The Director-General of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Chris Najomo, has cautioned against any further reduction in the regulator’s statutory funding, warning that such a move could weaken Nigeria’s aviation safety oversight.

Mr Najomo spoke on Thursday at a public hearing by the House of Representatives Committee on Aviation on the proposed review of the allocation of the five per cent Ticket Sales Charge (TSC) and Cargo Sales Charge (CSC) at the National Assembly Complex in Abuja.

He said the NCAA supported adequate funding for all aviation agencies but warned that changing the existing revenue-sharing formula without considering the regulator’s responsibilities could affect its ability to discharge its statutory mandate.

According to him, the TSC accounts for about 85 per cent of the NCAA’s revenue, making the charge critical to the authority’s operations.

He contrasted this with the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), which generates a substantial portion of its revenue from commercial charges paid by aircraft operators for air navigation services.

Mr Najomo cited the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s (ICAO) Policies on Charges for Airports and Air Navigation Services, Doc 9082, which provides guidance on how costs associated with air navigation services should be recovered.

He said the cost of such services should principally be recovered from aircraft operators that use them rather than through passenger-based charges such as the TSC.

He explained that any further reduction in the NCAA’s statutory funding could have implications for the authority’s ability to maintain effective safety oversight across the country’s civil aviation industry.

He told lawmakers that the authority could not responsibly guarantee the same level of safety oversight if its funding was reduced without an alternative and sustainable source of revenue.

The warning comes as lawmakers consider proposals to review the distribution of the five per cent TSC and CSC among aviation agencies.

The debate has also attracted concerns from airline operators, who argue that the TSC has become a financial burden on domestic carriers and have proposed replacing the percentage-based charge with a fixed levy.

The Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), represented at the hearing by former Managing Director of NAMA, Roland Iyayi, urged the National Assembly to abolish the five per cent TSC and replace it with a flat-rate charge similar to the Passenger Service Charge collected by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria.

Mr Iyayi argued that the percentage-based system places additional pressure on airlines at a time when operators are grappling with high fuel, maintenance and other operating costs.

The AON also proposed increasing NAMA’s share of aviation revenues and establishing a dedicated Aviation Development Fund to finance infrastructure and other sectoral needs.

Other aviation experts oppose equal funding treatment

Mr Najomo, however, said any additional funding required by NAMA should first be pursued through improved collection of its statutory commercial revenues, greater operational efficiency and stronger corporate governance.

He added that targeted government support could be considered for strategic capital infrastructure where necessary, in line with ICAO policies and international best practice.

Other aviation experts at the hearing also warned against treating the regulator and aviation service providers in the same way under a revised funding arrangement.

Musa Nuhu, a former Nigeria representative on the ICAO Council and immediate past director-general of the NCAA, said the regulator had a distinct responsibility that should not be weakened by changes to the funding structure.

Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to ICAO, Mahmud Ben-Tukur, similarly stressed the importance of maintaining the independence and financial capacity of the aviation regulator.

They argued that while aviation agencies perform complementary functions, responsibility for safety oversight of Nigeria’s civil aviation industry rests with the NCAA.

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Speaking virtually, Bernard Aliu, a former Nigeria permanent representative to ICAO and former president of the ICAO Assembly, and Harold Demuren, a former director-general of civil aviation, also backed the call to preserve the NCAA’s financial independence.

They said a strong and adequately funded regulator was essential to maintaining Nigeria’s aviation safety oversight system and compliance with international aviation standards.

The public hearing was attended by members of the National Assembly’s aviation committees, including their chairmen, Abdulfatai Buhari and Abdullahi Idris Garba, as well as heads of aviation agencies, airline operators and other industry stakeholders.

Galaxy Backbone (GBB), Nigeria’s national ICT infrastructure agency, is preparing to extend its Smart Police Station initiative to 54 additional locations nationwide, following a pilot deployment in Gombe State.

The planned expansion was disclosed in GBB’s Integrated Digital Transformation Strategy (IDTS) Quarterly Newsletter seen by Technology Times for the second quarter of 2026, which highlighted the agency’s growing role in supporting national security through digital infrastructure.

According to GBB its contribution to national security infrastructure expanded during the quarter following what it described as the successful deployment of Smart Police Stations in Gombe State. The agency is now preparing to scale the initiative, with 54 additional police stations earmarked for the next phase.

“GBB’s role in supporting national security also expanded during the quarter,” the tech agency said, adding that the expansion reinforces its commitment to deploying technology that improves public safety and operational effectiveness.

Smart Police Stations are designed to modernise police operations through digital tools, improved connectivity and electronic record-keeping, enabling faster access to information and more coordinated responses to incidents. The Gombe pilot provides GBB with a model for scaling technology-enabled policing, potentially helping address longstanding challenges around connectivity, information sharing and operational coordination across police formations, according to the agency.

What happens after deployment of Smart Police Stations in Gombe State?

Smart Police Stations are designed to modernise police operations through digital tools, improved connectivity and electronic record-keeping, enabling faster access to information and more coordinated responses to incidents.

The Gombe pilot provides GBB with a model for scaling technology-enabled policing, potentially helping address longstanding challenges around connectivity, information sharing and operational coordination across police formations, according to the agency.

The planned rollout also aligns with GBB’s wider mandate under the Federal Government’s Integrated Digital Transformation Strategy to provide shared digital infrastructure for public institutions. The approach is intended to reduce fragmentation by allowing government agencies to leverage common infrastructure rather than developing isolated technology systems.

The Smart Police Station initiative forms part of a broader portfolio of GBB digital infrastructure projects. During the second quarter, the agency also reported progress on a sovereign cloud partnership with Oracle and Bluechip Technologies, completion of user acceptance testing for a Government Services Portal and a pilot digital identity and authentication platform developed with Roundstone Consulting.

Together, the projects reflect GBB’s broader push to build shared digital infrastructure supporting government services, identity management, cloud computing and national security.

The agency also reported progress in developing digital capacity within the government. Under the scheme, over 430 civil and public servants received training in artificial intelligence and cybersecurity during the quarter, while preparations continued for an AI Readiness Programme expected to reach more than 1,000 public servants.

GBB has not disclosed when the 54 additional Smart Police Stations will become operational or identified the states and police commands covered by the next phase.

The scale-up will also test the sustainability of the Gombe model, particularly in areas where connectivity and supporting digital infrastructure remain limited. The effectiveness of the rollout will ultimately depend on reliable connectivity, maintenance, user training and the ability of police commands to integrate the technology into everyday operations.

For now, the planned expansion marks a shift from pilot deployment to national scale and positions Smart Police Stations as another component of GBB’s wider effort to make digital infrastructure a foundation for public-sector transformation and national security.

The agency said it remains committed to delivering resilient digital infrastructure and building trusted partnerships as implementation of its Integrated Digital Transformation Strategy continues through the second half of 2026.