NAMA seeks relief from revenue deductions

Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), has fingered funding as the biggest constraint facing the agency, saying deductions-at-source of between 30 per cent and 50 per cent from its internally generated revenue have made the situation worse.

Managing Director of NAMA, Ahmed Farouk, said the need to uphold the highest degree of safety and operational efficiency makes airspace management capital-intensive.

He spoke at the Annual General Meeting of Nigerian Air Traffic Controllers’ Association held in Abuja.

Speaking at the event, Farouk said while NAMA had made progress, including renovating and modernising control towers at 11 critical stations including Abuja, Kano and Port Harcourt, overhauling its administrative and technical buildings across the country, securing critical assets with perimeter fencing at VOR and TRACON sites across the country, guaranteeing uninterrupted power through the deployment of hundreds of new generators, advanced solar hybrid systems, and cutting-edge Automatic Mains Failure panels and UPS units, a lot was still needed.

He said: “In our commitment to universal capacity development, we have trained nearly 90 per cent of our operational, technical, contract and other critical staff in various local courses and workshops. This is not a small feat. This represents the largest number of staff ever trained in a single year.

“While we celebrate these achievements, we must also be candid about our challenges. Our most significant constraint remains funding. The scale of facility modernisation and the relentless cycle of statutory maintenance required to uphold the highest degree of safety and operational efficiency are capital-intensive.

“This challenge is significantly exacerbated by the deductions-at-source of between 30 per cent and 50 per cent made directly from NAMA’s internally generated revenue. While we understand the fiscal pressures on the government, these deductions severely limit our capacity to undertake the comprehensive projects our airspace demands.

“I appeal to the Federal Government to graciously consider a waiver of these deductions. Such a gesture would be a game-changer for Nigerian aviation safety. It would allow NAMA to reinvest every Naira of its earnings into critical infrastructure, cutting-edge technology, and the continued development of our human capital—the very human edge we are here to discuss. This is not just an appeal for NAMA, but an investment in the safety and efficiency of the entire national airspace.”