A coalition of sector experts under the umbrella of the National Aviation Stakeholders Forum (NASF) has demanded the immediate step-down of Captain Chris Najomo, Director-General of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).
The demand follows a wave of industrial actions by aviation unions that left thousands of domestic passengers stranded and grounded flight schedules at major airports nationwide.
Addressing journalists during a press briefing in Lagos on Monday, August 17, 2026, the group attributed the breakdown of sector operations to regulatory inertia and poor dispute management by the apex regulatory body.
According to a formal declaration presented by NASF National Coordinator, Mr. Yahaya Yusuf, the recent aviation standstill was a direct result of regulatory oversight giving way to reactive administration.
The forum argued that the NCAA possessed sufficient statutory authority to mediate and settle long-standing grievances between airline operators and labor unions before they escalated into full-blown strikes.
”Regulatory leadership is measured by its capacity to forestall crises before they harm the economy and the public,” Yusuf stated. “The chaos witnessed across airport terminals last week was completely preventable. The NCAA watched the tension build over the statutory charges dispute and failed to enforce a resolution until flight operations collapsed.”
The core catalyst behind the labor dispute centers on the non-remittance, collection backlogs, and contested distribution formula of the 5% Ticket Sales Charge (TSC) and Cargo Sales Charge (CSC).
NASF noted that under Capt. Najomo’s leadership, the NCAA has struggled to establish an automated, tamper-proof system to audit and enforce real-time remittance of these statutory funds from airlines, leaving room for massive defaults.
To address the systemic vulnerabilities in the sector, the forum outlined the following key demands, asking Capt. Chris Najomo should tender his resignation to clear the way for a regulatory authority capable of restoring operational discipline and rebuilding confidence among industry players.
The House of Representatives Committee on Aviation should expand its current public hearings on the TSC allocation formula into a comprehensive forensic inquiry into the history of all collections and disbursements.
Lawmakers must compel the NCAA and airline operators to submit complete ledgers of historical TSC collections, highlight unremitted balances, and account for how received funds were spent by aviation agencies.
The Federal Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development should enforce an immediate transition to a central, technology-driven platform to process real-time TSC remittances directly at the point of ticket issuance.
”The ongoing debate must go beyond arguing over percentage shares,” Yusuf added. “The public has a right to complete financial transparency regarding how much money was generated from air travel, who defaulted on remittances, and how those funds were allocated.”
The escalation of calls for leadership reform at the NCAA comes at a sensitive time for Nigeria’s aviation sector, which is still recovering from the economic ripple effects of the recent groundings.
As of Monday afternoon, neither Capt. Chris Najomo nor the official spokespersons for the NCAA and the Ministry of Aviation had released a statement reacting to the forum’s calls for resignation.
