TSC crisis: Aviation unions submit 19-Page Memo to Reps, push for review

The Joint Action Committee (JAC) of Trade Unions within the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) has formally submitted a 19-page memorandum to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, advocating for an upward review of the agency’s statutory share of the 5% Ticket Sales Charge (TSC).

The submission, dated July 17, 2026, was jointly signed by JAC Chairman M.S.A. Tukur and Secretary Afatakpa Evuarherhe Patrick. The committee comprises four major aviation sector unions: Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN), Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals (ANAP), National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), and Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees (AUPCTRE).

The unions emphasised that the current legislative debate is not an inter-agency contest, but a fundamental national question regarding whether Nigeria will properly fund its Air Navigation Service Provider (ANSP) to safely manage an increasingly complex airspace.

“Aviation safety cannot be sustained by regulation alone. Strengthening NAMA should not be interpreted as weakening the NCAA. Rather, it strengthens another indispensable pillar of Nigeria’s aviation safety architecture,” according to an extract from the JAC Memorandum

Some of the major arguments raised by JAC are that NAMA currently receives 23% of the 5% TSC collection.

The unions contended that this allocation was set when aviation technology was far less sophisticated, leaving a severe gap between statutory resources and modern operational demands, stressing that since the current sharing formula was established, NAMA’s operational scope has expanded dramatically, hinting that the agency must fund and maintain nationwide radar surveillance & cyber-security infrastructure, Performance-Based Navigation (PBN) and Aeronautical Information Management (AIM) modernisation, Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) and Multilateration (MLAT) technologies and mandatory flight calibration programs and continuous specialised technical training.

The purpose of the memorandum, according to them, is to present a comprehensive perspective on why the existing statutory allocation to NAMA has become inadequate and why its review is both justified and necessary.

They further stated that the issue before the National Assembly is not a contest between aviation agencies.

To them, it is a fundamental national question of whether Nigeria will continue to provide its Air Navigation Service Provider with the financial capacity required to safely manage increasingly complex airspace operations in the twenty-first century.

‘They said, “Under the current statutory distribution formula, NAMA receives only twenty-three per cent (23%) of the Five Per cent (5%) Ticket Sales Charge. This allocation was established at a time when the technological landscape of aviation was considerably less sophisticated than it is today. Since then, the operational environment has evolved dramatically, bringing with it significant increases in infrastructure requirements, technology deployment, operational responsibilities and maintenance costs.”

‘Today, NAMA is responsible for sustaining nationwide radar surveillance, implementing Performance-Based Navigation (PBN), modernising Aeronautical Information Management (AIM), undertaking mandatory flight calibration, strengthening cyber-security, deploying Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) and Multilateration (MLAT) technologies, maintaining redundant systems and continuously training highly specialised technical personnel.”.

Despite these expanding statutory obligations, NAMA’s allocation has remained virtually unchanged, creating a widening gap between its responsibilities and the resources available to discharge them effectively, and the proposed review is therefore not an institutional privilege but a necessary legislative adjustment that aligns funding with present-day operational realities.

“While the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority performs the indispensable responsibility of regulatory oversight, NAMA provides the real-time operational safety services upon which every aircraft depends. From the moment aircraft requests engine start until it shuts down at its destination, NAMA personnel continuously manage aircraft movement through air traffic control, communications, navigation, surveillance, aeronautical information services and instrument flight procedures.”

“Unlike regulatory inspections, which occur periodically, NAMA’s operational services are delivered twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, throughout the year. Every safe take-off, every en-route flight, every instrument approach and every safe landing is made possible through the uninterrupted availability of air navigation services. Consequently, prolonged underinvestment in the operational capability of the nation’s Air Navigation Service Provider presents a direct risk to aviation safety.’

The unions disclosed that the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) recognises that an effective aviation safety system depends upon several mutually reinforcing pillars, including effective regulation, efficient air navigation services, airport operations, meteorological services, accident investigation capability, competent technical personnel and effective State oversight, stating that no single institution can independently guarantee aviation safety.

“Aviation safety cannot be sustained by regulation alone. Strengthening NAMA should therefore not be interpreted as weakening NCAA. Rather, it strengthens another indispensable pillar of Nigeria’s aviation safety architecture.”

For this reason, they said adequately funding NAMA is not merely an institutional necessity but a national aviation safety imperative.

They cited Article 28 of the Chicago Convention, which requires every Contracting State, so far as it may find practicable, to provide airports, radio services, meteorological services and other air navigation facilities to facilitate international air navigation in accordance with ICAO Standards and Recommended Practices.

Wole Shadare