‘Why Nigeria removed Safety Investigation Bureau from Aviation Ministry’

Since the transformation of the defunct Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) to the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) in 2022, expanding the mandate of the agency to cover investigation of incidents and accidents from aviation to other modes, there have been discussions about its continued domicile into the aviation industry. The NSIB Act of 2022 effectively […]

Since the transformation of the defunct Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) to the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) in 2022, expanding the mandate of the agency to cover investigation of incidents and accidents from aviation to other modes, there have been discussions about its continued domicile into the aviation industry.

The NSIB Act of 2022 effectively replaced the establishment Act of the AIB under the Civil Aviation Act 2006.

According to the bureau, “the fundamental objective of NSIB is to improve transportation safety by determining the circumstances and causes of transportation accidents and serious incidents, and providing safety recommendations intended to prevent recurrence of similar accidents. The purpose of this is not to apportion blame or liability.”

With its mandate now extended beyond the aviation Ministry to cover other Ministries like transportation under which the Railway and Road are domiciled; Marine and Blue Economy which is in charge of Maritime and water transportation, experts say it will be illogical for the bureau to remain under the Ministry of Aviation.

As of July 2025, there was a public hearing in Abuja by the joint House Committees on Special Duties and Aviation over a proposed bill seeking to relocate the NSIB from the Federal Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development to the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF).

The Ministry of Aviation in its submission opposed the proposal.

Representing the ministry at the time, Permanent Secretary Dr. Abubakar Kana urged lawmakers to retain the Bureau under the aviation ministry, while advocating for a strengthened legal and operational framework to guarantee its functional independence.

“I recommend that the National Assembly and its relevant stakeholders retain the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau within the Federal Ministry of Aviation,” Dr Kana said.

But supporting the bill, the Permanent Secretary for Political and Economic Affairs at the OSGF, Engr. Gagare Nadungu, argued that the Presidency, through the SGF, offers a centralised coordination structure better suited to host the Bureau.

On his part, the then Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs, Dr. Onwusoro Maduka, emphasised the need for the Bureau to operate independently, especially in the conduct of accident investigations.

What stood out from the argument was the need for the bureau to operate independently in the conduct of accident investigations for greater efficiency and professionalism.

It was on this premise that the presidency took what was regarded as a bold decision to sever the agency from the apron string of the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development and put the same under the Presidency.

Earlier this month, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu approved the repositioning of the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) to report directly to the Presidency.

The presidential approval, conveyed through State House correspondence dated March 5, 2026, and transmitted to the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development on March 11 for immediate implementation, also directs the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation to amend the NSIB Establishment Act 2022 and forward the proposed changes to the National Assembly.

The move effectively removes the Bureau from the supervision of the aviation ministry and places it within a governance structure closer to the centre of national policy oversight.

It was learnt that the decision hinged on the need to reposition the bureau by allowing it to report directly to the presidency. It was further argued that the NSIB’s effectiveness “is being hindered by its placement in the Aviation Ministry.”

An official privy to the decision said the President was informed that the “Bureau’s effectiveness is currently limited by its placement under the Ministry of Aviation.”

“The structure no doubt hampers the NSIB’s ability to fully execute its mandate due to the limitation of placing it under the supervision of the Ministry of Aviation when it has oversight over not just air safety accident investigation but also marine, rail, and tracked vehicle accidents in Nigeria.”

Daily Trust however reports that by removing the agency from the Ministry of Aviation, the federal government has adopted the practice in other climes where accident investigation bodies were made to operate independently as autonomous bodies reporting directly to the highest level of government.

For instance, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in the United States, operates as an autonomous agency reporting to the Congress. Also the Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) in the UK and several others operate independent of a particular Ministry.

“This structure ensures independence, credibility, and efficiency in accident investigation processes,” a source said.

Experts however describe the decision as the best ever to promote transportation safety through effective accident investigation. They expressed optimism that given the successes the bureau recorded in the aviation sector, expanding to other modes of transportation would go a long way to deepen safety in rail, road and maritime sectors.

A transportation expert, Professor Ibe Callistus in a chat with Daily Trust described the decision as the best decision ever made to promote transportation safety.

According to him, given the expanded role of the NSIB as a multimodal accident investigation agency, it is no longer owned by any Ministry.

“It is the best decision ever. The bureau is now a multimodal investigation agency and it should be under the Presidency. It will enable the bureau to do whatever it wants to do on all modes to promote safety. Their role is when an accident happens, they investigate the cause of the accident for prevention. So removing it from aviation to presidency is the best decision because it is no longer investigating aviation, it is investigating all modes of transportation. So this is the best decision the government can make. We have been advocating for this a long time ago.” he said.

Callistus, a Professor of Transport Management, urged the National Assembly to expedite action in amending the NSIB Establishment Act to implement the presidential directive.

“The bureau is working for the state, for the safety of everybody and the National Assembly should be able to approve expeditiously, that is the best thing they can do. So it is the best decision and that means we are moving towards safety of transportation,” he stated.

Also speaking, an aviation analyst, Capt. Samuel Caulcrick said, “The relocation is logical for being multi-modal and not only aviation. Besides, under the presidency, NSIB will have better funding not constrained by the regular budget particularly in emergency situations but funded by the Presidency Service-Wide Votes.

“⁠As it’s already multi-modal, its structure will only require establishing a sector corresponding desk for each transport sector. There will be overlapping experiences from the sector desks which is a plus for accident investigations.”

While stakeholders await the implementation of the presidential order, they equally agree that the new structure offers a new vista of opportunities for the bureau to increase its efficiency, effectiveness and professionalism in accident investigation, not tied to the apron string of any Minister.