50% IGR Deduction Poses Risk To Safety, Affects Training, Say NATCA, NAAE

The Nigerian Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA), representing the collective interests of all Air Traffic Control professionals in Nigeria, says “the agencies within the sector are financially constrained, rendering the sector dysfunctional. This alarming situation, if left unaddressed, poses significant risks to the safety and operational effectiveness of Nigerian airspace.”

A statement signed by Mr. Abayomi Agoro, NATCA National President says the safety-critical activities of the entire aviation sector are slowly grinding to a halt, reaching levels that are unacceptable.

The statement further reads: “The Nigerian Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA), representing the collective interests of all Air Traffic Control professionals in Nigeria, wishes to draw urgent attention to the Federal Governments ongoing 50% deduction from the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of aviation agencies. This policy is severely undermining the safety and efficiency of Nigeria aviation sector.”

“It should also be on record that NATCA will not assume responsibility should a strain on the sector’s safety and operational needs result in any critical incident or accident. The continued financial constraints imposed by these deductions are compromising our ability to deliver safe, efficient air traffic control services.

Considering these developments, NATCA’s Council, by this press release, places all Air Traffic Controllers on notice that our mother union has directed a nationwide protest, effective from “0000 hours on the 18th of September 2024”, all controllers are to comply with the instructions from our mother union until further notice.

Further instructions will be communicated in due course through the Secretariat. We call on the Federal Government to act swiftly to exempt aviation agencies from the IGR deduction policy and address the financial challenges threatening the safety and functionality of Nigeria’s airspace.”

Meanwhile, members of the National Association of Air Traffic Engineers (NAAE) have called for the reversal of the 50% deductions of aviation parastatals revenue generated, especially by the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) in order not to impede on safety, stating that it affects recurrent trainings of the agency’s personnel as a result of paucity of funds.

Speaking in an interview, the President of NAAE, Engr. Selzing Miri, noted that the deduction was not in the interest of the agency as it has affected the recurrent trainings of professionals in NAMA. Miri expressed dismay over the lack of recurrent trainings of agency’s personnel as a result of paucity of funds arising from revenue generation deduction.

“If you look at the infrastructure in the airport, particularly the facilities that we the engineers are maintaining, we have a lot of pressure in doing our work for the lack of basic facilities such as dedicated operational vehicles. We don’t have good operational vehicles in most of our airports and a lot of other facilities in some stations are not even available,” he said.

“All we are saying is there’s no point for any form of deduction from the revenue generated by our agencies. Our agencies are not profit-making as is well known to everybody. We are just cost recovery and all the revenues that are being generated are to enable the agency pay for the staff salary and then be able to procure the necessary facilities or upgrades, the ones that needed to be upgraded,” Miri said, adding that “it’s just for the running of the agencies and we are not profit-making. So, it is needless to say you take anything from the little income that the agency is making. So I think our best is that the deduction should be stopped completely.”

Miri, enjoined all members of NAAE nationwide to remain law abiding and to participate in the aviation unions peaceful protest should government fail to address the issue before the planned exercise.

He regretted that government was not giving NAMA subventions, and instead of encouraging the agency, the government was adding burdens to it.

The NAAE boss, who painted a gloomy picture, warned that it will be very hard to pay salaries if the issue of deduction was not addressed.

“And then the report we always get is the fact that the funds are not available and if government is doing this much, taking this much from our revenue, it’s a pointer that shortly or later, we will discover that even the agencies in the aviation industry will not be able to pay salary,” he said.