The Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB), Capt Alex Badeh Jnr, has warned that any reduction in the bureau’s allocation from the five percent Ticket Sales Charge (TSC) could undermine aviation safety and weaken Nigeria’s accident investigation capability.

Badeh, during a virtual media parley with aviation journalists, said the NSIB receives the lowest allocation under the existing TSC revenue-sharing arrangement, and should not be subjected to further cuts.

In the revenue-sharing formula provided by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Act 2022, the five percent TSC/Cargo Sales Charge (CSC) collected by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) is distributed among five aviation agencies.

 The NCAA receives 56 percent; Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) 22 percent; the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) nine percent, the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT) seven percent, while the NSIB receives six percent.

However, a proposal before the National Assembly seeks to amend the formula, reducing the NCAA’s share from 56 percent to 40 percent while increasing NAMA’s allocation from 22 percent to 40 percent. The proposal has generated debate among aviation agencies, unions and industry stakeholders.

Badeh said calls by some stakeholders for a further reduction in NSIB’s share on the grounds that its statutory mandate now extends beyond aviation, could be counterproductive.

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“As it stands, we get the lowest of all the agencies from the TSC. I don’t know the rationale behind the call for the downward review as canvassed by some sections of people in the industry,” he said.

“If you say safety is expensive, try an accident. I don’t think the reduction of any agency’s collection from the TSC is the solution to any challenge that we have at the moment.”

The NSIB boss stressed that accident investigation remains a critical component of Nigeria’s aviation safety architecture, requiring sustained funding for the deployment of investigators, acquisition and maintenance of specialised equipment, laboratory capabilities, training and participation in complex aircraft accident investigations.

Badeh also disclosed that the bureau was yet to receive some statutory revenues due to it from other transport sectors.

He said the body was entitled to three percent of the earnings of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), but has not received the funds, despite the bureau having commenced safety investigation services in the maritime sector.

He, however, said the non-remittance would not prevent the bureau from discharging its responsibilities, adding that the NSIB is preparing to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with NIMASA to establish a clearer framework for their collaboration.

According to him, the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) is also yet to remit statutory charges due to the NSIB, despite the bureau being entitled to six per cent of the corporation’s revenue under the law.

Badeh expressed optimism that the recent relocation of the bureau to the Presidency would strengthen compliance by government agencies and improve its funding situation.

He noted that the NSIB has received statutory remittances from the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), which, he said, has been remitting five per cent of its Passenger Service Charge (PSC) to the bureau as required by law.

The NSIB DG said the bureau’s expanded mandate made sustainable funding even more critical, as its responsibilities now cover accident investigation across multiple modes of transportation.

He also disclosed that the bureau had released nine interim, preliminary and final accident and incident investigation reports in 2026, with additional reports expected before the end of the year.

Badeh assured that the NSIB would continue to release investigation reports in line with established protocols and timelines, stressing that the primary objective of accident investigation was to identify safety deficiencies and prevent recurrence, rather than apportion blame.

NSIB is an independent multimodal federal agency in Nigeria responsible for investigating accidents and serious incidents across aviation, marine, rail, and road transportation. 

Headquartered in Abuja, its primary mission is to improve transport safety by determining the causes of accidents and recommending preventative measures rather than assigning blame. 

Under a recent new arrangement, the NSIB has been structured to be reporting directly to the Presidency through the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), ending its previous supervisory alignment with the Federal Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development.