FAAN, three states owe NAMA N25bn amid funding concerns

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Financial obligations owed to the Nigeria Airspace Management Agency by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria and three state governments have risen to over N25bn, a development industry stakeholders say could affect the agency’s operations.

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The PUNCH gathered that the cumulative debt owed to NAMA by foreign and domestic airlines, government agencies, state governments and other organisations exceeds N90bn, with domestic airlines identified as the most difficult debtors from which to recover payments.

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Checks by The PUNCH of NAMA’s Credit Control Records, an internal document obtained by our correspondent, revealed that as of April 30, 2026, FAAN owed NAMA N23.938bn.

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Ogun State owed N465.146m, Taraba State owed N309.345m, while Bauchi State owed N902.874m. The combined debt stood at N25.615bn.

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NAMA is responsible for providing safe air navigation services within Nigeria’s airspace. As the country’s Air Navigation Service Provider, the agency ensures the safe and orderly movement of aircraft from take-off to landing.

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To achieve this, NAMA provides air traffic control services to prevent collisions and manage aircraft movements. It also installs, operates, and maintains critical navigation, surveillance, and communication equipment, including radar systems, Instrument Landing Systems, and aeronautical telecommunications that support both civilian and military flights.

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Additionally, the agency coordinates search and rescue operations during aviation emergencies, designs flight routes to improve airspace efficiency and reduce travel time, and develops Nigeria’s airspace infrastructure in line with standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organisation.

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From its statutory revenue, NAMA is also required to remit a percentage to the Nigerian Meteorological Agency for the provision of weather services to support aircraft take-offs and landings.

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NiMet workers recently threatened industrial action over NAMA’s alleged failure to remit some statutory charges.

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However, sources within NAMA told The PUNCH that the agency’s mounting debt burden has become a key factor in the dispute between NAMA and NiMet, with aviation unions arguing that the agency cannot remit funds it has not received.

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The PUNCH recently reported that the NiMet Unions Joint Action Committee accused NAMA of failing to remit the statutory 10 per cent of en-route and overflight charges due to the agency. The unions alleged that the non-remittance persisted despite the intervention of the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo.

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A strike by NiMet workers could have far-reaching consequences for the aviation industry, as the agency’s meteorologists provide the weather briefings and forecasts pilots rely on before take-off and landing. Any disruption to those critical services could significantly affect flight operations nationwide.

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Defending NAMA in a letter addressed to the minister, aviation workers, represented by multiple union leaders at the agency, said the current financial strain resulted from the refusal of agencies and state governments to pay statutory charges due to NAMA.

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The letter was jointly signed by the Branch Chairman of the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, Oluwole Dada; the Branch Chairman of the Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals, Afatakpa Patrick; the Branch Chairman of the National Union of Air Transport Employees, Abah Mathias; and the Branch Chairman of the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees, Turkur M.

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The letter read in part, “While we recognize and respect the legitimate rights of every worker and every aviation agency to pursue its welfare within the law, it has become imperative to present the complete financial picture surrounding this issue in order to ensure that the government is fully apprised of the underlying facts.

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“Available records indicate that despite NAMA’s severe financial constraints, the Agency has continued to demonstrate good faith by paying approximately N400 million to NiMet between April and June 2026 towards the settlement of its outstanding obligations. This clearly demonstrates NAMA’s commitment to meeting its statutory responsibilities even under extremely difficult financial conditions.

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“However, it is important to state that NAMA itself is operating under enormous financial constraints largely because huge statutory revenues due to the Agency remain unpaid by several government agencies, airlines, state governments, corporate organisations, and other debtors. Simply put, NAMA cannot reasonably be expected to pay what it has not received.”

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Findings by The PUNCH also showed that FAAN supplies electricity to NAMA at airports, fuelling speculation that NAMA may also owe FAAN.

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Efforts to obtain comments from the spokesperson for FAAN, Henry Agbebire, were unsuccessful, as he did not respond to text messages sent to his phone or answer calls as of the time of filing this report.

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An industry expert, John Ojikutu, expressed concern over the level of debt owed to the agency, stressing that NAMA “is too critical to be starved of funds.”

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He said, “NAMA should take the majority or at least 40 per cent of the 5 per cent charge. NAMA is working at all airports; they need money to calibrate much of their equipment. How can they be starving NAMA of money? The agency is key to the aviation industry. It will make no sense.

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“Even the runway should be handed over to NAMA if things were done right. That is why I have said the government should concession non-aeronautical services. If that is done, the government will make more than what they are remitting to them now. NAMA should run all aeronautical services, while non-aeronautical services should be concessioned.”

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