Nigeria’s airspace safety is under growing threat as ageing surveillance infrastructure struggles to keep pace with modern aviation demands. The Total Radar Coverage of Nigeria system, once a backbone of air traffic management, is now plagued by obsolescence, funding constraints, and operational gaps, raising concerns over safety, efficiency, and compliance with global standards, OLASUNKANMI AKINLOTAN writes
There has been a growing fear that Nigeria could soon lose its ability to effectively monitor aircraft within its airspace, as critical surveillance infrastructure ages beyond its limits.
For decades, the Total Radar Coverage of Nigeria system has served as the backbone of the country’s airspace management, guiding aircraft safely across busy flight paths. But today, that backbone is weakening.
“Our area of urgent attention includes the air traffic surveillance service. The TRACON system has aged. Components are becoming obsolete with no spare parts, and most parts are working without backup. The airspace is at risk of losing surveillance service,” warns the Managing Director of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, Farouk Umar, while playing host to the new permanent secretary of the ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mahmoud Kambari, barely a week ago.
However, the NAMA chief has repeatedly warned about the need for increased government investment in air navigation equipment.
Commissioned in 2001 and completed between 2008 and 2010, Nigeria’s TRACON, a multi-billion-naira symbol of technological facility, has provided real-time radar coverage, allowing controllers to maintain safe distances between aircraft and ensure seamless coordination in the skies. But the air management boss said time has caught up with the system.
Umar explained, “The lifespan of this kind of high-tech equipment is about ten years. Since 2014, the technology has been going out of fashion globally, with many countries migrating to more advanced systems.”
Today, Nigerian controllers are increasingly forced to rely on equipment that is not only outdated but, in some cases, operating without backup support, a situation experts describe as a ticking time bomb in a safety-critical industry.
The implications are profound. Without reliable surveillance, maintaining safe separation between aircraft becomes significantly more difficult, heightening the risk in an already complex operational environment. There are also concerns that Nigeria may struggle to meet international aviation standards.
“Providing air navigation services in line with ICAO requirements might become a challenge if urgent steps are not taken,” Umar added.
NAMA says a 30 per cent deduction from its internally generated revenue by the Federal Government is limiting its ability to maintain and upgrade vital infrastructure. Coupled with rising operational costs, particularly the burden of fuelling power generators, the agency finds itself grappling with financial strain.
Umar lamented, “Since 2008, we have been charging N11,000 per aircraft for each flight. That amount is no longer realistic, yet we face resistance every time we propose an increase. We must sustain our equipment, and that requires funding.”
But while management raises concerns over infrastructure, those on the frontlines doing the practical work, air traffic controllers, also painted an even more troubling picture of the current situation as it concerns the airspace management.
In a strongly worded statement, the Nigerian Air Traffic Controllers’ Association warned that the safety of Nigeria’s airspace can no longer be taken for granted.
Across control towers nationwide, NATCA described working conditions as stressful, with outdated tools, and a growing sense of vulnerability.
“Our concerns are not driven by convenience or emotion, but by the reality of a safety-critical profession being stretched beyond acceptable limits,” the association stated.
Controllers say they are increasingly being forced to work around system weaknesses that should not exist in a modern aviation environment, a situation compounded by manpower shortages and limited opportunities for training and retraining.
NATCA added that “sustained operational deficiencies, inadequate working tools, unresolved welfare issues, and severe psychological strain are the conditions under which controllers currently operate. No airspace can be truly safe when the people responsible for managing it are compelled to operate beyond safe limits.”
Some recount near-miss situations, long hours without adequate rest, and the mental toll of managing lives with imperfect systems.
According to the workers’ association, the recent fire incident at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport only amplified these fears, as controllers reportedly had to escape through “dangerous means” before returning to duty shortly after.
They said beyond safety concerns, morale within the system is said to be at an all-time low.
NATCA decried what it described as career stagnation, with many experienced controllers remaining on the same grade level for years despite increasing responsibilities.
“Many experienced Air Traffic Controllers have remained on Grade Level 16 for periods ranging from six to 13 years. This is deeply demoralising,” the association noted.
It also criticised the failure to review professional and aeromedical allowances since 2012, despite changing economic realities, saying controllers are now forced to bear work-related expenses personally.
“These allowances are not privileges but essential support for maintaining operational readiness and health,” it added.
In response to the mounting concerns, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mahmud Kambari acknowledged the urgency of the situation and pledged government support.
“We will continue to work closely with all agencies to ensure they succeed. Nigeria’s aviation industry must remain a key economic driver and a hub of global connectivity,” Kambari said.
He added that aligning Nigeria’s aviation sector with international standards would require “a united effort, investment in infrastructure, and attention to the welfare of the workforce.”
When contacted for comment, former Nigerian Navy Air Traffic Controller John Ojikutu cautioned that the issues raised by industry stakeholders may represent only a fraction of a deeper, long-running crisis in Nigeria’s airspace management system.
He said, “Let me say this: we have more problems than what NAMA and NATCA are complaining about now; we have more problems than what they are telling you. As far as I am concerned, Air Traffic Control Services are a serious function of national security.”
He further said that the implications of the situation go beyond routine aviation safety and touch directly on the country’s broader security architecture.
Drawing from years of experience and participation in technical committees, Ojikutu traced the roots of the problem back nearly two decades.
“From my knowledge, this problem started in 2006, and when I got knowledge of it as a member of several committees, I thought we had fixed what I saw then when Demuren came in, but what I discovered in one of the committees I was on was that there is a lot wrong with the TRACON,” he explained.
He added that critical timelines for upgrading the system had long been missed, raising concerns about policy continuity and accountability.
He stated, “By 2016 the whole thing was supposed to have been changed and reactivated. But I don’t want to speak much on this for different reasons. But I want to ask the government to ensure that the agreement reached in the purchase of TRACON is brought forward before any further investment. The complaint about it did not start today, but God will help us to achieve total safety in this industry.”
