House of Reps Accuses NCAA of Concealing Billions in Revenue; Threatens Leadership Changes
House of Reps Accuses NCAA of Concealing Billions in Revenue; Threatens Leadership Changes
The House of Representatives, through its Committee on Finance, has levelled accusations against the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), alleging the concealment of billions in Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).
The committee, chaired by Rep. James Falake (APC-Lagos), expressed concerns over the lack of financial transparency and threatened to oust the Managing Director and other top officials from the authority.
During an interactive session in Abuja on Friday, Rep. Falake stated, “You people have always reported a negative balance…If we further compel you to provide such information, somebody else will occupy that office.”
The committee accused the NCAA of withholding data on the number of passengers flying airlines, asserting that this secrecy hindered the nation’s financial responsibility. Despite the committee’s requests, the NCAA allegedly refused to provide the necessary information.
The committee unanimously agreed that if the NCAA failed to produce the requested documents by December 14, it would result in consequences for their leadership. The committee stressed its legal authority to scrutinize the NCAA’s documents and emphasized the need for timely and accurate data.
Rep. Falake demanded comprehensive details on the methodology used by the NCAA to determine the monthly data on passengers flying, including the airlines, destinations, fare charges, and evidence of revenue distribution. The committee also urged the Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NiMET) to provide a reconciliation of the revenue shared by the NCAA.
In response to the allegations, NCAA representatives, Captain Ibrahim Dambazau, and Abubakar Gachi defended the accuracy of the data they presented earlier. However, the committee disputed the authenticity of the data and maintained its stance on the need for transparency.
The committee also warned the Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) of potential arrest warrants if it failed to appear before them on December 4.
Documents submitted to the committee revealed that the NCAA declared N12.7 billion in revenue from the share of gross revenue allotted to regulatory agencies in the aviation industry. However, Rep. Falake argued that this amount was significantly lower than the computed gross revenue share of N66 billion for 2022, derived from both local and international travel revenues.
