By Isaac Agber

Copyright independent

The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) has urged the National Assembly to intervene in bringing an end to the 50 per cent deduction of its internally generated revenue, stressing that financial autonomy is critical for modernising the nation’s aviation sector and sustaining international safety standards.

The Managing Director of NAMA, Engr. Farouk Umar, made the appeal in Abuja on Tuesday during his opening remarks at a four-day retreat organised by the House Committee on Aviation.

According to him, “modernising Nigeria’s aviation sector cannot happen without financial reform.”

Engr. Umar called for the full enforcement of Section 9(2) of the NAMA Act 2022, which clearly provides that all fees and charges imposed by the agency are not subject to deductions or remittance to any other body.

He argued that adherence to this provision was imperative for NAMA to maintain and upgrade critical aviation infrastructure such as control towers, radars, and communication networks.

The NAMA boss highlighted that the current 50 per cent deduction at source had crippled the agency’s capacity to meet statutory responsibilities, expand infrastructure, and deliver on international obligations.

“Without financial autonomy, it will be impossible for us to fund key projects like Performance-Based Navigation (PBN) and Satellite-Based Augmentation Systems (SBAS), or even sustain continuous service to airlines without disruption,” Umar said.

He further outlined the benefits of enforcing Section 9(2), which include: Adequate funding of critical infrastructure; regular maintenance and calibration of Communication, Navigation and Surveillance (CNS) equipment to meet International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards; employment and training of skilled personnel; and investments in digitalisation and innovation to keep Nigeria’s aviation industry competitive globally.

Engr. Umar also sought the intervention of the House Committee in enforcing the Obstruction Evaluation Fees Provision under Section 18(1)(a), (b), and (xii) of the NAMA Act 2022.

He lamented the current overlap of functions, where another aviation agency had continued to exercise responsibilities statutorily vested in NAMA, thereby constraining its ability to generate lawful revenue from obstruction evaluation fees.

Another key demand put forward by Umar was the comprehensive review of air navigation charges, which have remained unchanged since 2008.

He stressed that the charges must be adjusted to reflect prevailing economic realities and to guarantee true cost recovery.

In his response, Chairman of the House Committee on Aviation, Rt. Hon. Abdullahi Idris Garba, assured the gathering of the National Assembly’s commitment to developing actionable strategies that would enhance aviation safety, infrastructure, and regulatory compliance.

“The time has come for stakeholders to effectively share expertise, synergise, and address the challenges in the sector while tapping into the opportunities that abound,” Garba said, expressing confidence that the retreat would strengthen collective efforts to advance Nigeria’s aviation sector.

The four-day retreat, themed “Emerging Trends in Global Aviation: Sustainability, Technology, and Digital Transformation”, will feature interactive sessions, presentations, and collaborative discussions on airspace management, legislative oversight, and stakeholder engagement.

The Agency’s appeal was conveyed to the media in a statement signed by Dr Abdullahi Musa, Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at NAMA.