Flights across Nigerian airports could be disrupted on Wednesday, September 18, as air traffic controllers prepare to protest against a 50% deduction from the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of aviation agencies by the Federal Government.
In a statement on Saturday, Abayomi Agoro, the National President of the Nigerian Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA), warned that safety-critical operations in the aviation sector are “slowly grinding to a halt” due to financial constraints caused by the policy. He called for an urgent exemption of aviation agencies from the deductions to prevent further deterioration of safety and efficiency.
Agoro emphasized that if the situation remains unresolved, the sector could face significant safety risks. He also placed air traffic controllers on notice for the planned nationwide protest starting at “0000 hours on the 18th of September 2024.”
The protest, coordinated by multiple unions including the National Air Transport Employees (NUATE), Association of Nigeria Aviation Practitioners (ANAP), and others, aims to demand the cessation of the 50% IGR deductions, which are said to be crippling the financial viability of key aviation agencies like FAAN, NCAA, and NAMA.
Union leaders stressed that all efforts to convince the Federal Government to reverse the policy have failed, warning that the aviation sector cannot operate effectively with half of its income.
