The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has reshuffled critical directors in the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, following rumours of serious corrupt practices by key officers of the aviation regulatory agency.
The reshuffle of the senior officers may not be unconnected with allegations of inefficiency and compromised oversight in the agency’s Directorate of Airworthiness Standards.
This comes as the Nigeria Safety Investigation Board, on December 14, 2025, and December 16, 2025, respectively, issued reports indicating major aircraft incidents involving unscheduled aircraft.
According to the reports, a Hawker 800XP with eight persons on board crash-landed at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano, while a Cessna 172 aircraft also crashed on approach at the Sam Mbakwe International Cargo Airport, Owerri. However, none of the four persons on board the latter aircraft was hurt.
In a report by ThisDay newspaper barely a week ago, the minister confirmed awareness of the rumour against the agency and also confirmed receipt of documents in that regard. Keyamo vowed to launch an investigation into the allegations and said he would make the results of the investigation public.
Speaking with the newspaper, the minister expressed worry that since the documents had been in the public space, concerned authorities had not reacted to the allegations. He said his ministry was conducting a comprehensive investigation into the matter, insisting that, as Minister of Aviation, he could not allow anything that would threaten air safety under his watch.
Less than seven days later, the reshuffle was effected under the directive of the minister. The Directorate of Airworthiness Standards in the NCAA is a powerhouse through which the agency ensures civil aircraft are safe and meet high standards.
It oversees certification, maintenance, and ongoing compliance with International Civil Aviation Organisation rules, handles aircraft registration, issues Certificates of Airworthiness, approves Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul, develops technical standards to keep aircraft airworthy throughout their life cycle, and ensures reliability for flight operations.
However, the directorate has been in the eye of the storm, with different fingers pointing at the section over alleged irregularities. The allegations gained urgency following a series of aircraft incidents investigated by the Nigeria Safety Investigation Board.
On December 14, 2025, a Hawker 800XP aircraft, registered as 5N-ISB, crash-landed at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport with eight persons on board after experiencing a landing gear anomaly.
Two days later, a Cessna 172 aircraft, registered as 5N-ASR, crashed on approach to the Sam Mbakwe International Cargo Airport in Owerri. No fatalities were recorded in either incident.
Earlier accidents included the August 1, 2023, crash of a Jabiru J430 aircraft, registered as 5N-CCQ, which reportedly occurred shortly after the aircraft was issued a Special Certificate of Airworthiness. This certification was among several approvals issued without exhaustive technical scrutiny, it was learnt.
With the reshuffle, Godwin Balang, formerly Director of Aerodromes and Airspace Standards, has been redeployed to head the Directorate of Airworthiness Standards, while Alhaji Ahmad Abba, the former Director of Special Duties in the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, was redeployed to the Directorate of Aerodromes and Airspace Standards to replace Balang.
Balang formally assumed office at his new department on Tuesday at the headquarters of the NCAA in Abuja. It was learnt that the move was an intervention measure aimed at tightening control over a department accused by insiders of regulatory laxity and procedural compromise.
Sources at the ministry, who did not want their names in print for fear of reprimand, told The PUNCH that Balang formally assumed office at his new department on Tuesday at the headquarters of the NCAA in Abuja.
A ministry source said, “The airworthiness department is where safety either stands or collapses. When leadership is changed at that level, it is rarely accidental.”
When contacted, the media aide to the minister, Tunde Moshood, said the reshuffle was for administrative effectiveness, adding that the investigation opened by the minister was still ongoing.
He said, “It has nothing to do with the complaints; sometimes you just must do some things. The investigation is still ongoing.”
