The Federal Government has reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to aviation liberalisation and stronger regional air connectivity as part of efforts to drive economic growth and integration across Africa.

Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, said Nigeria was fully supporting reforms aimed at transforming Africa into a more connected and competitive aviation market.

Speaking at the Annual Lecture Series of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport in Abuja, the minister said Africa must urgently move from policy declarations to practical implementation of the Single African Air Transport Market and the Yamoussoukro Decision.

Represented by the Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, Mrs. Olubunmi Kuku, Keyamo described aviation as a strategic tool for economic transformation, trade expansion and regional cooperation.

He warned that Africa would continue to lose billions of dollars in economic opportunities if the continent remained fragmented and poorly connected.

According to him, enhanced connectivity would increase flight frequencies, reduce airfares, strengthen tourism and improve trade volumes among African nations.

The minister identified legal certainty, commercial enablement and institutional trust as the three pillars necessary for building a sustainable continental aviation market.

He disclosed that Nigeria had implemented reforms targeted at improving investor confidence, including legal frameworks designed to strengthen compliance with international aviation agreements and improve judicial efficiency.

Keyamo said the reforms would support safer operations, fleet modernisation and easier access to aircraft financing for operators.

He also revealed that Nigeria’s partnership with Boeing was expected to deepen technical expertise, improve training opportunities and strengthen the country’s aerospace capabilities.

The minister stressed that liberalisation must also protect local interests through strong regulatory oversight, fair competition and deliberate local-content development.

He called on African governments to invest more aggressively in aviation training institutions, regulatory agencies, greener airport infrastructure and technical education.

Keyamo maintained that the future of African economic integration depended heavily on the continent’s ability to build efficient, safe and sustainable air transport systems.

He added that Nigeria would continue working with regional and international partners to ensure that African skies become more open, accessible and economically beneficial to millions of people across the continent.

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has assured passengers and stakeholders of enhanced Ebola preparedness measures across the nation’s international airports following recent Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) concerns in parts of Central Africa.

FAAN said it had strengthened surveillance, passenger monitoring, and emergency response systems in collaboration with Port Health Services, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), and other relevant agencies.

In a statement signed by the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Mr. Henry Agbebire, the authority disclosed that passengers arriving from high-risk regions are currently undergoing intensified health screening procedures at airports nationwide.

According to the statement, passengers are being screened for symptoms associated with Ebola, while any suspected case would be immediately isolated and subjected to secondary health checks in line with national and international health protocols.

FAAN stated that additional preventive measures had also been activated to strengthen the country’s preparedness against any possible outbreak.

The authority noted that coordination among aviation, health, and emergency response stakeholders had been reinforced to ensure swift and effective action whenever necessary.

It further disclosed that airport personnel had undergone increased sensitisation programmes, while emergency response procedures had been strengthened across airport facilities to improve readiness and operational safety.

“While there is currently no confirmed case of Ebola in Nigeria, FAAN remains vigilant and fully committed to safeguarding public health and maintaining safe airport operations,” the statement said.

The agency urged passengers to remain calm, cooperate with health officials during screening procedures, and promptly report any symptoms or health concerns to relevant authorities.

FAAN reaffirmed its commitment to maintaining safe, secure, and healthy airport environments while supporting national public health protection measures.

The authority added that continuous monitoring and collaboration with health agencies would remain in place to ensure Nigeria’s airports sustain global health and safety standards.

The Federal Government’s plan to reposition the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) as an independent multimodal accident investigation agency received unanimous backing from top transportation, security, and emergency management agencies during a high-level stakeholder engagement convened in Abuja on Thursday.

The meeting, held at the Joint Intelligence Board Hall of the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), brought together senior officials from the aviation, maritime, rail, road transport, finance, intelligence, and emergency response sectors to advance implementation of the new reporting structure approved by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in March 2026.

Under the new framework, the NSIB will now report directly to the Presidency through ONSA, ending its previous supervisory alignment with the Federal Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development.

The engagement was chaired by the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, with the Special Adviser to the President on Policy and Coordination and Head of the Central Results Delivery Coordination Unit, Hadiza Bala Usman, serving as co-chairperson.

Representatives at the meeting included officials from the Federal Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation, Central Bank of Nigeria, Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, Federal Road Safety Corps, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, Nigerian Railway Corporation, National Inland Waterways Authority, Nigerian Ports Authority, Nigeria Police Force, National Emergency Management Agency, Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, Armed Forces, Air Command, and other key agencies.

Stakeholders described the reform as a strategic move aimed at improving national coordination in transport accident investigations, emergency response management, infrastructure protection, and intelligence collaboration.

Director General of the NSIB, Captain Alex Badeh Jr., said the transition marks a significant institutional shift that would strengthen transparency, operational independence, and inter-agency collaboration in accident investigations.

“Our responsibility remains preventive, not punitive. The Bureau determines probable causes of accidents, identifies systemic safety gaps, and issues recommendations aimed at preventing future occurrences. We do not regulate, prosecute, or apportion blame,” Badeh said.

He explained that the new framework would improve occurrence notification timelines, evidence preservation, and coordinated responses in investigations involving multiple agencies or incidents with wider national security implications.

Badeh also noted that previous investigations conducted between late 2025 and early 2026 exposed operational difficulties, including delays in accessing critical data and jurisdictional overlaps among agencies.

Speaking at the engagement, Ribadu said the Presidency approved the reform to eliminate bureaucratic bottlenecks, preserve investigative neutrality, and establish a stronger national transportation safety structure.

According to him, the ONSA would provide institutional coordination and oversight support, especially in cases involving systemic failures or operational lapses linked to agencies under investigation.

He stressed that an independent reporting structure was necessary to maintain public trust, transparency, and professional credibility in accident investigations.

Ribadu further disclosed that the Federal Government had commenced steps to amend the NSIB Establishment Act 2022 to reflect the new governance arrangement, adding that the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation would set up a technical drafting committee involving relevant stakeholders.

In her remarks, Hadiza Bala Usman said President Tinubu’s decision aligns Nigeria’s transportation safety architecture with globally recognised models such as the United States National Transportation Safety Board, Canada’s Transportation Safety Board, and France’s Bureau d’Enquêtes et d’Analyses.

The meeting also resolved to develop inter-agency standard operating procedures within 30 days, establish memoranda of understanding among agencies within 60 days, and begin legislative amendments required for full implementation of the framework.

Participants unanimously endorsed the reform and pledged deeper collaboration through structured inter-agency partnerships and coordinated response mechanisms aimed at strengthening transportation safety and public accountability in Nigeria.