Tectonic Shift: The 40-40 NAMA, NCAA revenue split dispute

Tectonic Shift: The 40-40 NAMA, NCAA revenue split dispute

What appears on the surface to be a petty bureaucratic turf war is, in reality, a symptom of a deeper, structural financing crisis, writes WOLE SHADARE Nigeria’s aviation sector is currently locked in a high-stakes, fiscal staring contest. A fierce proxy war has erupted between two sister agencies—the apex regulator, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), and the nation’s Air Navigation Service Provider (ANSP), the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA). At the centre of this multi-billion-naira storm…

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The deepening dilemma of Nigeria’s aviation funding

The deepening dilemma of Nigeria’s aviation funding

In the high-stakes world of aviation, safety margins are rarely compromised by a single failure; they erode slowly under the weight of systemic neglect. Right now, the financial crisis rocking the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) exposes a complex industry dilemma, writes WOLE SHADARE The financial crisis rocking the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) has taken a dramatic turn, with the agency’s unions warning of total operational insolvency as domestic debt hits ₦34.69 billion and foreign…

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Beyond Revenue Sharing: Why Nigeria Must Strengthen NAMA’s Funding for Safer Skies

Beyond Revenue Sharing: Why Nigeria Must Strengthen NAMA’s Funding for Safer Skies

The debate over the proposed review of the sharing formula for the five per cent Ticket Sales Charge (TSC) among aviation agencies has sparked passionate arguments across Nigeria’s aviation industry. While every institution understandably seeks to protect its statutory sources of funding, the conversation ought to rise above institutional interests and focus instead on a more fundamental national question: what level of investment is required to guarantee the continued safety, efficiency and global competitiveness of…

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Nigeria’s aviation future: Collaboration over competition

Nigeria’s aviation future: Collaboration over competition

The sector is witnessing a broader awakening across the industry. Airlines are realising that regional and international expansion requires a massive scale that cannot be achieved alone. Carriers are still sharply divided against what may be a game-changer for them, writes WOLE SHADARE For decades, the tarmac of Nigerian aviation has been littered with the ghosts of airlines that flew high, burned fast, and vanished into thin air. From the nostalgic eras of Okada Air,…

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The Dramatic Renaissance of Nigerian Aviation

The Dramatic Renaissance of Nigerian Aviation

A new era of grit, growth, and cross-border ambition is unfolding. Nigerian airlines are breaking new ground—not just by surviving, but by aggressively expanding their footprints. At the heart of this operational renaissance is a deliberate, dramatic pivot in government policy led by the Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo. writes, WOLE SHADARE For years, the story of Nigerian aviation was a repetitive, predictable blues track. It was a narrative dominated by foreign mega-carriers scooping up 90 to 95 per…

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Inside the billion-naira debt trap threatening Nigeria’s aviation sector

Inside the billion-naira debt trap threatening Nigeria’s aviation sector

Nigeria’s aviation sector is operating on life support. Beneath the gleaming veneer of terminal upgrades and the seemingly bubbling activities lies a structurally compromised industry quietly choking on a mountain of uncollectible debt, writes WOLE SHADARE ​A thorough investigation into the balance sheets of local airlines reveals a toxic, multi-billion-naira debt portfolio owed to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), aviation ground handling…

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Crisis Emptying Nigeria, Africa’s Jet Fuel Reserves

Crisis Emptying Nigeria, Africa’s Jet Fuel Reserves

The crisis threatening to ground the continent’s aviation industry is far more visceral, and it is unfolding thousands of miles away, writes WOLE SHADARE The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has sounded a resounding alarm, warning that Africa’s jet fuel storage is rapidly drying up. For decades, the standard playbook for African airlines battling operational turbulence has relied on familiar variables: fluctuating currencies, heavy tax regimes, and regulatory gridlock. What began as a localised military flare-up…

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Global Fuel Shocks: Era of Accessible Air Travel Over

Global Fuel Shocks: Era of Accessible Air Travel Over

Industry executives say the crisis is reinforcing concerns that airlines remain highly exposed to fuel market shocks despite years of efforts to diversify supply chains and improve efficiency, writes WOLE SHADARE Governments and aviation executives are increasingly warning that the market turmoil is not a short-term supply shock but part of a broader structural problem facing airlines worldwide: growing dependence on fragile fuel supply chains, limited refining flexibility and the slow development of alternatives to conventional…

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Flying on Borrowed Time, Money Amid Respite

Flying on Borrowed Time, Money Amid Respite

The “No-Pay-No-Service” list underscores the brutal structural asymmetry of running an airline in Nigeria: earning in Naira while burning in Dollars. The directive has fundamentally shifted the conversation from a routine regulatory dispute to a stark exposure of the structural vulnerabilities undermining Nigerian domestic aviation, writes WOLE SHADARE For years, the industry regulator, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), has played the patient parent, issuing ultimatums, extending deadlines, and pleading for financial transparency. But patience has…

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Nigeria’s Domestic Aviation Paradox

Nigeria’s Domestic Aviation Paradox

Nigeria’s domestic airspace is witnessing an unprecedented paradox: commercial capacity is under strain, yet the rush to launch new airlines has reached a fever pitch, writes WOLE SHADARE In a rare display of regional synergy, Gombe, Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Taraba, and Yobe states have pooled N30 billion to birth the North-East Air Shuttle. The goal is connectivity; linking an underserved, economically critical region directly to the federal grid. Ebonyi State has entered the fray with Ebonyi…

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