Following a high-level briefing from the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development, President Bola Tinubu has authorised the immediate release of intervention funds for the overhaul and modernisation of Nigeria’s aging radar infrastructure.

In a significant move for Nigeria’s aviation safety, the Managing Director of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Umar Farouk Ahmed, confirmed that Tinubu has approved the total overhaul and replacement of the nation’s obsolete radar systems.

The move comes just days after the NAMA MD raised a red alert. He warned that the TRACON system, commissioned back in 2010, had reached a state of critical obsolescence, with engineers forced to scavenge for nonexistent spare parts to keep the nation’s “eyes in the sky” open.

He warned that the Total Radar Coverage of Nigeria otherwise known as TRACON system, commissioned back in 2010, had reached a state of critical obsolescence, with engineers forced to scavenge for non-existent spare parts to keep the nation’s “eyes in the sky” open.

The scope of presidential intervention included procurement of modern signal processors and antennas for the nine primary radar sites, including Lagos, Abuja, Kano, and Port Harcourt and a shift away from “working without backup” by installing secondary surveillance systems to eliminate potential blind spots.

The intervention also includes moving from the outdated 2008 architecture toward the more sophisticated platforms adopted by global aviation leaders since 2014. Farouk further stated that the agency is currently in high-stakes discussions with the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM), Thales Group of France, to secure a lifeline for the aging system before the total overhaul of the ageing equipment.

The situation is a classic aviation dilemma: Since 2014, sourcing parts for the TRACON system (deployed between 2008 and 2010) has become a nightmare.