Forum Demands NCAA DG’s Resignation, Wants Reps To Probe 5% Ticket Sales Charge

National Aviation Stakeholders Forum (NASF) has called for the resignation of the director-general of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Capt. Chris Najomo, over alleged regulatory failures and poor handling of issues that culminated in the recent industrial action by aviation unions.

The group, made up of aviation experts and consultants, said the disruption of flight operations, the cancellation of flights and the inconvenience suffered by passengers were avoidable, arguing that NCAA should have resolved the underlying disputes before they escalated into industrial action.

In a statement signed yesterday by its national coordinator, Engr. Yahaya Yusuf, the forum said the controversy over the five per cent Ticket Sales Charge (TSC) had exposed serious concerns over the collection, remittance and management of funds generated from passengers.

NASF also urged the House of Representatives Committee on Aviation to expand its ongoing public hearing on the TSC sharing formula into a comprehensive investigation of the management of the fund.

The group asked the committee to obtain records of TSC collections and remittances from airlines, identify outstanding liabilities, establish the enforcement measures taken against defaulting operators and scrutinise how funds received by aviation agencies had been utilised.

According to the forum, “the issue should not be limited to who gets what percentage of the five per cent TSC. Nigerians deserve to know how much has been collected, how much has been remitted and what has happened to the funds.”

It called for a transparent, technology-driven system capable of tracking ticket sales, TSC collections and remittances in real time, saying this would help eliminate loopholes and prevent similar disputes from disrupting flight operations.

The forum faulted the NCAA leadership for allowing the dispute to degenerate into an industrial crisis, stressing that passengers should not bear the consequences of disagreements between aviation agencies, airlines and unions.

“Leadership is about preventing crises, not merely responding after flights have been grounded. The recent disruption has raised serious questions about the NCAA’s capacity under Capt. Najomo is tasked with effectively regulating and managing the sector.

“We believe the time has come for fresh leadership at the NCAA. Capt. Najomo should take responsibility and resign in the interest of the aviation industry and the travelling public,” Yusuf said.

The group, however, commended the National Assembly for engaging stakeholders on the TSC sharing formula and urged lawmakers to ensure that the process’ outcome promotes transparency, accountability, and sustainable funding for Nigeria’s aviation agencies.

Recall that flight activities were greatly disrupted last week, with passenger flights cancelled and some rescheduled for days or hours due to an industrial action by aviation unions.

The crises may not be unconnected to the non-remittance and disagreement over the sharing formula for the 5% statutory fund, known as Ticket Sales Charges (TSC), by the aviation regulatory agency.

It took interventions by the federal government and the National Assembly to restore flight operations to normal.