NUATE Rejects Calls for NAMA Privatisation, Cites National Security, Air Safety Concerns
The National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) has strongly rejected calls for the privatisation of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), warning that the management and safety of the country’s airspace must remain a public responsibility rather than a commercial enterprise.
The union also completely and unequivocally dissociated itself from the calls reportedly made by officers of its Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) branch for the privatisation of NAMA.
In a statement issued by NUATE’s Deputy General Secretary, Comrade Odinaka Igbokwe, the union described the position attributed to the branch officers as unauthorised, stressing that the national leadership had never adopted or supported the privatisation of the air navigation service provider.
Igbokwe said the actions and comments of the branch officers did not reflect the constitutional position of NUATE, adding that the union would not allow itself to be associated with any stance capable of undermining national security and aviation safety.
According to him, NAMA occupies a strategic position in Nigeria’s aviation sector and should instead be further strengthened financially and structurally by the Federal Government to enable it to effectively discharge its statutory responsibilities.
“We believe government must further strengthen NAMA financially and structurally. NAMA remains the ultimate bulwark of our strength in Nigerian air safety,” the union stated.
NUATE maintained that air navigation services remained critical and sensitive to the safety and security of the country, warning that their management must never be compromised or subjected primarily to commercial considerations.
The union stressed that air traffic management, air navigation control and the overall safety of Nigeria’s airspace were matters of national importance that should remain under strong public oversight.
It argued that treating air navigation services as a purely commercial enterprise could pose serious concerns for the aviation industry, particularly given NAMA’s central role in ensuring the safe, orderly and efficient movement of aircraft within Nigerian airspace.
“Air navigation is a critical, sensitive matter that must never be compromised. Air navigation control and the safety of airspace must remain a public priority, not a commercial enterprise,” NUATE said.
The union reaffirmed its opposition to the privatisation of NAMA and called on the government to prioritise increased funding, institutional strengthening and structural support for the agency.
NUATE further insisted that any discussion concerning the future of NAMA must recognise the agency’s strategic importance to national security, airspace management and the overall safety of Nigeria’s aviation industry.
