Nigeria’s aviation regulator reported a 91.45% Effective Implementation score from an international audit, while BusinessDay separately reported that controllers are seeking system upgrades and steadier aviation funding.
BusinessDay reported that President Edino Ilemona Amos of the Nigerian Air Traffic Controllers’ Association (NATCA) made the warning at its 55th annual general meeting in Lagos, scheduled for Nov. 10-11. Amos said the association may consider ending operational services unless government and aviation officials set out a plan for a comprehensive communications and surveillance overhaul. He said controllers had seen little change in the equipment at their consoles after procurement approvals were announced, the outlet reported. Amos cited frequency failures, surveillance loss on the Lagos-Abuja corridor and Harmattan disruptions in Kano and Abuja. BusinessDay also reported that NATCA sent lawmakers a memorandum seeking more predictable funding reserved for aviation.
TheCable reported that NAMA Managing Director Farouk Umar asked lawmakers Aug. 6, 2026, to increase NAMA’s share of an existing 5% aviation revenue pool from 22% to 56%. Umar said the Total Radar Coverage of Nigeria (TRACON) system required urgent renewal and cited agency costs exceeding ₦43 billion in 2023.
A July report by Lagos Business News, quoting the president of the National Air Traffic Communicators Association of Nigeria (NACAN), said NAMA had approved modern communication radios. Abuja and Kano had received equipment, with installations at other airports planned in stages. That report concerned radios, while Amos also raised surveillance systems.
NATCA has argued that modernized systems could strengthen airspace safety and reduce economic waste for airlines, while also supporting government revenue and national security, BusinessDay reported.
The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) said the 91.45% score came from the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) Coordinated Validation Mission held April 15-22, 2026. The authority recorded 70.12% in its 2023 audit. NCAA said the 2026 score remained subject to separate validation. Its release did not address the equipment incidents Amos described.
