possess superior technical knowledge, they cannot effectively enforce safety standards”, he stated.

He said Nigeria’s strong performance in international aviation safety and security audits, as well as improvements in passenger rights enforcement, were products of sustained investment in regulatory oversight by the NCAA.

“The reason Nigeria continues to excel in safety and security audits is because of the NCAA. The reason passengers’ rights are better protected today is because of the NCAA”, he added.

Achimugu further explained that unlike service providers such as NAMA, which were established to generate operational revenue, the NCAA operates as a cost-recovery regulator whose funding is dedicated to protecting lives through effective safety oversight.

He urged lawmakers to consider the wider implications of weakening the country’s aviation regulator, noting that globally, civil aviation authorities are deliberately insulated from funding constraints because aviation safety depends on the regulator’s independence, technical competence and operational capacity.

“The NCAA needs more funding, not less. We are a cost-recovery agency, not a revenue-generating one. Proper funding ensures inspectors remain well-trained and adequately remunerated, reducing the risk of compromise and protecting the flying public”, he said.

The NCAA spokesman disclosed that the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo (SAN), had stepped in to mediate the disagreement among the aviation agencies over the proposed amendment.

According to him, consultations are ongoing under the minister’s leadership, making public exchanges over the matter unnecessary while efforts continue to reach a consensus.

Achimugu also dismissed claims that the NCAA was indebted to NAMA, clarifying that statutory remittances are handled directly by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) rather than by the Authority.

“The NCAA does not make remittances directly to the agency. The CBN does so. From our checks, the remittances were being processed. So, the issue of NCAA owing anybody does not arise”, he said.