Safety Bureau’s Transition To Presidency Will Reduce Interference – Badeh Jr

The director-general of the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB), Captain Alex Badeh Jr has said that the bureau’s transition to the presidency would reduce interference during accident investigations.

He stated this at the unveiling of the newly approved staff Conditions of Service in Abuja on Friday.

He said the bureau now reports to the presidency through the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) and this would make the job of investigators easier.

“The presidency through the NSA is the ideal place that we are supposed to report to because of the nature of what we do which is accident investigation.

“When there is an accident or incident, our mandate is to find out the causes and circumstances surrounding an accident. In most cases, if you don’t put the force on ground, there are a lot of political interference. Investigators are not allowed to do their job professionally.

“But, with this, we can confidently secure our reports and submit it to the presidency unlike before, where it goes to the ministry and maybe subjected to a lot of political interference. This one is secure.

“That is the most advanced practice. That’s what they do. We have seen situations where someone will come and tell you, remove this, remove this, I don’t want this, remove this. That is not a good thing. But, with the National Security Adviser, the investigators are sure of what they are writing, they must have known that their report is going to be secure,” he said.

Capt. Badeh Jr. further noted that the condition of service is a “collective covenant” that goes beyond administrative rules to define the rights, responsibilities, and professional expectations of all personnel within the agency.

“This restructuring is expected to enhance the agency’s operational independence and reinforce its role as Nigeria’s sole multimodal accident investigation body.

“The newly approved CoS provides clear frameworks for career progression, including appointments, promotions, and training opportunities. It also establishes transparent disciplinary procedures and outlines comprehensive welfare provisions such as leave entitlements, medical services, allowances, and performance-based rewards,” he added.