BY OLAPEJU OLUBI
From the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) comes a discomforting disclosure that Nigeria’s air safety framework is under mounting pressure as obsolete surveillance infrastructure threatens to undermine the country’s ability to effectively monitor and manage its skies.
The Managing Director of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Engineer Farouk Ahmed Umar, who raised the alarm noted that the nation could soon lose critical airspace surveillance services if its aging Total Radar Coverage of Nigeria (TRACON) system is not urgently upgraded.
Addressing the new Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mahmoud Adam Kambari, during a familiarisation visit in Abuja, Umar described a system nearing exhaustion, technically outdated, operationally strained and increasingly difficult to maintain.
“Our area of urgent attention includes the ATS surveillance service. The TRACON System has aged (deployment started in 2008; completed in 2010).
The components are becoming obsolete with no spare parts. Most parts are working without back-up. The airspace is at the risk of losing surveillance service,” he warned.
The TRACON project, once a flagship investment in Nigeria’s aviation safety architecture, was commissioned in 2010 as a multi-billion-naira initiative to provide nationwide radar coverage.
Developed in partnership with French firm Thales, the system combines Primary Surveillance Radar (PSR) and Secondary Surveillance Radar (SSR) to track and identify aircraft in real time, ensuring safe and efficient air traffic control.
For over a decade, the system has served as the backbone of Nigeria’s airspace management. But like many high-tech systems, its relevance has been eroded by rapid technological advancement.
Umar noted that such equipment typically has a lifecycle of about ten years, adding that by 2014, many countries had already migrated to more advanced alternatives, leaving Nigeria’s system behind the curve.
Today, the consequences of that delay are becoming starkly evident. Without functional and modern radar systems, the integrity of air traffic surveillance, and by extension, safety, could be compromised.
Umar cautioned that maintaining compliance with global aviation standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) may soon become increasingly difficult if decisive action is not taken.
“Providing air navigation services in line with ICAO requirements might be a challenge if urgent steps are not immediately taken to upgrade the TRACON,” he said.
The technological concerns are compounded by financial and operational constraints that continue to weigh heavily on the agency.
According to Umar, the absence of dedicated federal budgetary provisions for safety-critical infrastructure has slowed modernisation efforts.
At the same time, macroeconomic headwinds, particularly the depreciation of the naira, have driven up the cost of maintaining existing systems and procuring new equipment.
He also pointed to the 30 per cent deduction from NAMA’s internally generated revenue (IGR) by the federal government, describing it as a major impediment to the agency’s operational sustainability.
Beyond funding challenges, NAMA is grappling with a shortage of skilled technical and operational personnel. With air traffic volumes rising, the demand for expertise has increased, but training programmes have been constrained by limited resources.
Debt within the aviation ecosystem further complicates the picture. Airlines and some state-owned airports owe significant sums to the agency, tightening cash flow and limiting its ability to invest in critical upgrades.
Umar also highlighted the stagnation in service charges, revealing that NAMA has maintained the same fee of ₦11,000 per aircraft per flight since 2008, a rate he says no longer reflects current economic realities.
“Since 2008 we have been charging the same amount of ₦11,000 per aircraft for each flight operation, yet we are met with blackmail each time we want to increase the charges. ₦11,000 is no longer realistic, yet the airport must remain serviceable,” he said.
“We must sustain our equipment and we spend a huge amount of our funds on Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) and Premium Motor Spirit (PMS),” he added, highlighting the burden of energy costs on operations.
Responding, Permanent Secretary Mahmoud Adam Kambari reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to supporting aviation agencies and strengthening sector-wide collaboration.
“We will continue to support all agencies to succeed, ensuring that Nigeria’s aviation industry remains a key economic driver and a hub of global connectivity,” he stated.
Kambari emphasised the importance of institutional coordination, advocating for the revival of regular top-level meetings involving the Minister, Permanent Secretary, directors, and agency heads to address challenges and align strategies.
He also stressed the need to prioritise staff welfare, training, and timely promotions, noting that a motivated workforce is essential for maintaining operational excellence.
While acknowledging Nigeria’s current standing with ICAO, he urged agencies to intensify efforts to improve performance in future evaluations, warning that global aviation benchmarks are constantly evolving.
He commended Umar’s leadership, describing him as a seasoned professional capable of steering the agency through its current challenges.
As the aviation sector continues to expand, the urgency of modernising Nigeria’s surveillance infrastructure has become increasingly clear.
The warning from NAMA is not just technical, it is strategic.
Without swift intervention, the country risks not only losing critical surveillance capabilities but also undermining the safety and credibility of its aviation system at a time when it seeks to position itself as a regional hub.
The message harps on the fact that Nigeria’s skies may remain busy, but without modern radar, they could soon become dangerously blind.
Olapeju is a journalist and aviation reporter.
