The Director-General of the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB), Alex Badeh Jr., has said that any attempt to reduce the agency’s allocation from the five per cent Ticket Sales Charge (TSC) could undermine aviation safety and weaken the country’s accident investigation capability.

Badeh, who spoke in a virtue media parley over the weekend with aviation journalists, said the NSIB was already receiving the lowest allocation under the existing arrangement and should not be subjected to another reduction.

Under the current revenue-sharing formula contained in the Nigeria Civil Aviation Act 2022, the five per cent TSC/Cargo Sales Charge (CSC) collected by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) is distributed among five aviation agencies.

The NCAA receives 56 per cent, the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) 22 per cent, the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) nine per cent, the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT) seven per cent and the NSIB six per cent, which made it the agency with the lowest allocation.

However, a proposal currently before the National Assembly seeks to alter the formula, with the NCAA’s share proposed to drop from 56 per cent to 40 per cent and NAMA’s allocation rising from 22 per cent to 40 per cent.

The proposal has generated controversies in the sector with agencies, unions and industry experts divided in their positions.

Badeh insisted any move to reduce the NSIB’s share, being canvassed by some stakeholders on the grounds that the bureau’s statutory responsibilities had expanded beyond aviation to other modes of transportation, would be counterproductive.

He said: “As it stands, we get the lowest of all the agencies from the TSC. I don’t know the rationale behind the call for the downward review as canvassed by some sections of people in the industry.

“If you say safety is expensive, try an accident. I don’t think the reduction of any agency’s collection from the TSC is the solution to any challenge that we have at the moment.”

The NSIB boss stressed that accident investigation was a critical component of the country’s aviation safety architecture and required sustained funding, particularly for the deployment of investigators, acquisition and maintenance of specialised equipment, laboratory capability, training and participation in investigations involving complex aircraft accidents.

Besides, Badeh Jr. disclosed that the NSIB was yet to receive some of the statutory revenues to which it was entitled to from other transport sectors.

He specifically stated that the bureau was entitled to three per cent of the earnings of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), but had not received the funds despite the NSIB having commenced the provision of safety investigation services to maritime operators.

He explained that the non-remittance would not prevent the bureau from carrying out its responsibilities in the maritime sector.

Badeh, however, emphasised that the NSIB was preparing to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with NIMASA to establish a clearer framework for their working relationship.

He also disclosed that the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) was yet to remit the statutory charges due to the NSIB, despite the bureau being entitled to six per cent of NRC’s revenue under the law.

The NSIB DG expressed optimism that the recent relocation of the bureau to the presidency would strengthen compliance by government agencies and improve its funding situation.

He noted that the bureau had already received statutory remittances from the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), which, he said, had been remitting five per cent of its Passenger Service Charge (PSC) to the NSIB as required by law.

Badeh said the bureau’s expanded mandate made sustainable funding even more important because it was no longer restricted to aviation accident investigation, but now had responsibilities covering other modes of transportation.

Also, the NSIB boss revealed that the bureau had released nine interim, preliminary and final accident and incident investigation reports so far in 2026, with additional reports expected before the end of the year.

He assured that the bureau remained committed to ensuring that investigation reports were released in accordance with established protocols and timelines, noting that the primary objective of accident investigation was to identify safety deficiencies and prevent recurrence rather than apportion blame.