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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‘Why Nigeria Is Missing Out As Africa’s Aviation Powerhouse’

‘Why Nigeria Is Missing Out As Africa’s Aviation Powerhouse’

…seeks unified African sky The Director-General of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), Willie Walsh, said Nigeria should be a powerful aviation market, given the country’s population and underlying wealth. Walsh, who spoke to Aviation Metric on Monday on the sidelines of the 82nd International Air Transport Association (IATA) Annual General Meeting (AGM) and World Air Transport Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, said there’s no reason why it shouldn’t. Walsh Walsh disclosed that Africa…

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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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SAHCO Drives New Nigeria-UAE, Middle East Airlines Trade Alliances

SAHCO Drives New Nigeria-UAE, Middle East Airlines Trade Alliances

Skyway Aviation Handling Company Plc (SAHCO) has expressed its willingness to strengthen trade facilitation between Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) while also exploring strategic partnerships with leading Middle Eastern airlines to boost passenger, cargo, and e-commerce activities between the two countries. The Managing Director/CEO, SAHCO, Mrs. Adenike Aboderin, on behalf of the SAHCO Chairman, Barr, Dr Taiwo Afolabi (CON) reiterated on strengthening bilateral trade, enhancing passenger and cargo handling, trade facilitation, e-commerce partnerships…

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Why Nigeria Must Turn Airports Into Engines of Growth

Why Nigeria Must Turn Airports Into Engines of Growth

Across Nigeria, new airports are appearing on the landscape with growing frequency. Governors commission them with pride, supporters celebrate them as symbols of progress, and critics dismiss them as expensive vanity projects. Yet both sides often overlook the essential point. An airport, by itself, is neither a development strategy nor an economic achievement. A runway is not an economy. The real question is not whether a state can build an airport, but whether it can…

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Walsh: Airfare rises ‘inevitable’ as Nigeria, global airlines face extra $100bn jet fuel bill

Walsh: Airfare rises ‘inevitable’ as Nigeria, global airlines face extra $100bn jet fuel bill

Wole Shadare, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil The Director-General of International Air Transport Association (IATA), Willie Walsh, said global airlines, including Nigerian carriers, will have to spend an extra $100bn on jet fuel this year, with fares inevitably rising to cover the bill after the war with Iran choked off oil supplies. Walsh, while fielding questions from journalists at the end of the 82nd IATA Annual General Meeting (AGM) and World Transport Summit in Rio de…

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