In a significant administrative move, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has approved a major reshuffle of top directors within the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA). This action, taken over the weekend, is widely believed to be a direct response to serious allegations of inefficiency and compromised regulatory oversight within the agency's most sensitive safety department.
Roots of the Reshuffle: Allegations of Regulatory Laxity
While officially described by the ministry as routine administrative adjustments, authoritative industry sources confirm the reshuffle targets deep-seated concerns. The focus is on the Directorate of Airworthiness Standards (DAWS), accused of unprofessional conduct and weakening critical safety processes.
Insiders allege that senior management in DAWS compromised standard procedures for approving Aircraft Maintenance Organisations (AMOs) and certifying aircraft. It is reported that mandatory steps like rigorous on-site inspections, facility verification, and personnel competency checks were either diluted or bypassed entirely. This regulatory laxity, sources warn, could allow aircraft with questionable maintenance histories to operate in Nigerian airspace, with potentially fatal consequences.
Key Appointments and Safety Intervention
The reshuffle represents a strategic intervention to tighten control. Godwin Balang, formerly the Director of Aerodromes and Airspace Standards, has been redeployed to head the pivotal DAWS directorate. He formally assumed office at the NCAA headquarters in Abuja on December 24, 2025.
Replacing Balang at the Directorate of Aerodromes and Airspace Standards is Alhaji Ahmad Abba, who was previously the Director of Special Duties at the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA). A ministry source emphasized the critical nature of the change, stating, "The airworthiness department is where safety either stands or collapses. When leadership is changed at that level, it is rarely accidental."
Recent Incidents Add Urgency to Overhaul
These allegations and the subsequent reshuffle gained urgency following a series of aircraft incidents investigated by the Nigeria Safety Investigation Board (NSIB).
On December 14, 2025, a Hawker 800XP aircraft (5N-ISB) crash-landed at Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport due to a landing gear anomaly, with eight persons on board. Just two days later, on December 16, 2025, a Cessna 172 aircraft (5N-ASR) crashed on approach to Sam Mbakwe International Cargo Airport in Owerri. Fortunately, no fatalities were recorded in either event.
These followed earlier accidents, including the crash of a Jabiru J430 aircraft (5N-CCQ) on August 1, 2023. Reports indicate this aircraft had been issued a Special Certificate of Airworthiness shortly before the incident, a certification now suspected to be among several approvals granted without exhaustive technical scrutiny.
The leadership overhaul at the NCAA signals the government's intent to restore rigor and integrity to Nigeria's aviation safety oversight, a system where public confidence is paramount.
