Our Reporter 

The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) has asked the House of Representatives to increase its share of the statutory five per cent aviation revenue pool from 22 per cent to 56 per cent.

The agency said the current funding formula can no longer sustain the cost of maintaining Nigeria’s air navigation infrastructure.

Managing Director of NAMA, Engr. Farouk Ahmed Umar, made the appeal Thursday during a public hearing organised by the House Committee on Aviation.

“The existing allocation no longer reflects the scale of NAMA’s statutory responsibilities or the financial burden of keeping Nigeria’s airspace safe,” Umar said.

He explained that the proposed increase would not create a new levy but would redistribute the existing revenue pool to better support the country’s sole Air Navigation Service Provider.

“Long before a passenger boards an aircraft, NAMA’s personnel and systems are already at work. Flight plans must be processed, navigation aids maintained, surveillance available and controllers at their duty posts,” he said.

Umar said air navigation services are technology driven and operate round the clock, warning that delays in maintaining critical systems could undermine aviation safety.

“The cost of keeping Nigerian airspace safe has outgrown the existing funding formula,” he said, noting that NAMA spent over ₦43 billion in 2023 on personnel, capital projects and overheads.

He added that the agency’s navigation charge had remained at ₦11,000 per flight since 2008 despite rising costs of fuel, electricity, foreign exchange, equipment and specialised training.

“The dedication of our workforce has helped bridge that gap, but dedication is not a substitute for a sustainable funding system,” Umar stated.

The NAMA boss also urged lawmakers to harmonise conflicting provisions in aviation laws and recognise obstacle assessment and WGS-84 aeronautical surveys as chargeable technical services performed by the agency.

Meanwhile, the African Aviation and Aerospace University (AAAU), Abuja asked the National Assembly to allocate 10 per cent of the five per cent Ticket Sales Charge to the institution for aviation education, research and manpower development.

“AAAU occupies a unique position in Nigeria’s aviation ecosystem as the country’s specialised federal university dedicated to aviation, aerospace and allied disciplines,” Acting Vice-Chancellor Mustapha Abdullahi said.

The Speaker of the House of Representatives,Tajudeen Abbas had earlier said the 10th Assembly was committed to strengthening the financial framework of the aviation sector, while Chairman of the House Committee on Aviation, Hon. Abdullahi Idris Garba, said the proposed bills would improve safety, transparency and service delivery across the industry.

Agabi Israel 

Governor Bala Mohammed has commended security agencies for their successful operations against terrorists in Alkaleri Local Government Area, describing the military offensive as a major breakthrough in the state’s fight against insecurity.

Speaking on Thursday during a security meeting with heads of security agencies at the Government House, Bauchi, the governor praised the Nigerian Army, the Police, Department of State Services (DSS), Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), vigilante groups and other security operatives for their gallantry and coordinated efforts.

He commended troops of the Nigerian Army’s 3 Division and the 33 Artillery Brigade for intelligence-led operations that dislodged terrorists from Mansur village and surrounding enclaves, dismantled their camps and neutralised several high-profile criminal elements.

According to him, the operation also paved the way for thousands of displaced residents to safely return to their ancestral communities.

Mohammed expressed appreciation to President Bola Tinubu, the National Security Adviser and the Service Chiefs for supporting the operations that resulted in the military successes.

Despite the gains recorded, the governor warned that security agencies must not relax, noting that criminal groups displaced from neighbouring states were attempting to establish new bases in Bauchi.

He cited renewed security threats in Mingi, Ganjuwa, Toro, Gamawa, Darazo and Alkaleri local government areas, including kidnappings, banditry, farmer-herder clashes and cross-border criminal infiltration.

The governor directed security agencies to sustain the momentum of the Alkaleri operation and replicate similar offensives in other flashpoints across the state.

He also ordered increased joint patrols, intelligence-driven operations and aggressive clearance of criminal hideouts in forests, rural communities and border settlements to deny criminals freedom of movement.

Mohammed reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to providing logistics, operational support and improved infrastructure for security agencies to strengthen the fight against insecurity across the state.

Abubakar Usman 

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has warned commercial transport operators operating from illegal parks and roadside locations across Abuja to move to the designated bus terminals or be shut down.

The Mandate Secretary, FCTA Transportation Secretariat, Mr Chinedum Elechi, gave the directive during a press conference in Abuja on Thursday.

Elechi warned that all unauthorised loading points would be shut down and non-compliant vehicles impounded without further notice.

He recalled that the administration had earlier directed all transport operators to move to fully operationalise ultra-modern bus terminals, beginning with the facility in Mabushi.

He stressed that the drive to clear the streets of unauthorised motor parks stems from a direct mandate given by the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike,  to bring order, decency, and security to the nation’s capital.

“The Federal Capital City is the capital of Nigeria, just like London is to the UK or Paris to France.

“Our capital cannot be different. At the root of decency and a modern city is a functional public transportation system. The days of everybody doing what they like in the FCT are over,” he said.

The mandate secretary highlighted that the FCTA has invested billions of Naira to construct the ultra-modern terminals in Mabushi, Kugbo and the Central Business District (CBD).

This, he said, marks the first time in the FCT’s 50-year history that such state-of-the-art transit hubs have been developed.

Beyond enhancing the city’s aesthetic appeal and boosting tourism, Elechi emphasised that centralising transit operations within official terminals is vital to curbing criminality.

He said that the operation of the bus terminals would particularly address illegal transit operations locally known as “one chance” robberies, alongside drug and arms trafficking.

He revealed that recent trial enforcement operations vindicated the administration’s aggressive stance.

“About two weeks ago, we carried out a trial enforcement and impounded vehicles after issuing quit notices. 

“Believe it or not, we discovered highly illegal products inside some of those ad-hoc seizures. What we saw was frightening.

“As such, proper profiling of operators at official terminals will dramatically reduce citywide insecurity,” he said.

To ensure efficient management of the bus terminals, the FCTA has partnered with private operators, including Planet Projects, under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) framework.

Elechi dispelled rumors that the government intends to deprive transporters of their livelihoods, clarifying that operators are merely being relocated from hazardous roadside setups into fully equipped, secure facilities.

“We are not taking food from anybody’s table. We are asking you to leave unsafe, unhealthy roadside locations for modern bus terminals built with government resources. Nobody is going to lose anything,” he said. 

Expressing frustration over past non-compliance, the mandate secretary noted that despite previous impoundment of more than 100 vehicles—where defaulting drivers were released after signing undertakings—many operators routinely returned to illegal loading spots.

He warned that the secretariat is backed by Order 1 established under President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration and the Transportation Regulations of 2023.

He added that with the regulations, the Transport Secretariat holds full legal authority to license operators, seal unauthorised private premises used as makeshift parks, and confiscate non-compliant vehicles.

“They sign an undertaking, and the next day they are back on the road. It is a cat-and-mouse game, and we are tired of it.

“If you rent private premises or take over any small space and turn it into an illegal motor park, we will seal off the premises, impound your vehicles, and enforce the law to the letter.

“With full backing from the FCT Minister and the Presidency, we will maintain a zero-tolerance policy against illegal transport operations to restore order and safety to Abuja,” he said.