BY OLAPEJU OLUBI
The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) has asked the National Assembly to approve an increase in its share of the statutory five per cent Ticket, Charter and Cargo Sales Charge (TSC) from the current 22 per cent to 56 per cent, arguing that the existing funding formula no longer reflects the cost of maintaining safe and efficient air navigation services.
Making the request at a public hearing on the proposed review of the TSC sharing formula, NAMA’s Managing Director, Engr. Farouk Ahmed Umar, said the agency’s responsibilities have expanded significantly while its revenue base has remained inadequate to sustain critical aviation infrastructure.
He explained that under the current arrangement, NAMA receives just ₦11 out of every ₦50 generated from the five per cent statutory charge on a ₦1,000 ticket sale.
Raising its allocation to 56 per cent, he said, would increase NAMA’s share to ₦28 without imposing any additional burden on passengers, as the overall five per cent charge would remain unchanged.
According to Umar, the agency’s operational costs have risen sharply over the years, with personnel, capital and overhead expenditures exceeding ₦43 billion in 2023, while navigation charges have remained unchanged since 2008 despite soaring costs of fuel, electricity, foreign exchange, software licences, imported.
He warned that Nigeria’s air navigation infrastructure, including the Total Radar Coverage of Nigeria (TRACON) system, requires urgent renewal to prevent ageing equipment from undermining aviation safety.
“Our surveillance infrastructure has served the country over many years, but its sites and components now require a deliberate renewal and transition programme,” he said, stressing that replacement planning must begin before critical systems fail.
The NAMA boss also urged lawmakers to recognise obstacle assessment and WGS-84 aeronautical surveys as chargeable technical services performed by the agency.
He proposed that while the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) retains its regulatory role in issuing Aviation Height Clearance certificates, NAMA should receive dedicated fees for conducting technical evaluations, obstacle assessments and field surveys, with a 90:10 revenue-sharing formula in its favour.
Umar argued that increased funding would enable NAMA to invest in digital air navigation systems, cyber security, surveillance technology and modern communication infrastructure needed to meet future aviation demands.
He assured lawmakers that the agency supports strict accountability measures, including automated revenue collection, quarterly disclosure of receipts and projects, annual independent audits, transparent procurement processes and measurable performance indicators.
NAMA also called for harmonisation of conflicting provisions in the Civil Aviation Act and the NAMA Act, noting that one law allocates 22 per cent of the statutory fund to the agency while another provides 23 per cent.
The agency urged the National Assembly to adopt a single, unambiguous allocation formula.
Concluding his presentation, Umar appealed to lawmakers to approve the proposed 56 per cent allocation, harmonise the relevant laws, recognise NAMA’s technical services as chargeable activities and strengthen transparency in remittances.
“Give us the means and hold us to the result. Give Nigerian airspace the resilience it requires and require us to demonstrate that resilience,” he said.
Olapeju is a journalist and aviation reporter.
