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…N700m budgeted for ‘consultancy’ fees
…N500m earmarked for ‘masterplan analysis’
…NCAT allocates N301m for ‘retention, certification’ of idle Boeing simulator
…N21m allocated for ‘window shopping, evaluation’
Stories by Chinelo Obogo
The Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development’s N87.3 billion 2026 budget is raising eyebrows.
Critics familiar with the terrain have spotted repeated and questionable allocations.
The ministry plans to spend over N700 million on consultancy services and N500 million on a ‘masterplan analysis’, descriptions many see as vague.
More so, the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology, Zaria, will use N301 million to maintain and certify an idle Boeing Simulator, while N21 million is earmarked for ‘window shopping’ and evaluation exercises.
These have raised concerns over efficiency, duplication and accountability in the sector’s spending.
Nonetheless, capital expenditure accounts for approximately 80 per cent of the total budget at N70,192,789,683, while N14,779,174,252 is allocated to personnel costs and N2,338,000,548 for overhead expenses.
The Ministry of Aviation is more development-focused when compared to the Ministry of Transport, which, despite having a higher total allocation of N432.3 billion, maintains a lower ratio of capital-to-overhead spending.
Among the most significant line items in the budget is the N200 million allocated for the development of cargo terminals at Katsina, Jos, Benin, Ekiti, Yola, Birnin Kebbi, and Enugu airports.
The budget also includes N800 million for the construction of an airstrip in Umuahia, Abia State and N70 million allocated for the rehabilitation of the Uli-Okija Airstrip in Anambra State.
Despite the commendable allocation of over 70 percent to capital expenditure, an analysis of the line-by-line item of the Ministry’s budget by Daily Sun shows duplicate allocations and expenditures that lack clarity.
Kebbi airport
The single largest line item in the budget is the N4 billion allocated for “refund for construction of the airport at Kebbi State.” This funding represents nearly five percent of the entire ministry budget and is not clear as the same Birnin Kebbi airport appears in another line item, where N200 million was allocated for the development of cargo terminals at seven airports. It is unclear if the N4 billion refund covers the complete airport facility or whether the cargo terminal still requires separate funding.
‘General Consultancy’
The line item ERGP31142585, which earmarks N700 million for “general consultancy for ongoing projects” does not specify which projects it refers to or what services will be rendered as there are other consultancy line items scattered throughout the budget. There is no clarity on what the N700 million “general consultancy” covers.
There is another N300 million allocated for “consultancy/transaction advisers for concession of five airport terminals” (code ERGP31233256). This amount is supposed to cover comprehensive advisory services for airport concession projects.
Another separate allocation of N30 million is in the budget for “consultancy for the concession of the four international airports (Lagos, Abuja, Kano and Port Harcourt)” with code ERGP31144160. It is not clear if these four airports are part of the five airports mentioned in the N300 million allocation. If so, why are they receiving separate consultancy funding? If not, why does the budget refer to “five airport terminals” in one line item and “four international airports” in another without clarification? Another line item also shows that N35 million has been budgeted for “consultancy fees for the construction of new terminal building at Enugu and Asaba airport” (code ERGP31192512), while N10 million has been earmarked for “consultancy services for preliminary and final design of Bayelsa airport.”
N500 million was allocated for the “masterplan analysis for five airports” though the airports involved or the scope of work was not clarified while N70 million was allocated for the “perfection of title and securing of Abuja airport land”, implying that after decades of operation, land title issues for the nation’s capital airport have not been resolved.
Another N80 million was allocated for ‘public service reforms’ but the allocation didn’t provide any detail about the reforms, while N50 million was budgeted for ‘verifying imported aircraft licensing and implementing presidential enabling business environment council mandate’. This allocation combines two distinct activities, one which is aircraft licensing verification and implementing a presidential mandate, without explaining either of them or justifying why they’re grouped together. The sum of N42 million was allocated for the ‘signing of Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA) with Brazil’, though no specific expenses were given to justify this amount.
Landing systems
Another example of what duplication in the budget involves two separate allocations for what appears to be similar equipment at the same airports. Line item ERGP31142936 allocates N350 million for “equipment landing aid for our major airports.” This vague description does not specify which airports, what type of landing aids it is referring to.
Line item ERGP3223962 allocates another N350 million for “upgrade of instrument landing systems from CAT I to CAT II/CAT III and installation of the same in some of the major airports in Nigeria (Lagos, Port Harcourt, Abuja and Kano airports).” This second allocation is more specific as it names the exact airports and describes the upgrade from Category I to Category II/III instrument landing systems (ILS). However, instrument landing systems are the same as landing aids, therefore the vagueness in the first allocation for “equipment landing aid for our major airports” could easily encompass the same ILS upgrades described in the second allocation.
What this shows is a case of N700 million duplication for the same equipment at the same airports. Even if the allocations are meant for different aspects of the landing systems, the lack of clarity and the identical N350 million is noteworthy because two separate line items, each for N350 million, both address landing systems at major airports without any clear distinction?
‘Retention payment’
In one of the line items, N100 million was allocated for “retention general for completed project.” This allocation is vague. In project management, retention refers to money held back from contractors until all defects are rectified but this line item doesn’t specify which completed project it relates to. Another N100 million was allocated for “compliance and project assessment/upgrading in the aviation sector”, which also doesn’t specify which projects will be assessed or what “upgrading” entails.
Agency allocations
The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) received N11, 836,942,378, with personnel costs of N9,153,514,477 representing over 77 percent of the total budget. The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) received N6.3 billion exclusively for capital expenditure, with no separate personnel or overhead costs listed in this budget section. The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) received N7, 244,873,309, comprising N734, 089,686 for overhead and N6, 510,783,623 for capital expenditure. The substantial capital allocation suggests significant investment in investigation equipment and facilities, though the specific nature of these capital projects remains unspecified.
NCAT’s Boeing 737
In the budget for the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), there are two separate allocations related to Boeing 737 simulators. The first is the sum of N175 million budgeted for ‘Boeing 737 simulator retention”, while N126 million is for “Boeing 737 simulator and other certifications.” For these two allocations, totaling N301 million, there is insufficient detail to determine whether they are two different things or duplicate funding for the same equipment or services. NCAT’s overall allocation of N11,281,209,862 breaks down into N4,277,188,892 for personnel, N464,441,402 for overhead costs, and N6,539,579,568 for capital expenditure.
Funding for ‘Performance Monitoring’
The budget includes several allocations related to performance monitoring and evaluation like the N175 million allocated for “advocacy for aviation scorecard”. The line item doesn’t specify what constitutes N175 million worth of advocacy. The sum of N98, 953,400 was allocated for ‘implementing a performance management system’ while N21 million was budgeted for “window shopping/on-the-spot evaluation of frontline desk officers of the ministry’s agencies”. This line item does not clarify what “window shopping” means and also answers the question of how evaluating desk officers requires N21 million.
