Keyamo Promises to Resolve NIMASA, NRC Non-compliance to NSIB Act

Oluchi Chibuzor

The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr Festus Keyamo, has promises to intervene in the non-compliance with the NSIB Establishment Act of 2022 by the Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and the Nigerian Railway Commission (NRC) in remitting the statutorily required percentages of their revenue to Nigeria Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB).

He stated this at the opening of the Lagos office of NSIB, while regretting the demolition of the NSIB’s former office by the previous administration.

According to him, “On the issue of the non-remittance of funds that you mentioned from the other agencies of governments. Thankfully, my brother is here, the Chairman, House committee on Aviation. I want to thank him very well, though we have not gotten to the promised land.

“But I can tell you that he has put in a lot of effort. Presently, a lot is happening behind the scenes. It’s not what you will say in front of the cameras. Very soon, I think we will see some change of attitude by the other agencies. And you will have your funds. It may not be all of it, but you will have some of your funds with which to work.”

Meanwhile, the minister noted that the action to demolish the NSIB former office was regrettable.

“I was quite sad when I came to the office and discovered that a whole new office with a whole complex that NSIB had in the middle of the floor; a functional office, owned by NSIB was demolished for no reason. And I was very sad about that incident. Lagos is very important in the aviation sector. So it is actually unheard of that a critical agency like NSIB would not have an office in Lagos. And so I fully supported the initiative.”

Earlier, the Director-General of NSIB, Alex Badeh Jr. said that they have faced significant challenges in fulfilling their mandate, notably securing the necessary funding to support our operations. 

According to him, “The non-compliance with the NSIB Establishment Act of 2022 by the Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and the Nigerian Railway Commission (NRC) in remitting the statutorily required percentages of their revenue to NSIB has severely impacted our ability to conduct comprehensive multi-modal accident investigations.